{"id":5731,"date":"2025-06-20T08:07:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T08:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fasterdraft.com\/product\/confidentiality-agreement"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:18:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:18:37","slug":"general-non-disclosure-agreement","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/fasterdraft.com\/uk\/product\/general-non-disclosure-agreement","title":{"rendered":"General Non-Disclosure Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What is a non-disclosure Agreement?<\/h2>\n<p>A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legally binding contract in which one or more parties agree to keep specified information confidential and not to use it for any purpose other than the one permitted by the agreement. A standard NDA template UK defines the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>list or type of information that shall be considered confidential;<\/li>\n<li>obligation of the receiving party; and<\/li>\n<li>duration of confidentiality obligation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A confidentiality agreement sample is being used widely by businesses and individuals in the UK when doing business together, for partnership cooperation, for the provision of <a href=\"https:\/\/fasterdraft.com\/uk\/product\/service-contract\"><em>services<\/em><\/a> or performance of works, and so on.<\/p>\n<h2>One-way vs mutual disclosure: which type do you need?<\/h2>\n<p>The most important element in every confidential disclosure agreement sample is to define for which type of a disclosure you need this document. In English law the disclosure can be of two types:<\/p>\n<h3>One-Way (Unilateral) NDA<\/h3>\n<p>A one-way NDA is used when only one party is disclosing confidential information and the other party is receiving it. Only the receiving party is bound by confidentiality obligations. The disclosing party makes no equivalent commitment.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you may need a one-way NDA when:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>sharing your business idea with future investors;<\/li>\n<li>hiring professional consultants or advisors;<\/li>\n<li>sharing sensitive information for private purposes (for example, hiring a nanny or personal driver).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A one-way confidential disclosure agreement sample shall be executed as a deed. It is not enough to simply sign the document. In addition to that, both parties&#8217; signatures should be witnessed.<\/p>\n<h3>Mutual (Bilateral) NDA<\/h3>\n<p>A mutual NDA is used when both parties are sharing confidential information with each other. Parties may need this type of contractual arrangement when:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You are entering into joint venture discussions where both parties will share business strategies;<\/li>\n<li>You are in M&amp;A due diligence, where both buyer and seller are exchanging sensitive financial and operational information;<\/li>\n<li>You are collaborating on a product or technology development project where both parties contribute proprietary know-how;<\/li>\n<li>Any situation where information flows in both directions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What should NDA UK include?<\/h2>\n<p>A good example of a non-disclosure agreement template should cover key provisions, including:<\/p>\n<h3>Parties<\/h3>\n<p>The text of the document should outline the name of both parties involved. Identification details shall cover the full name and mailing or registered business address. If this is a one-way NDA, the parties should be referred to as the &#8220;disclosing party&#8221;, for a party sharing confidential information, and the &#8220;receiving party&#8221;, for a party obtaining access to the confidential information.<\/p>\n<p>When both parties exchange confidential information, these parties are usually being referred to in the text of the document as Party A and Party B.<\/p>\n<h3>Definition<\/h3>\n<p>A standard non-disclosure agreement template UK must define what is covered by the definition of &#8220;confidential information&#8221;. Besides that, the parties shall outline how confidential information is being provided to each other. For example, via exchange of emails, by post, by giving access to an online platform, etc.<\/p>\n<h3>Permitted Disclosures<\/h3>\n<p>In this section the parties have to agree on the list of situations in which disclosure of confidential information shall not be considered a violation of the NDA. Usually, parties include the list of contractors, suppliers, workers and employees whom access to sensitive information should be granted. If the access is given to employees of either party, a separate individual confidentiality agreement should also be signed with these employees.<\/p>\n<h3>Legally Required Disclosures<\/h3>\n<p>There is no breach of confidentiality obligations under the NDA if either party discloses confidential information of the other party:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>based on the court order;<\/li>\n<li>requirement of the law; or<\/li>\n<li>request from regulatory authorities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Return of the Property<\/h3>\n<p>Upon expiration of the term of this contract, the parties undertake to return confidential information to each other. That means if either party possesses any information, documents or files containing sensitive information belonging to the other party, these documents and files should be immediately returned upon termination.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to electronic documentation or information, all confidential information belonging to the other party must be erased completely upon termination of relations.<\/p>\n<h3>Duration<\/h3>\n<p>As a standard rule, the receiving party under the NDA shall refrain from the disclosure of the given confidential information within the specific period of time. In the UK, the average duration of the NDA lasts between 2 and 5 years.<\/p>\n<h3>Governing Law<\/h3>\n<p>Every (NDA)non disclosure agreement sample should define the jurisdiction laws which will apply to the provisions of this agreement. Should there be a dispute between the parties in the future, the courts of the selected jurisdiction should have exclusive jurisdiction to rule out the case. This template can be customised for the laws of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n<h2>What NDA cannot protect from disclosure?<\/h2>\n<p>A sample non-disclosure agreement cannot provide protection against the disclosure of the following information:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/ukpga\/2023\/16\"><strong><em>Higher Education\u00a0(Freedom of Speech) Act 2023<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. The victims of sexual abuse, harassment or misconduct happening to students, staff or members of higher education institutions across the UK cannot be protected by the means of a non-disclosure agreement.<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Protect public information<\/em><\/strong>. Information that is already publicly available cannot be protected from the disclosure.