Companies House ID verification: who must verify and when

If you are a director or a person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company, you now have a legal duty to prove who you are to Companies House, and missing it is a criminal offence that can cost you your directorship, or even your company.

Picture this. You incorporated a tidy little limited company three years ago, you file your confirmation statement each spring without a second thought, and you have never set foot in a Companies House office. From 18 November 2025, that quiet routine changed. Identity verification is now a legal requirement under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, and almost everyone who runs or owns a UK company is caught by it. Companies House is clear that 18 November 2025 was not a deadline. It was the start of a 12-month transition, and each person's due date depends on their role. For most existing directors, it is the company's next confirmation statement. This guide explains who must verify, how to do it, and when your own date falls.

Why Companies House identity verification exists

For decades, Companies House was essentially a passive register. You could appoint a director called "Mickey Mouse" of "123 Anywhere Street" and nobody checked. That made the UK register a soft target for fraud, money laundering and shell companies. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) handed Companies House new powers to query, reject and verify information, and identity verification is the headline reform.

The principle is simple: the real people behind a company should be exactly that, real, identifiable people. So if you set up, run, own or control a UK company, you now need to prove your identity once, link it to your record, and keep that verified status.

The timeline: voluntary since April 2025, mandatory since November 2025

The rollout was deliberately staged so that millions of existing directors were not forced through the system overnight.

• 8 April 2025, identity verification opened on a voluntary basis. Early adopters could verify and get their personal code ahead of the rush.
• 18 November 2025, verification became mandatory. From this date new directors and new PSCs must verify, and a 12-month transition for existing directors and PSCs began. Companies House says this date is not a deadline.
• During the 12-month transition, each existing director and PSC reaches their own due date. For a director it is the company's next confirmation statement. For a PSC it is a 14-day window that depends on whether they are also a director. Every company files a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, so the transition gives everyone time to reach theirs.
• At a later date, not yet confirmed, identity verification will also apply to anyone who files at Companies House, and any third party who files on your behalf will need to be a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). Companies House has not fixed this date, so it is not yet in force, but ACSPs can already verify identities on your behalf now.

The key takeaway: this is not a future problem. The mandatory phase is already live, and your own due date depends on which category you fall into. The table below summarises who must verify and when:

New directors: verify before you act

If you are incorporating a brand-new company or being appointed as a director of an existing one, you must verify your identity as part of that process. In practice this means you verify before the incorporation or appointment is filed, because Companies House asks for your personal code on that filing.

So the order of play for a new company is: verify yourself first, obtain your Companies House personal code, then incorporate. If you are joining an existing board, do the same before the appointment is filed. If you are not yet clear on what the role entails beyond verification, read our guide to director responsibilities in the UK.

Existing directors: verify via your next confirmation statement

If you are already a director or PSC, you are not expected to drop everything. Instead, you give your Companies House personal code in your company's next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025. That is the trigger. If you are a director of more than one company, you do this for each company.

This is sensible design, the confirmation statement is an annual touchpoint every company already has, but it has a sting. Companies House will not accept the confirmation statement until every director has verified. So check your statement date and verify a few weeks ahead of it. You only verify once, and once you have, the filing becomes a formality.

If you are not sure when your confirmation statement is due, check it now on the Companies House service and read our overview of how the confirmation statement (CS01) works.

New PSCs: the 14-day rule

People with significant control are treated slightly differently. A new PSC, typically someone who holds more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or who otherwise exercises significant control, can give their personal code when they are first added to the register, or within 14 days of being added.

This is a tight window, so if your shareholding is about to change in a way that creates a new PSC, plan the verification in advance. If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, you verify once but give your personal code twice. As a director, it goes in the confirmation statement. As a PSC, you give it separately, using Companies House's ‘Provide identity verification details for a PSC’ service, within a 14-day window that starts the day after the company's confirmation statement date. Filing the statement early does not move that window.

Existing PSCs who are not also directors have their own trigger during the transition: you must provide your Companies House personal code within the first 14 days of your birth month. Born on 22 January, your window opens on 1 January. You can check the exact dates of your 14-day period on the Companies House register.

Agents and accountants: the ACSP requirement is coming, not yet in force

Most small companies do not file their own statutory documents, their accountant does. Companies House has confirmed that, at a later date it has not yet fixed, any third party who files on your behalf will have to be registered as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), and everyone who files will themselves need to be verified. As of this update that filing restriction is not yet live, so do not assume it applies today. To become an ACSP, a firm must itself be supervised for anti-money-laundering purposes and register with Companies House.

Two things are already true, though. First, an ACSP can verify your identity on your behalf right now, which is often the simplest route for a busy director. Second, a reputable firm will already be registered and ready. Ask your accountant or formation agent whether they are an ACSP: if they are, they can verify you and keep filing for you once the requirement bites; if they are not, plan to verify yourself through GOV.UK One Login and consider a provider that is registered. Our company secretarial service handles confirmation statements and PSC updates, and makes sure each personal code lands on the right filing.

How to verify via GOV.UK One Login, step by step

Verification is free and is done online. You verify through GOV.UK One Login, the government's single sign-on identity service, and at the end you receive a Companies House personal code.

Step 1, Gather your identity documents

You will need photo ID. Acceptable documents include a biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence (full or provisional), or a UK biometric residence permit or card. Have one to hand before you start. If you have none of these, GOV.UK One Login can tell you whether you can verify with bank details or in person at a Post Office.

