Managing your shares - frequently asked questions

How can I buy or sell shares?

As an ordinary shareholder, you can use any bank, building society or stockbroker offering a share dealing facility for UK listed shares in order to buy or sell Aviva shares. The commission charged by different organisations will vary.

For further information on the share dealing facility provided by our Registrar, Computershare, please visit the share dealing page.  If you hold your shares in the Aviva Share Account, you are required to use the Aviva Share Account Share Dealing Facility in accordance with the Aviva Share Account terms and conditions (PDF).

What is Capital Gains Tax?

Capital Gains Tax is the tax paid on any profit or gain made by selling a chargeable asset (e.g. shares) for more than it was bought.  Aviva plc is unable to advise individuals on matters of Capital Gains Tax. You can find information at Capital Gains Tax: what you pay it on, rates and allowances: Overview - GOV.UK. If you are in any doubt, please consult an independent financial adviser.

What is a registrar?

A registrar is a person or organisation that keeps a record of a company’s shareholders and other related information such as dividend payment dates.

Registrars are increasingly offering online services to meet the demands of companies and shareholders for efficient communication. Aviva's Registrar is Computershare.

How do I change my personal details on my shareholding?

Change of address

You can change your address online by visiting the Computershare Investor Centre and registering for online services.

Alternatively, contact Aviva’s Registrar, Computershare.

Change of name

For your name to be changed on the share register please send Computershare an original of your marriage certificate or your change of name deed (these documents will be returned to you once processed).

If you hold an insurance policy with Aviva, please contact us separately to change your policy name/address.

If you need to write to Computershare, please quote your Computershare Shareholder Reference Number which begins with a C, I or G and can be found on most Computershare correspondence.

How can I confirm the number of shares that I hold?

You can view your Aviva shareholdings online by visiting the Computershare Investor Centre and registering for online shareholder services.  Alternatively, please contact Computershare, to request confirmation of your holdings in Aviva.

How can I transfer ownership of my shares to someone else?

For certificated holdings please contact Computershare to obtain a personalised stock transfer form, which you will need to complete and return with your share certificate.

How do I register the death of a shareholder?

If the shares were held solely in the name of the deceased, Computershare will require a copy of the death certificate and either probate or letters of administration. The name of the legal personal representative will then be added to the register. The shares can be sold by the personal representative, or a stock transfer form can be submitted so that the shares are registered in the name of the deceased’s beneficiary.

If the shareholding was held jointly, on receipt of a copy of the death certificate, Computershare will remove the name of the deceased from the shareholding. The shares will then be registered in the name(s) of the surviving holder(s) and the relevant share certificates will be amended to reflect this. 

If the value of the estate in the deceased’s sole name is below certain limits the death can be registered using the Registrar’s small estates procedure. Details of the current limits and the procedure involved can be obtained from Computershare .

For further information or advice please contact Computershare.

What do I do if I lose my share certificate?

You may obtain a replacement share certificate by calling our Registrar, Computershare.

A fee to cover administration costs and an indemnity charge will be made for this service. Please visit http://investorcentre.co.uk/faq for up to date details of the fees charged by Computershare. After receiving a replacement share certificate, you may wish to transfer your shares into the Aviva Share Account.

If your shares are held on your behalf in the Aviva Share Account and you have lost your Statement of Shareholding, a new statement will be issued online on the Computershare Investor Centre once every quarter. You will also receive an annual summary in March/April each year.

If you need a statement more quickly, you can obtain a replacement by calling Computershare. There will be a fee for this service. 

You can also view your current shareholding by visiting the Computershare Investor Centre and registering for online shareholder services.

