Companies House Identity Verification: complete guide for directors and PSCs

What changed and why

For decades, becoming a UK company director required little more than submitting a name and address. That openness made the register one of the world's most accessible — and, critics argued, one of the most easily abused. Fictitious appointments, fraudulent incorporations, and opaque ownership structures were persistent problems the system lacked the tools to address.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) set out to change that. From 18 November 2025, identity verification became a compulsory step for anyone setting up or running a UK company. Every name on the register must now correspond to a verified individual. Companies House has estimated that around 6 to 7 million people will need to comply by mid-November 2026.

The change is not merely procedural. Companies House is moving from a passive repository to an active gatekeeper with real enforcement powers. The identity verification requirement sits alongside the ability to query, reject, and remove false information — a set of powers the register has never previously held.

Who must verify

The current scope covers three categories of people:

• Company directors — all directors of UK-registered companies, including executive, non-executive, and shadow directors, whether based in the UK or overseas.
• Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) — individuals who own or control more than 25% of shares or voting rights, have the power to appoint or remove the majority of directors, or otherwise exercise significant influence over the company.
• Designated members of LLPs — members of Limited Liability Partnerships who carry the legal responsibilities equivalent to company directors.

Future phases of the ECCTA rollout will extend requirements to people who present filings to Companies House and to third-party agents. These changes were originally scheduled for spring 2026 but have been pushed back to no earlier than November 2026.

If you hold directorships across multiple companies, you only need to verify your identity once. However, your deadline is the earliest confirmation statement due date across all your companies — so if one company files in December and another in March, December is your effective deadline.

Deadlines by role

The 18 November 2025 date marks the start of the mandatory regime, not a single universal deadline. Your practical deadline depends on your role and the next filing trigger.

The Companies House personal code

Once you verify your identity, Companies House issues a unique personal code. This code is tied to you as an individual, not to any specific company or role. It is the mechanism by which your verified identity is linked to each directorship or PSC registration you hold.

The personal code is used in two situations: when providing it as part of a confirmation statement (for directors), and when submitting a verification statement for a PSC role within the applicable 14-day window. If you hold directorships across several companies, the same code is used each time — but it must be actively provided for each company separately.

Treat the personal code with the same care as a Unique Taxpayer Reference or bank PIN. You may need to share it with an accountant or company secretary who handles filings on your behalf, but it should not be shared beyond trusted contacts. If you verify through GOV.UK One Login, you can view your code in your Companies House account at any time. If you verify via an ACSP, they will send it to you — take a screenshot or note it securely, as delivery can occasionally be delayed.

The two verification routes

There are two official routes. Both meet the same identity assurance standard set by Companies House. The right choice depends on the documents available to you and your personal circumstances.

What documents you need

For GOV.UK One Login, the accepted primary documents include a biometric passport from any country, a UK photocard driving licence, a UK biometric residence permit or card, and a Frontier Worker permit. You will also need your current residential address and the year you moved in, plus access to a compatible device with camera capabilities for the liveness check.

Non-biometric passports — those without an embedded chip — can cause difficulties with the automated system. If your passport does not have a chip, using a UK driving licence or proceeding via an ACSP is generally more reliable. Companies House has acknowledged that the GOV.UK One Login route can present challenges for some overseas documents, and recommends ACSP verification for complex international cases.

Linking verification to confirmation statements

The confirmation statement is the annual filing in which a company confirms that its register information is accurate. From 18 November 2025, the personal codes of all directors must be included when the statement is filed. If any director has not verified — regardless of whether their own deadline has technically passed — the company cannot file at all.

This is the most immediate operational consequence of the new rules. A company with ten directors that has nine verified and one who has not yet acted cannot submit its confirmation statement. Given that late filing of a confirmation statement is a criminal offence, the single point of failure created by one unverified director is a genuine compliance risk that boards need to manage proactively.

Directors can file a confirmation statement early — at any point within their review period — to bring forward the deadline. If your statement is not due until late 2026 but you want to close out the verification process now, early filing is permitted.

