Companies House Identity Verification: What Directors and PSCs Must Do
Identity verification became a legal requirement at Companies House on 18 November 2025, beginning a twelve-month transition period for existing directors and people with significant control (PSCs).
But 18 November 2026 is not a single deadline that applies to everyone.
Your actual deadline depends on the role you hold and, in many cases, your company's confirmation statement date or your month of birth. If you are a director, there is another practical consequence: your company cannot file its confirmation statement until all of its directors have complied with the identity verification requirements.
This guide explains who needs to verify, when to do it, how the process works and what to do with your Companies House personal code afterwards.
Why this is happening
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 gave Companies House significantly wider powers to improve the accuracy and reliability of the UK companies register.
Historically, Companies House largely recorded information submitted to it without independently confirming the identity of the individuals behind a company. This created opportunities for false identities and stolen personal details to be used on the register.
Identity verification is intended to reduce that risk.
Directors, PSCs and certain other individuals must now link their Companies House records to a verified identity. Once verification is successfully completed, Companies House issues a unique personal code.
That code is then used to connect the verified individual to the relevant role or roles recorded at Companies House.
Who must verify
Directors
All individual directors of UK companies must verify their identity.
This applies whether or not they own shares in the company and whether or not they are involved in its day-to-day management.
New directors appointed from 18 November 2025 must verify before they can be appointed.
People with Significant Control
PSCs must also verify their identity.
Broadly, an individual may be a PSC if they:
- hold more than 25% of the company's shares;
- hold more than 25% of its voting rights;
- have the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board; or
- otherwise exercise significant influence or control over the company.
The PSC rules can be more complex than the shareholding test alone, so it is worth checking your status if you are unsure.
LLP members
Individual members of limited liability partnerships are also subject to identity verification requirements.
Other roles
Identity verification is being introduced in stages.
Requirements for people who file documents at Companies House, as well as certain corporate directors, corporate members of LLPs and officers of corporate PSCs, are being introduced separately.
Two points that often cause confusion
If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, you normally verify your identity only once. However, your personal code must still be connected separately to each role.
If you are a director of several companies, you do not need to verify your identity again for each company. Your personal code belongs to you and can be used across your different appointments. You will, however, need to provide it for each relevant company role.
When you have to do it
There is no single identity verification deadline for everyone.
Your deadline depends on your circumstances.
| Your situation | What you need to do |
|---|---|
| New director appointed from 18 November 2025 | Verify before appointment and provide your personal code as part of the relevant appointment or incorporation filing |
| Director already in office before 18 November 2025 | Provide your personal code as part of the company's next confirmation statement during the transition period |
| Existing PSC who is also a director of the same company | Provide the code for your director role through the confirmation statement, and separately for your PSC role during the relevant 14-day PSC period |
| Existing PSC who is not a director of the same company | Provide your code during the first 14 days of your birth month |
| Person becoming a PSC after 18 November 2025 | Provide your code when you are first added to the register or within the applicable 14-day period |
18 November 2026 is not necessarily your deadline
18 November 2026 marks the end of the twelve-month transition period. It should not be treated as a general deadline that everyone can simply wait for.
For an existing director, the relevant trigger is the company's next confirmation statement during the transition period.
For an existing PSC who is not also a director of that company, the relevant period is generally the first 14 days of their birth month.
If you have several Companies House roles, you should therefore check the deadline for each of them rather than assuming that one date covers everything.
If you are both a director and a PSC
This is particularly important.
Suppose you were already both a director and PSC of the same company on 18 November 2025.
For your director role, your personal code is provided through the company's confirmation statement.
For your PSC role, you must separately provide the code using Companies House's PSC identity verification service. Your 14-day PSC period begins on the day after the company's confirmation statement date.
Filing the confirmation statement early does not move that PSC window.
If you hold several directorships
Verification itself is normally a one-off process, but the code must be connected to each relevant company appointment.
Check each company's confirmation statement date and identify the earliest one requiring action.
Do not assume that completing the requirement for one company automatically updates your other directorships.
What happens if you miss the deadline
The most immediate practical problem for a company is its confirmation statement.
Companies House will not accept the company's confirmation statement until all of its directors have complied with the identity verification requirements.
That matters because the confirmation statement is a statutory filing. Failing to submit it when required can expose the company and its officers to enforcement action.
There are also consequences for the individual.
If you continue acting as a director after your identity verification deadline without complying with the requirements, you may be committing an offence. The company and its directors may also be committing an offence.
A PSC who remains non-compliant after the relevant deadline may also be committing an offence.
Companies House states that non-compliance may result in enforcement action, including financial penalties, prosecution or fines through the courts.