Historical share certificates

As a result of various mergers, name changes, acquisitions and the share consolidation that took place in 2022, you may have in your possession various share certificates for our legacy companies and classes of share.  The position with these is as follows:

• Aviva plc ordinary shares of 25 pence each - Replaced with Aviva 32 17/19 pence shares on 16 May 2022.
• CGNU - Ordinary share certificates were replaced with Aviva 32 17/19 pence shares on 16 May 2022.
• CGU - Ordinary share certificates were replaced with Aviva 32 17/19 pence shares on 16 May 2022.
• Commercial Union – Ordinary share certificates were replaced with Aviva 32 17/19 pence shares on 16 May 2022. Commercial Union, CGU, CGNU and Aviva preference share certificates are still valid. 
• Commercial Union Assurance Company - Ordinary share certificates were replaced with Aviva 32 17/19 pence shares on 16 May 2022.
• Friends Life Group Limited - share certificates were replaced with Aviva 25 pence share certificates at the time of the acquisition of Friends Life Group Limited by Aviva on 10 April 2015.
• Resolution Limited - Resolution changed its name to Friends Life Group Limited on 8 May 2014 - share certificates were replaced with Aviva 25 pence share certificates at the time of the acquisition of Friends Life Group Limited by Aviva on 10 April 2015.
• Friends Provident - on 2 November 2009 Friends Provident was acquired by Resolution for 79.4 pence per share. On this date, all Friends Provident shares were either cashed out (i.e. shareholders received a cash sum paid by cheque in respect of their holdings) or converted into Resolution shares.
• Norwich Union - share certificates were automatically replaced with CGNU share certificates at the time of the merger with CGU.
• General Accident - General Accident ordinary shares were replaced by CGU shares on acceptance of the merger offer from Commercial Union. General Accident preference share certificates are still valid.
  

What happened to my F&C Asset Management Plc shares?

In July 2009, Friends Provident demerged the majority stake it had owned in F&C Asset Management plc since 2004 by distributing the F&C shares to its own shareholders. Following the demerger, F&C Asset Management plc shareholders were entitled to receive 1 share in F&C for every 10 shares they held in Friends Provident on 2 July 2009 in addition to the Friends Provident shares already held.

I’m a former Friends Provident shareholder, which share registrar should I contact?

All unclaimed Friends Provident shareholder funds are held directly by Computershare or Equiniti (the former registrar of Friends Provident). Please contact Computershare to request confirmation of your holding. Computershare will either assist you or direct you to Equiniti depending on where your funds are held. Either Computershare or Equiniti will be able to arrange the re-issue of any outstanding funds which may be due to you although there may be a charge for replacement cheques.

The Aviva Share Account is Aviva’s corporate nominee service in which shareholders can hold their shares. Currently around 230,000 shareholders hold their shares in this manner and benefit from increased privacy and the peace of mind of not having to look after a share certificate.

The Aviva Share Account acts as the holder of your Aviva shares and by joining the account your personal details will be entered on to a sub-register that is not available for public inspection.

View the terms and conditions of the Aviva Share Account

By holding your shares in the Aviva Share Account:

• You remove the risk of losing a share certificate, and the cost and inconvenience of obtaining a replacement (the cost of obtaining a replacement share certificate depends on the size of your holding, for more information please visit http://www.investorcentre.co.uk/faq).
• Your name will not be entered on to any public register, reducing the risk of ID fraud.
• You will still receive the same dividends and have the same choices available.
• You can request to receive copies of documents sent to shareholders.
• You will still be able to vote and attend shareholder general meetings.
• Settlement on the sale of shares held electronically is quicker and cheaper than the Computershare certificated share dealing service.
• It is free to transfer your shares into, and hold your shares in, the Aviva Share Account.

If you would like to open an account by transferring shares into the Aviva Share Account you will need to call our Registrar, Computershare to obtain a personalised application form.

There is no charge to have your shares put into the Aviva Share Account and you are able to withdraw them at any time and request a share certificate (please note however, that there is a charge of £17.50 for withdrawing your shares from the Aviva Share Account).

Please note that if you have any preferences on your shareholding such as having your dividends bank mandated, or having an election to receive hard copy shareholder documentation, these preferences will not transfer over to your Aviva Share Account. You will therefore need to resubmit new instructions to the registrar once your shares have been transferred.

As an Aviva Share Account member you will be able to use the Aviva Share Account Share Dealing Facility provided by our Registrar, Computershare. For further information regarding this share dealing service please go to share dealing. If you wish to use any other share dealing service you will need to withdraw your shares from the Aviva Share Account and obtain a share certificate first. Computershare will charge a fee of £17.50 for withdrawing your shares from the Aviva Share Account.

