This is the new version of the new FCA Handbook website. Help us improve it by giving your feedback.

In July 2025, we launched a brand-new Handbook website. Our new website features a modern user interface, enhanced timeline features and richer search functionality, among other things. We’ve created a series of Guides to help you familiarise yourself with the new site. For further information on navigating through the Handbook specifically, see the Handbook reader’s guide. This guide is your first port of call for using and navigating around the Handbook website. In this guide, we set out:

Getting started

On all pages on the FCA Handbook website, you’ll see a menu on the left-hand side. This is the main way to navigate around the website. You can find all content on the site from this menu.

When you click on any of the pages of the website via the left-hand menu, you’ll see that various options appear under each page, which can be used to control what you see on that page.

You’ll also notice that there is a search bar at the top of each page. For further information on performing searches on the Handbook website, see How to search for content on the FCA Handbook website. If you’re not sure where to look, try our Advanced search to help navigate to the right content. You might also find the Handbook reader’s guide helpful.

You can also use the left-hand menu to return to the homepage at any time. From the homepage, you can find:

  • links to the most popular pages on the website;
  • links to our most recently published instruments and any other updates;
  • useful links – a list of additional resources that you may find helpful when navigating around the Handbook website.

You’ll also notice a few useful links at the top and bottom of each page.

At the top of the page:

At the bottom of the page:

What information is hosted on the site?

The different sections of the website, as set out in the left-hand side menu, are listed below.

FCA Handbook

The FCA Handbook contains the complete record of FCA legal instruments made by our Board and presents our rules and guidance in a single, consolidated view. For further information on navigating through the Handbook, see the Handbook reader’s guide.

Latest news

On the Latest news page, you can stay up to date with any information we publish about the website. You can also find links to our regular Handbook Notices, which describe the changes to the FCA Handbook and other material made by the FCA Board.

Glossary

The Glossary of definitions specifies the legal meaning of various phrases. For further information on the Glossary, see Guidance on the Glossary of definitions. For further information on how to navigate the Glossary, see Navigating the Handbook.

Instruments

Section 138G of the Financial Services and Markets Act, as amended (FSMA) requires the FCA to make rules made by the FCA Board publicly available, in writing, by a ‘rule-making instrument’. Most other legislative provisions made by the FCA (such as general guidance and codes) are also made by instrument.

We publish our instruments online to fulfil this statutory requirement. The definitive version of the rules is the legal instrument and it is this text that should be used if there is any discrepancy between the instrument and the website page text.

On the Instruments page, you’ll see a list of all of our legal instruments, in order of publication date (most recent first). When you click on a legal instrument from the list, it will open in a new tab. Each instrument will be listed with:

  • its title;
  • its type, which can be one of the following:
    • instruments made by the Board of the FCA;
    • instruments made by the Board of the Financial Ombudsman Service; or
    • non-legal changes (ie, minor corrections and clarifications that are regarded as having no legal effect);
  • the module(s) it amends;
  • its ID number; and
  • the date on which it was published and the date(s) on which it takes effect.

Forms

There are various supplementary forms to the Handbook which are included within the relevant module. All of these forms are linked within the relevant annex but you can also find the entire directory of forms on the Forms page. When you click on a form from the list, it will open in a new tab. Each form will be listed with:

  • its title;
  • the module and provision it relates to; and
  • its published and effective dates.

User guides

On the User guides page, you can find a series of guides setting out how to use the Handbook website to help you familiarise yourself with the new site.

Technical standards

Technical standards are either in the form of regulation (binding standards adopted by the European Commission) that became UK law at the end of the transition period, or instruments made under powers for the FCA transferred by regulations made under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

The Handbook website therefore includes two types of technical standards:

  • those originally made under EU law and incorporated into UK law at the end of the transition period, which the FCA has amended using its powers under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to ensure they operate effectively in the UK on and after Implementation Period completion day; and
  • those the FCA has made after the end of the transition period using powers in assimilated law which were transferred to the FCA.

Technical standards are not part of the FCA Handbook (which is defined in the Glossary as the FCA’s Handbook of rules and guidance), but they are displayed on the Handbook website to assist the reader in locating them. The FCA displays technical standards, which the FCA can amend, on the Handbook website but not other categories of assimilated law.

Level 3 material

Level 3 material (L3M) is EU non-legislative material such as guidelines and recommendations. The Handbook website includes links to the PDF versions of L3M issued before the end of the transition period.

L3M is not incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, and we have therefore not amended them to work in a UK-only context. However, we issue guidance on how L3M issued before the end of the transition period should be read. See our approach to EU non-legislative materials.

When you click on a level 3 material document from the list, it will open in a new tab. Each level 3 material document will be listed with:

  • its title; and
  • its dossier (ie, the original EU regulation).

Advanced search

For further information on the Advanced search page, see How to search for content on the FCA Handbook website.