HMRC have confirmed that this is all part of the Making Tax Digital (MTD) strategy.
For anyone wishing to register for VAT they must now register through the online VAT Registration Service, using their Government Gateway account or via their accountant through their agent services account.
There are some exceptions where people will not be able to register online, as MTD is not ready to include businesses registering as the following:
- Agricultural flat rate scheme
- Overseas partnerships, and
- entities without a unique tax reference (UTR) number.
Those entities who cannot register for VAT online will need to contact HMRC to request a VAT1 form and confirm why they are unable to register online. It is worth bearing in mind for these particular applications HMRC advise it may take up to 40 days to process.
If you are creating your own Government Gateway it is recommended that you save the details securely as it can be difficult to get them reset if the details are lost or need to be changed.