If you have any queries regarding buying or selling shares in Aviva you should seek professional financial advice.

If you decide you would prefer to hold your shares in certificated form, or would like to sell your shares through a share dealing service other than the Aviva Share Account Share Dealing Facility, and would therefore like to withdraw your shares from the Aviva Share Account please contact our Registrar, Computershare for a transfer form.

There is a fee of £17.50 for transferring your shares from the Aviva Share Account.

Whilst holding your shares in the Aviva Share Account you can participate in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP). The plan provides the option for eligible shareholders to reinvest their cash dividend in additional ordinary shares in the Company. You can either join online or by completing a form that you can obtain from the Company's Registrar, Computershare. There is no entry fee and you can leave the Plan at any time at no charge. Charges will apply for each purchase. Please see the terms and conditions for further details.

Completed Application forms should be sent to: Computershare Investor Services PLC, the Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS13 8AE

Please note, this service is not appropriate for shareholders living in certain jurisdictions, for example North America. Please see clause 2.1 of the terms and conditions for more information.

As a member of the Aviva Share Account you can register or log into the Computershare Investor Centre, the shareholder services website, to view your current holding and its indicative value.

Dividends

You will have the same rights as ordinary shareholders to receive any dividends paid by us. You can also arrange to have your dividends bank mandated or alternatively, you can participate in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan. You will need to contact our Registrar, Computershare to arrange how you would like to receive your dividends.

Annual General Meetings

You will retain the right to attend and vote at our Annual General Meetings. We will contact you ahead of any future AGMs and let you know the date and time of the meeting. If you have elected to receive hard copy shareholder documentation you will be sent a hard copy notice of meeting to the address on your shareholding. If you have elected to receive electronic communications you will be sent an email directing you to the Aviva website where you will be able to view or download the notice.

Shareholder documentation

You can elect to receive shareholder communications, such as the annual report and accounts and notice of meeting, in either hard copy or electronically.  In order to do this you will need to change your mailing preference on your Computershare account, or you can write to Computershare informing them of what documentation you would like to receive in hard copy format. You can access your account and change your mailing preference online by visiting the Computershare Investor Centre.

Stamp Duty Reserve Tax is a UK tax that may be payable depending on the type of transfer. As a general rule, if money is not changing hands then the transaction is not liable for Stamp Duty. As there is no cost in transferring your shares into the Aviva Share Account you will not be liable to pay Stamp Duty Reserve Tax. If you are in any doubt about transferring your shares into the Aviva Share Account, please contact an Authorised Financial Advisor.

An American Depositary Receipt (ADR) is a negotiable instrument issued by a depositary bank that evidences ownership of shares in a corporation organised outside the US. Each ADR represents a specific number of underlying ordinary shares in a non-US company on deposit with a custodian in the applicable home market. ADRs are quoted and traded in US dollars on a US securities exchange and dividends are paid to investors in US dollars.

ADRs were specifically designed to facilitate the purchase, holding and sale of non-US securities by US investors, and to provide a corporate finance vehicle for non-US companies. Aviva has a sponsored Level 1 ADR facility administered by Citibank.

Aviva’s Level 1 ADR program is traded under the ticker symbol "AVVIY".

ADRs can be purchased by investors or institutions who wish to purchase shares in a foreign company. Investors can either purchase the foreign shares in the local market through a broker in that country or request their brokers to buy the ADRs in the US. The broker may either purchase existing ADRs or, if they are not available, arrange for their broker to purchase shares in the local market of which Aviva’s depositary bank, Citibank, will issue in ADR form.

You can find an update-to-date quote of an Aviva ADR here.

You can buy and sell Aviva ADRs through any broker licensed to buy and sell US securities.

For any ADR related enquiries, you may contact Citibank Shareholder Services.

Aviva plc ordinary shareholders should contact their local broker to deposit their ordinary shares at Citibank London for ADR issuance.

Registered ADR holders can access their account online.