The practical message is simple: do not leave verification until the filing deadline itself.
The three ways to verify
GOV.UK One Login — free
For many people, the simplest option is to verify directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login.
The service is free.
Depending on your circumstances, GOV.UK One Login may allow you to verify using:
- a biometric passport from any country;
- a UK photocard driving licence;
- a UK biometric residence permit;
- a UK biometric residence card; or
- a UK Frontier Worker permit.
The service asks a series of questions and then directs you to an appropriate verification method. This may involve using an app, answering security questions online or completing part of the process at a Post Office.
Once your verification has been successfully completed, you will receive a Companies House personal code.
If you verified using GOV.UK One Login, you can also access your code by signing in to your Companies House account and selecting Manage account.
Post Office — free
If GOV.UK One Login directs you to an in-person identity check, you may be able to complete the process at a participating Post Office.
You first enter your identity document details online. GOV.UK One Login then provides the information you need to take to the Post Office together with your original identity document.
You will usually receive the result of the identity check within one day.
If the check is successful, you can continue to Companies House to obtain your personal code. The code can also be viewed later in the Manage account section of your Companies House account.
Authorised Corporate Service Provider — fees vary
The other option is to ask an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, or ACSP, to verify your identity.
An ACSP is an agent registered with Companies House and supervised in the UK for anti-money laundering purposes. Examples include accountants, solicitors, company formation agents and chartered secretaries or governance professionals.
An ACSP must carry out identity verification to the standard prescribed by Companies House and submit the verification on your behalf.
This route can be particularly useful if:
- you are based outside the UK;
- you cannot complete the GOV.UK One Login process;
- your circumstances do not fit the available direct verification routes; or
- you prefer to have a professional adviser handle the process.
An ACSP can verify an individual's identity from any country, although the agent itself must satisfy the UK requirements for registration as an authorised agent.
ACSPs may charge for the service, and fees vary between providers.
If you already have an accountant, solicitor or company secretarial provider, ask whether they are registered with Companies House as an ACSP.
Your personal code
Successful verification produces a Companies House personal code.
There are several important points to understand.
It belongs to you, not to your company
You normally verify your identity only once.
The same personal code can then be used for the different Companies House roles you hold, including appointments at more than one company.
Do not verify again simply because you have joined another company unless Companies House specifically asks you to do so.
Where to find it
If you verified using GOV.UK One Login, sign in to your Companies House account using the same email address and go to Manage account.
If an ACSP verified your identity, Companies House sends the personal code to the email address supplied by the ACSP.
It is sensible to save the code to your own Companies House account so that you can access it independently in future.
You may need to give it to your filing agent
The personal code is used to connect your verified identity to your Companies House records.
If an accountant, company secretary or other agent files your confirmation statement or other relevant documents, they may therefore need your personal code.
Treat it carefully, but it is not the same as your Companies House authentication code or an account password.
If the code is compromised
If you believe your personal code has been shared or compromised, contact Companies House.
Companies House can issue a replacement code by email and cancel the previous one.
What comes next for filing agents
The Companies House reforms do not stop with directors and PSCs.
A later phase will require people presenting documents to Companies House to verify their identity, and third-party agents filing on behalf of clients will need to be registered as ACSPs.
The current Companies House implementation plan says these presenter measures will take effect no earlier than November 2027.
Companies House has said that it will give at least six months' notice before the requirements are introduced.
This means there is no need to change filing arrangements simply because of a November 2026 deadline.
However, if an accountant, company secretary or formation agent regularly files documents for your business, it is sensible to ask whether they are already registered as an ACSP or intend to become one before the new filing requirements take effect.
What to do now
- Check your Companies House record. Look at your current director and PSC roles and check the identity verification information shown against them.
- Find your company's confirmation statement date. If you are an existing director, this is likely to determine when your personal code needs to be provided for that appointment.
- Check whether you are also a PSC. If you are both a director and PSC, remember that the personal code must be connected separately to the two roles.
- If you are a PSC only, check your 14-day window. For an existing PSC who is not a director of the same company, this will generally be linked to the first 14 days of the PSC's birth month.
- Verify your identity. GOV.UK One Login is free. Alternatively, you can use an authorised ACSP.
- Keep your personal code somewhere secure and accessible. Saving it to your own Companies House account makes it easier to retrieve later.
- Give the code to whoever handles the relevant filing for you.
Not sure when your deadline falls?
Confirmation statement dates, PSC verification windows and multiple Companies House roles can make the new rules less straightforward than they first appear. If you are unsure which deadline applies to you, or how your director and PSC roles interact, speak to your accountant or professional adviser before the relevant filing date.
Get in Touch →