Overseas directors and PSCs

The verification requirement applies regardless of where a director or PSC is based. GOV.UK One Login accepts biometric passports from any country, making direct verification accessible internationally. However, internet reliability, camera quality, and document compatibility can all affect the process. For companies with overseas board members, using an ACSP for verification often produces a smoother result and avoids last-minute filing complications.

Overseas directors should also be aware that their personal code must be linked to each UK company they direct — the code itself is universal, but the act of providing it to Companies House is company-specific. An overseas director of three UK companies needs to provide the same personal code in three separate confirmation statement filings.

What happens if you do not verify

During the 12-month transition period to November 2026, Companies House has confirmed it will not prosecute individuals for failing to complete verification. This does not mean there are no immediate consequences. An unverified director immediately blocks the company's confirmation statement — and failure to file that statement is an offence in its own right, with penalties including fines and potential strike-off.

From November 2026, enforcement escalates. Non-compliance becomes a criminal offence punishable by fines of up to £5,000 per individual, potential director disqualification, and Companies House striking the company from the register. The transition period exists to accommodate the practical realities of reaching millions of individuals — it is not an extension of the deadline for those who choose to delay.

The practical advice is straightforward: verify now. The GOV.UK One Login process takes under three minutes for most people, the personal code is issued immediately, and acting early removes the risk of your company's filings being blocked at the worst possible moment.

Practical tips to avoid problems

The most common causes of verification failure are avoidable. Date of birth mismatches between Companies House records and identity documents are among the most frequent issues — check the register to confirm how your date of birth is recorded before starting the process. If the month and year on the register differ from your document, you may need to correct the register entry first.

For directors holding positions at multiple companies, the relevant deadline is the earliest confirmation statement across all companies. Mapping out all directorships and their statement dates before verifying ensures nothing is missed. The personal code issued after verification is the same regardless of which company triggers the process.

If you currently use an accountant or company secretary to file on your behalf, confirm with them whether they are registered as an ACSP. From late 2026, agents filing documents at Companies House will themselves need to be ACSP-registered. If your agent is not yet registered, that is worth addressing before the presenter verification requirements come into force.

What comes next in the ECCTA rollout

The identity verification requirement for directors and PSCs is the most immediate change, but it is not the last. Companies House has confirmed that mandatory verification for people who present filings — previously expected in spring 2026 — will now come into force no earlier than November 2026. Third-party agents filing on behalf of clients will also need to be ACSP-registered before they can submit documents. Neither change requires action right now, but companies that rely on external filing agents should ensure those agents are preparing accordingly.

The April 2027 accounts reforms — mandatory software-only filing and the removal of abridged accounts for small companies — have been paused and are under review. The government has committed to giving at least 21 months' notice before any accounts changes come into force. For now, the existing filing routes remain available. The full picture of what filing will look like by 2027 and beyond will become clearer as the review concludes.

Taken together, the Companies House reforms represent a structural shift in how UK corporate compliance works. The register is no longer a passive database — it is becoming an active, verified, and enforced system. For directors who manage their obligations carefully, the changes are manageable. The risk lies in treating them as background noise until a filing is blocked and a deadline has passed.

Frequently asked questions

In summary

Identity verification at Companies House is live, enforceable, and carrying real consequences for companies whose directors do not act in time. The transition period to November 2026 provides breathing room, but the practical deadline for most companies is the next confirmation statement — a trigger that could arrive in a matter of weeks.

The verification process itself is straightforward for the majority of directors. GOV.UK One Login handles most cases in under three minutes with a biometric passport or UK driving licence. For overseas directors, non-standard documents, or companies with large boards, an ACSP offers a managed alternative. The personal code issued at the end of the process is a one-time event — it travels with the individual across all their UK company roles and does not need to be repeated.

What matters now is that every director and PSC on the register takes action, confirms their deadline, and completes the process before the confirmation statement window arrives. Leaving it to the last moment creates unnecessary risk — and one unverified director is enough to block an entire company's filing.