Alternatively Aviva plc registered ADR holders can contact Citibank Shareholder Services. Aviva plc ADR holders holding shares via a bank, a broker or nominee account (in book-entry format) should contact their brokers for information on their holding.

If you are a registered holder, please contact Citibank Shareholder Services.

You can also inform Citibank of your change of address by e-mailing them at citibank@shareholders-online.com. Alternatively, you can complete the form found on your latest account statement and return it to the address on the statement.

If your certificate is lost, stolen or destroyed please notify Citibank immediately so that a stop transfer can be placed on the certificate. Citibank will send you the necessary forms for a replacement certificate to be issued to you. There is a charge of approximately 3% of the market value of the shares (minimum fee of $20) for a replacement certificate. This is necessary in order to purchase the replacement indemnity bond.

You can obtain information on your account such as your balance or the status of a dividend cheque by calling Citibank Shareholder Services.

Computershare are Citibank’s transfer agent. Information on how to gift or transfer your ADRs can be found under the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of the Computershare website. The “Frequently Asked Questions” section is located under the “Transferring Stock” menu, where you will find the requirements to transfer your shares. You can also contact Citibank Shareholder Services.

You can find information on ADR Dividends here.

The B Share Scheme was the way in which Aviva returned £3.75 billion to Shareholders.  B Shares were issued to Shareholders, at a ratio of one B Share for each Existing Ordinary Share held, and then the B Shares were redeemed for a fixed amount per B Share. Holders of the ADSs were also entitled to participate in the return under the B Share Scheme.

To maintain comparability (subject to normal market fluctuations) between the market price for Aviva Ordinary Shares and ADSs before and after the implementation of the B Share Scheme, the B Share Scheme was accompanied by a Share Consolidation (and an equivalent consolidation of the ADSs). Under the Share Consolidation, the Existing Ordinary Shares were consolidated and redesignated so that Shareholders received 76 New Ordinary Shares for each 100 Existing Ordinary Shares held at 6pm on Friday 13 May 2022.

Full details can be found in the Circular.

Shareholders received one B Share for each Existing Ordinary Share held at 6pm on Friday 13 May 2022, with B Shares redeemed for cash at 101.69 pence per Existing Ordinary Share.

Aviva had agreed and completed the disposal of eight non-core businesses for total proceeds of £7.5 billion prior to the implementation of the B Share Scheme.

A share buyback programme, which commenced in August 2021 and completed on Thursday 31 March 2022, returned £1 billion to Shareholders. After taking into account the disposal proceeds received, Aviva’s strong financial position and capital framework, together with the desire to retain amounts for the further reduction in financial leverage and for investment in the business, the Board proposed a further return of £3.75 billion to Shareholders by way of a B Share Scheme.

The Board concluded that the B Share Scheme was the most favourable method for returning capital to Shareholders on the basis of the position of both retail and institutional Shareholders, the benefits of completing the capital return within a reasonable timescale and the proportionate participation of all Shareholders.

The B Share Scheme and Share Consolidation related to the ordinary share capital of Aviva. All Ordinary Shareholders on Aviva’s shareholder register at 6pm on Friday 13 May 2022 were eligible to participate in the B Share Scheme and their Existing Ordinary Shares were consolidated.

The purpose of the Share Consolidation was to try to ensure that (subject to fractional roundings) the market price of each New Ordinary Share and New ADS immediately following the implementation of the B Share Scheme was broadly the same (subject to normal market fluctuations) as the market price of each Existing Ordinary Share and ADS immediately beforehand. The New Ordinary Shares were equivalent in all other respects to the Existing Ordinary Shares, including their dividend, voting and other rights as set out in Aviva’s Articles of Association.

In addition, you continued to own the same proportion of Aviva (subject to fractional entitlements) as you did immediately prior to the implementation of the B Share Scheme. Under the Share Consolidation, the Existing Ordinary Shares were consolidated and redesignated so that Shareholders received 76 New Ordinary Shares for 100 Existing Ordinary Shares held at the Record Time. Expressed as a percentage, the reduction in the number of Ordinary Shares as a result of the Share Consolidation was broadly equivalent to the percentage of Aviva’s market capitalisation which was returned to Shareholders under the B Share Scheme. Therefore, the value of your holding of New Ordinary Shares plus the amount returned per Existing Ordinary Share held by you at 6pm on Friday 13 May 2022 pursuant to the B Share Scheme was, subject to market fluctuations, approximately equal to the value of your holding of Existing Ordinary Shares before the B Share Scheme.

