Managing charity trustee information in OSCR Online

From 30 June 2025, OSCR began collecting charity trustee information through OSCR Online. Providing this information is a legal requirement for all charities.

What information you will need before adding charity trustees

1. Confirm that none of the charity trustees have advised they cannot act as a charity trustee. For information on how to check if an individual is eligible to be a charity trustee, please see our guidance on automatic disqualification.

2. Collect the required trustee information:

Full name
Home address
Email address
Telephone number
Date of birth
Date of appointment as charity trustee*

*The date of appointment refers to the original date the individual became a charity trustee. If a charity trustee has been reappointed after serving a term, you should still use their initial appointment date. If the charity trustee was appointed many years ago and the exact date is unknown, it is acceptable to provide an estimated date.

3. Check if any charity trustee has the intention to apply for an exemption from having their name published on the Scottish Charity Register.

In certain circumstances, charity trustees can have their name exempted from being published on the Scottish Charity Register. This exemption only applies after an application for an exemption has been approved by OSCR, and it will only be approved when specific criteria is met. Applications for exemption must be submitted to OSCR within 28 days of the charity trustee being added. If an application for exemption is not received within 28 days, their first and last names will be published.

For information on who is eligible for an exemption and how to apply for one, please see our exemption guidance.

From early 2026, only the first and last names of charity trustees who do not have an exemption will be published on the Scottish Charity Register. All other trustee information will remain confidential, unless a charity chooses to disclose additional details in its own annual report and accounts.

Manage Charity Trustees section

In the 'Manage Charity Trustees' section of OSCR Online, you can view your current and former trustees. Former trustees will be visible in the 'Former Charity Trustees' section for two years following resignation, after which their records will be deleted. To search for a specific trustee, the search function can be used.

Add a new charity trustee

1. To add a new charity trustee, click 'add new'.

2. Input charity trustee details. All fields marked with a red asterisk are mandatory. Only the fields marked with this symbol will be published on the Scottish Charity Register (first name and last name only).

3. If the charity trustee intends to apply for an exemption from having their name published on the Scottish Charity Register, you must indicate that here by selecting yes. If they do not intend to apply to have an exemption, this section must say no.

4. Agree to the acknowledgement.

5. Save the details of the new charity trustee by clicking 'Save'.

The new charity trustee will now appear in your current charity trustee section.

The system is set up to cater for individual trustees. If you have a corporate trustee, you should enter the information follows:

First name – Name of corporate trustee
Last name – Company number (if a company) otherwise duplicate name of corporate trustee
Date of Birth – date of appointment or vesting

Edit a charity trustee's details

1. To view or amend the details of current trustees, you can click on the trustee record or the pencil graphic.

2. To save any amendments, you must provide a reason for the change in the reason box at the bottom.

3. Save the amendments by clicking 'Update'.

4. If you have not made any changes, you can navigate away from this page by clicking on any of the options at the top of the page.

Remove a charity trustee

1. To remove a charity trustee, you first must open their record by clicking on their name or the pencil graphic.

2. Add the date of when they ceased being a trustee in the field titled 'Date of Ceasing To Be A Trustee'.

3. Provide a reason in the 'Reason for Update' box.

4. Save the amendment by clicking 'Update'.

The charity trustee will then be removed from your current charity trustees section and recorded under your former charity trustees section.