UK Bribery Act 2010
The UK Bribery Act 2010 is considered one of the strictest anti-bribery laws globally. It creates four offences: bribing another person (Section 1), being bribed (Section 2), bribing foreign public officials (Section 6), and failure of a commercial organisation to prevent bribery (Section 7). The Section 7 corporate offence has strict liability — the only defence is demonstrating 'adequate procedures' to prevent bribery. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) prosecutes. Applies to UK companies and any company carrying on business in the UK. No facilitation payment exception.
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Framework Domains (22)
Adequate procedures: Principle 1
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-P1 | Principle 1 Proportionate Procedures |
Adequate procedures: Principle 2
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-P2 | Principle 2 Top Level Commitment |
Adequate procedures: Principle 3
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-P3 | Principle 3 Risk Assessment |
Adequate procedures: Principle 4
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-P4 | Principle 4 Due Diligence |
Adequate procedures: Principle 5
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-P5 | Principle 5 Communication Including Training |
Adequate procedures: Principle 6
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-P6 | Principle 6 Monitoring and Review |
Bribery of Foreign Public Officials
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Section 6 | Definitions and Scope of Personal Data |
| Section 6(3) | Influence and Business Advantage |
| Section 6(5) | Definition of Foreign Public Official |
Corporate Liability — Failure to Prevent Bribery
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Section 7 | Local Representative Requirement |
| Section 7(2) | Adequate Procedures Defence |
| Section 8 | Definition of Associated Person |
| Section 9 | Guidance on Adequate Procedures |
Corporate offence
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-S7 | Section 7 Failure of Commercial Organisation to Prevent Bribery |
Detection
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-WB | Whistleblowing and Reporting Channels |
Financial integrity
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-FC | Books, Records and Financial Controls |
General Bribery Offences
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Section 1 | Offence of Bribing Another Person |
| Section 2 | Purpose and Intent; No Private Right of Action |
| Section 3 | Function or Activity to Which Bribe Relates |
| Section 4 | Improper Performance Test |
| Section 5 | Extraterritorial Application |
Operational context
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-CL | Sector and Cross Border Considerations |
Partnership risk
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-JV | Joint Ventures and Consortium Arrangements |
Penalties and Prosecution
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Section 11 | Penalties for Individuals |
| Section 11(3) | Penalties for Organisations |
| Section 12 | Territorial Jurisdiction |
| Section 14 | Senior Officer Consent or Connivance |
Resolution mechanism
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-DP | Deferred Prosecution Agreements Readiness |
Response
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-IN | Internal Investigations and Cooperation |
Scope and Application
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Section 10 | Consent to Prosecution |
| Section 13 | Defence for Intelligence Services |
| Section 15 | Deferred Prosecution Agreements |
Six Principles of Adequate Procedures
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Principle 1 | Governance |
| Principle 2 | Data architecture and IT infrastructure |
| Principle 3 | Accuracy and Integrity |
| Principle 4 | Completeness |
| Principle 5 | Timeliness |
| Principle 6 | Adaptability |
Specific risk area
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-CD | Charitable and Political Donations |
| UKBA-FP | Facilitation Payments Prohibition |
| UKBA-GH | Gifts, Hospitality and Promotional Expenditure |
Substantive offence
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-S1 | Section 1 Offences of Bribing Another Person |
| UKBA-S2 | Section 2 Offences Relating to Being Bribed |
| UKBA-S6 | Section 6 Bribery of Foreign Public Officials |
Transaction risk
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| UKBA-MA | Mergers and Acquisitions Due Diligence |
Your Compliance Coverage
If you comply with UK Bribery Act 2010, you already cover:
MTCS — Multi-Tier Cloud Security (Singapore)
7%
3 controls mapped
Compare →ISO 20400:2017 — Sustainable Procurement
7%
3 controls mapped
Compare →ISO/IEC 25012:2008 — Data Quality Model
7%
3 controls mapped
Compare →+ 415 more: Union Customs Code (UCC) - Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 (7%), Japan Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (ASCT) — Digital Services (7%)
See all 418 mapped frameworks ↓Maps to 418 other frameworks
Frequently Asked Questions
What is UK Bribery Act 2010?
UK Bribery Act 2010 is a compliance framework from United Kingdom (SFO) with 22 domains and 45 controls. The UK Bribery Act 2010 is considered one of the strictest anti-bribery laws globally. It creates four offences: bribing another person (Section 1), being bribed (Section 2), bribing foreign public officials (Section 6), and failure of a commercial organisation to prevent bribery (Section 7). The Section 7 corporate offence has strict liability — the only defence is demonstrating 'adequate procedures' to prevent bribery. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) prosecutes. Applies to UK companies and any company carrying on business in the UK. No facilitation payment exception. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
How many controls does UK Bribery Act 2010 have?
UK Bribery Act 2010 has 45 controls organised across 22 domains. The largest domains are Six Principles of Adequate Procedures (6 controls), General Bribery Offences (5 controls), Corporate Liability — Failure to Prevent Bribery (4 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
What frameworks does UK Bribery Act 2010 map to?
UK Bribery Act 2010 maps to 418 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are MTCS — Multi-Tier Cloud Security (Singapore) (7% coverage), ISO 20400:2017 — Sustainable Procurement (7% coverage), ISO/IEC 25012:2008 — Data Quality Model (7% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.
How do I get started with UK Bribery Act 2010 compliance?
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