Fractional entitlements arose when applying the consolidation ratio to a Shareholder’s holding of Existing Ordinary Shares resulted in the Shareholder being entitled to a fraction of a New Ordinary Share. Such fractional entitlements were aggregated and sold in the market on behalf of such Shareholders. Net proceeds of the sale (after deduction of all expenses and commissions incurred) were distributed pro rata to entitled Ordinary Shareholders on 19 May 2022. The value of any one Shareholder's fractional entitlement did not exceed the value of one New Ordinary Share.

At or around the same time as the Share Consolidation, the Depositary consolidated the ADSs in the same manner as the Existing Ordinary Shares to reflect the Share Consolidation, with fractional entitlements to New ADSs being sold and net cash proceeds (net of applicable fees, taxes, and expenses) distributed to applicable ADS Holders.

Under the B Share Scheme, you would have received 101.692 pence for each Existing Ordinary Share you held at 6pm on Friday 13 May 2022. Your Existing Ordinary Shares were then consolidated into New Ordinary Shares in the ratio of 76 New Ordinary Shares for every 100 Existing Ordinary Shares you held at the Record Time. The aggregate value of your cash proceeds under the B Share Scheme and your holding of New Ordinary Shares you held following the Share Consolidation were, subject to normal market fluctuations, approximately equal to the value of the Existing Ordinary Shares that you previously held. You owned the same proportion of Aviva shares as you did immediately prior to the implementation of the B Share Scheme and Share Consolidation subject only to fractional roundings.

The ratio for the Share Consolidation that applied to your shares was set by reference to (i) the closing mid-market price of 438 pence per Existing Ordinary Share in issue on Monday 4 April 2022 (being the last practicable date prior to the publication of the Circular), as adjusted for the 2021 final dividend of 14.70 pence per Existing Ordinary Share (for which the record date was Friday 8 April 2022) and (ii) the number of Existing Ordinary Shares in issue on Monday 4 April 2022 (being the last practicable date prior to the publication of the Circular), adjusted for shares which were pending cancellation under the Company’s previously announced share buyback programme.

To give you an idea of how the B Share Scheme affected your shareholding we have set out some examples below:

Shareholders who are not (or, at the time of the implementation of the B Share Scheme, were not) resident in the UK or US, or who are (or, at the time of the implementation of the B Share Scheme, were) citizens, residents or nationals of a country other than the UK or US, should read the additional information set out in paragraph 8 of Part II of the Circular.

In addition, Shareholders who are (or, at the time of the implementation of the B Share Scheme, were) subject to tax in a jurisdiction other than the UK or the US, or who are in any doubt as to their tax position, should consult their own independent professional advisers.

Each Shareholder’s tax position depend on their circumstances and where they are (or, at the time of the implementation of the B Share Scheme, were) resident for tax purposes. The B Share Scheme was intended to provide capital treatment for most UK tax-resident Shareholders.

A general guide to certain limited aspects of the UK tax treatment of the B Share Scheme under UK law at the time of the B Share Scheme and HMRC’s published practice and a summary of certain US federal income tax consequences for US holders under current US tax law is set out in Part IV of the Circular. Each Shareholder is urged to consult its own independent professional adviser regarding the tax consequences to it of the B Share Scheme, taking into account its particular circumstances.

Shareholders who are (or, at the time of the implementation of the B Share Scheme, were) subject to tax in a jurisdiction other than the UK or the US, or who are in any doubt as to the potential tax consequences of the B Share Scheme or Share Consolidation, are urged to consult their own independent professional tax advisers.

This could depend on your precise circumstances, but in general the answer is “no”. UK individual Shareholders are likely to pay more tax on receipt of a special dividend than they would pay on receipt of proceeds under the B Share Scheme.