Step 2, Create or sign in to GOV.UK One Login

Go to the Companies House identity verification service and follow the link to GOV.UK One Login. If you have used another government service through One Login before, you can reuse the same account.

Step 3, Prove your identity

You can usually verify using the GOV.UK ID Check app, scanning your document and taking a short video selfie so the system can match your face to the photo. If the app is not suitable, there are alternative routes, including verifying through an ACSP.

Step 4, Receive and store your Companies House personal code

Once verified, you are issued a unique Companies House personal code. Keep it safe, this is the reference that links your verified identity to your director and PSC records. You will need it when you incorporate, are appointed, or file. You only verify once; the same code is used for every company you are connected to, though you still give it for each company and each role.

A worked example: one person, two roles

Suppose you are Priya, sole director and 100 per cent shareholder of a consultancy. The company's confirmation statement date is 10 December 2026. You are both a director and a PSC. Here is how it plays out.

• As an existing director, your trigger is that December 2026 confirmation statement. You verify once via GOV.UK One Login a few weeks before, and your personal code goes in the statement.
• As a PSC, you give the same code again, separately, through the PSC verification service. Your 14-day window starts the day after the confirmation statement date, so it runs from 11 to 24 December 2026.
• You later bring in a co-investor who takes 30 per cent of the shares, making them a new PSC. They can give their code when they are added to the register, or within 14 days of being added.
• Your accountant files the December confirmation statement; because you verified in advance, it goes through without a hitch.

None of this changes your tax position, your verified identity simply keeps your filings valid. Your dividends, salary and Corporation Tax all carry on as normal; if you want a refresher on the most efficient way to draw money, see how to pay yourself from a limited company and our dividend vs salary calculator for 2026/27.

The penalties for not verifying

This is where directors need to pay attention. Acting as a director without completing identity verification is a criminal offence under section 167M of the Companies Act 2006. Companies House takes a proportionate, evidence-based approach, but the enforcement tools available are serious:

• Financial penalties imposed by Companies House, at company or individual-officer level.
• Criminal prosecution, which can lead to a conviction and court fines. Companies House treats a case as serious, and is more likely to prosecute, where a person or company has committed three or more offences over a five-year period.
• Director disqualification, being barred from acting as a director.
• Annotation of the register, a public note that you have failed to comply, visible to anyone who searches your company.
• Removal from the register, in the most serious cases, so the company itself can be struck off and cease to exist as a legal entity.

And the company cannot file its confirmation statement until every director has verified. The fix is free; the failure is expensive, so verify early. If you would rather it was handled for you, book a free call with Zmartly and we will work out who needs to verify, by when, and keep your filings on track.

What to do now: your checklist

• Identify your role(s), are you a director, a PSC, or both? One verification covers both, but a director who is also a PSC gives the code twice.
• Check your confirmation statement date for each company you are connected to. That is your existing-director trigger.
• Verify via GOV.UK One Login a few weeks before that date. It is free.
• Save your Companies House personal code somewhere secure and reusable.
• Diarise every PSC's 14-day window: the birth month, the day after the confirmation statement date, or the 14 days after being added to the register.
• Ask your accountant or agent whether they are an ACSP, so they can verify you now and are ready for the filing requirement when it arrives.
• Verify before any new incorporation or appointment, you cannot be validly appointed unverified.

If you would rather not handle any of this yourself, an ACSP-registered accountant can verify on your behalf and keep your filings compliant. Either way, the goal is the same: one verified identity, one personal code, and statutory filings that never get blocked.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to verify my identity at Companies House if I am already a director?

Yes. A director gives their personal code in the company's next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025, which Companies House says was the start of a 12-month transition, not a deadline. A PSC who is not a director gives their code within the first 14 days of their birth month. A director who is also a PSC gives it again as a PSC, within 14 days starting the day after the confirmation statement date. Verify ahead of your statement date, because Companies House will not accept the statement until every director has verified.

How do I verify my identity for Companies House and get my personal code?

You verify through GOV.UK One Login, usually using the GOV.UK ID Check app to scan photo ID such as a passport or driving licence and take a short video selfie. It is free. Once verified you receive a unique Companies House personal code, which you keep and reuse for every company you are connected to.

What happens if I do not verify my identity?

Acting as a director without verifying is a criminal offence under section 167M of the Companies Act 2006. You could face a financial penalty, criminal prosecution, director disqualification, an annotation on the public register, and in serious cases the company can be struck off. Companies House will also not accept a confirmation statement until all directors have verified, so it is far cheaper to verify promptly.

Does my accountant need to be an Authorised Corporate Service Provider?

The requirement for third-party filers to be a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), and for all filers to be verified, is coming at a later date that Companies House has not yet fixed, so it is not in force yet. An ACSP can already verify your identity on your behalf now, though. Ask your accountant or formation agent whether they are registered; if they are not, you can verify yourself through GOV.UK One Login or move to a provider that is an ACSP.

Sources

• GOV.UK, Verify your identity for Companies House
• GOV.UK, Verifying your identity for Companies House
• GOV.UK, Filing your company's confirmation statement
• GOV.UK, When you need to verify your identity for Companies House
• GOV.UK, Companies House approach to non-compliance with mandatory identity verification
• GOV.UK, Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023: factsheets
• GOV.UK, File your confirmation statement with Companies House
• GOV.UK. Companies House