<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Unlawful conduct or obstruct justice<\/em><\/strong>. The parties cannot enter an NDA to cover any acts or intentions to act intended to violate UK laws.<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Restriction of competition<\/em><\/strong>. The parties cannot use NDA to divide or share markets of services, goods or products in the UK.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>When should you use a non-disclosure agreement template?<\/h2>\n<p>In the UK there is no set list of situations in which parties shall or shall not enter the NDA. The most common daily situations in which business or individual may consider signing the NDA are the following:<\/p>\n<h3>Doing Business Together<\/h3>\n<p>If the parties consider creating a joint venture or starting a business cooperation together, the first step before\u00a0sharing financial projections, business plans, or growth strategies is to sign the NDA.<\/p>\n<p>This can also apply to situations when businesses consider M&amp;A transactions in the future, therefore there is a need to share sensitive information with each other.<\/p>\n<h3>Sharing IP<\/h3>\n<p>If either party works on an invention, design, software and\u00a0 other creative work for a potential licence, entering even a simple sample non-disclosure agreement is a priority. It helps to prevent the receiving party from stealing the idea and registering intellectual property rights beforehand.<\/p>\n<h3>Contractual Relations<\/h3>\n<p>Signing the NDA is common when hiring new contractors and supplies for the provision of works or services in the UK.<\/p>\n<h2>Common mistakes to avoid with a UK non-disclosure agreement template<\/h2>\n<p>If you plan to draft a non-disclosure agreement from scratch, consider the most typical legal mistakes listed below.<\/p>\n<h3>Mistake 1: Sharing information before the NDA is signed<\/h3>\n<p>Signing a non-disclosure agreement sample post-factum is a bad idea. The obligations of the parties that arise from the contract cannot be backdated. That means if you share confidential information before signing the NDA and disclosure takes place, you will not be able to enforce violation of a confidentiality duty in court against the other party to the contract.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, follow one simple rule \u2013 first you sign a non-disclosure agreement template, and second you share information. Not vice versa.<\/p>\n<h3>Mistake 2: Relying on an NDA as your only protection<\/h3>\n<p>A non-disclosure agreement sample cannot be used as a sole legal shield to protect your sensitive information against the disclosure. Many businesses across the UK usually implement the following additional measures, for example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>undergo registration of IP rights for certain objects created, including trademarks;<\/li>\n<li>limiting the number of employees who have access to confidential information;<\/li>\n<li>using modern technologies such as end-to-end encryption to transfer confidential information, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Mistake 3: Set unrealistic terms<\/h3>\n<p>English contract law allows parties to implement various contract terms depending on their individual needs and expectations. However, if certain terms of the NDA are unrealistic, the English courts may strike out such a clause completely from the contract in case of a dispute between the parties. The most common mistake is to set up a disproportionately long duration for confidentiality obligations, for example, 5 or 10 years.<\/p>\n<h3>Mistake 4: List of permitted disclosures<\/h3>\n<p>This is particularly important when drafting a sample non-disclosure agreement template where one or both parties are corporate entities or partnerships. If the language of the contract remains too narrow, subsequent disclosure of any information to the parties other than the signing parties may constitute a contract breach.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, it is important to include the list of permitted disclosures in the contract. This clause is being used to outline the list of employees, contractors or supplies from each party who shall have the right of access to sensitive information.<\/p>\n<h3>Mistake 5: Consider the Employment Rights Act<\/h3>\n<p>Under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/ukpga\/1996\/18\/contents\"><em>Employment Rights Act 1996<\/em><\/a>, employees shall have the right to exercise their whistleblowing rights to report any wrongdoing to external third parties, including HM Revenue &amp; Customs, police, etc. It is important to understand that whistleblowing rights cannot be contracted out in the text of a non-disclosure agreement template. Therefore, a whistleblowing made by the employees or workers of either party to the NDA cannot be considered a disclosure.<\/p>\n<h2>How to customise this template with FasterDraft?<\/h2>\n<p>To get a fully customisable sample non-disclosure agreement template, follow a few easy steps below:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Click the &#8220;Create Document&#8221; button.<\/li>\n<li>Answer simple questions in the form.<\/li>\n<li>Select a template&#8217;s format \u2013 PDF or Word.<\/li>\n<li>Make a payment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The document is ready for instant download immediately after the purchase.<\/p>\n<h2>Why use FasterDraft for a non-disclosure agreement template UK?<\/h2>\n<p>By customising your NDA with FasterDraft, you get the document with the following benefits:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a document suitable for two-way and one-way exchange of confidential information;<\/li>\n<li>a document written in professional language by qualified UK solicitors;<\/li>\n<li>a document suitable for the disclosure of various types of confidential information and trade secrets;<\/li>\n<li>a document that is fully customisable for your needs &#8211; FasterDraft never offers you generic templates;<\/li>\n<li>a document that is fully compliant with general principles of English contract law and UK data protection laws;<\/li>\n<li>a document that can be reused for similar transactions in the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This document cannot be used, however, for disclosing confidential information to the employee in the course of ongoing employment relations. In such a case a separate employee non-disclosure agreement sample should be used instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a non-disclosure Agreement? A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legally binding contract in which one or more parties agree to keep specified information confidential and not to use it for any purpose other than the one permitted by the agreement. A standard NDA template UK defines the following: list or type of information [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[128],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-5731","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-business-contract-templates","first","instock","virtual","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sample Non-Disclosure Agreement Template - UK - Download<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Customise and download UK sample non-disclosure agreement in 3 min. No subscription and no sing up required. 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