Companies House Identity Verification: Deadlines and Steps

Companies House identity verification is a legal requirement for UK company directors and people with significant control (PSCs) from 18 November 2025. New directors must verify before appointment. Existing directors must provide a personal code on their company's next confirmation statement, within a 12-month transition period. Verification is free through GOV.UK One Login.

The rules come from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which gave Companies House new powers to check who is behind UK companies. If you run a limited company, even a one-person company, this applies to you. As of late October 2026, the transition period is close to its end, so if you have not verified yet, now is the time.

Why Companies House identity verification exists

For decades anyone could be named as a director at Companies House without proving who they were. That made it easy to set up companies with false identities and to misuse real people's names and addresses. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 changed the Registrar's role from a passive record keeper to an active gatekeeper. Identity verification is the centrepiece: it links every director and PSC to a verified real person.

For honest small business owners it is mainly an admin step, but it has real consequences if it is ignored. It also protects you, because it makes it much harder for someone to register a company using your name.

Who must verify

Role	Must verify?	When
New director (appointed on or after 18 November 2025)	Yes	Before appointment; the code is given in the appointment or incorporation filing
Existing director	Yes	Code provided on the company's next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025
PSC who is also a director	Yes, separately for each role	PSC code within 14 days, starting the day after the confirmation statement date
PSC who is not a director	Yes	Within the first 14 days of their birth month
New PSC added after 18 November 2025	Yes	When added to the register or within 14 days
People filing for a company, and some other groups	Planned	Later phases; dates to be confirmed on GOV.UK

Overseas companies with a UK establishment must confirm that all directors have verified by the anniversary of the UK establishment's registration. Corporate directors and certain other groups are being brought in under later phases. Always check the GOV.UK page "When you need to verify your identity for Companies House" for the current position.

Timeline: from voluntary to mandatory

1. October 2023: the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act becomes law.
2. 8 April 2025: voluntary identity verification opens, so directors can verify early.
3. 18 November 2025: verification becomes a legal requirement. New directors must verify before appointment, and the 12-month transition for existing directors and PSCs begins.
4. 18 November 2025 to November 2026: existing directors provide their code on the company's next confirmation statement; PSCs follow their own 14-day windows.
5. Later phases: verification for people who file documents and the move to Authorised Corporate Service Provider filing are being introduced afterwards. Companies House has not fixed every date, so watch GOV.UK.

Note that 18 November 2025 was the start date, not a single deadline. Your personal deadline depends on your confirmation statement date or, for PSCs who are not directors, your birth month.

How to verify: the four routes

There are four main ways to complete Companies House identity verification:

• GOV.UK One Login (online or app): free. You need accepted photo ID, your current address and the year you moved in, and a GOV.UK One Login account. The app scans your ID and takes a face check.
• Post Office: you enter your photo ID details online first, then complete the check in a branch. The service tells you if this route is available to you.
• Bank or building society details: for some UK residents, using your National Insurance number and security questions. Again, the service tells you if it is available.
• Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP): an accountant, solicitor or other anti-money-laundering supervised professional registered with Companies House verifies you. They may charge a fee.

Accepted photo ID

GOV.UK lists a biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence (full or provisional), a UK biometric residence permit, a UK biometric residence card and a UK Frontier Worker permit. There are limited rules for expired documents: for example, a DVLA driving licence that expired within the last 90 days can be used in some routes, but an expired passport cannot be used with the app.

Linking your personal code

Once verified you receive a personal code. You then give that code, with a verification statement, for each role. Example: if you are a director of two companies and a PSC of one of them, you provide the code three times: on each company's confirmation statement and separately for the PSC role. Never give your code or login to someone you do not trust; GOV.UK warns that misuse of your identity could leave you legally responsible.

Worked examples: when each person must act

Example 1: single-director company. Priya runs a design consultancy as a limited company. Its confirmation statement date is 10 December. Priya verified on GOV.UK One Login in summer 2025. When the company filed its confirmation statement with a statement date of 10 December 2025, she gave her personal code as director. Because she is also the PSC (she owns 100% of the shares), she had to provide the code again through the PSC verification service within 14 days starting 11 December 2025.

Example 2: late confirmation statement date. A two-director building firm has a confirmation statement date of 5 November. Its first confirmation statement after 18 November 2025 is the one with a statement date of 5 November 2026. Both directors need their codes ready before that statement is filed. If one director has not verified, Companies House will not accept the statement.

Example 3: investor who is not a director. Tom owns 30% of a friend's company but is not a director. His date of birth on the register is 22 March, so he must provide his code within the first 14 days of March, that is 1 to 14 March.

What happens if you do not verify

The GOV.UK factsheet on the Act lists the consequences for people who are required to verify and do not:

• Criminal proceedings, which could result in a fine
• Civil penalties issued by the Registrar
• Rejection of a new company's incorporation or a new appointment
• Being unable to make certain statutory filings, including the confirmation statement
• The public register showing the person as unverified
• For directors, being prohibited from acting as a director

A company that cannot file its confirmation statement is in breach of its own filing duties, which can lead to further action by Companies House. The safest approach is simple: verify early, then check the People tab on the register for every company you are linked to.

Common Companies House identity verification problems

Most people complete the check in a few minutes, but a few issues come up again and again.

Your name or date of birth does not match the register

The details on your ID need to match what Companies House holds closely enough to link your code to the role. If your register entry has an old surname, a typo or a missing middle name, file the correct change of details first, then provide your code. Leaving it until the day before the confirmation statement is due is how deadlines get missed.

You have no accepted photo ID

If you do not hold a passport or UK photo driving licence, look at whether the bank details route is offered to you, or use an ACSP. An ACSP can accept a wider set of documents under its own checks, although you will usually pay a fee.

You used the wrong email address

Your verified identity is tied to your GOV.UK One Login, and each email address can only be used to verify one identity. Use a personal email you will keep, not a shared company inbox or an address you might lose if you leave a business.

Your co-director is overseas or hard to reach

Directors abroad can verify with a biometric passport from any country through the app. Start early, because chasing someone in a different time zone during confirmation statement week is stressful and the statement cannot be filed until every director is verified.

You are unsure whether you are a PSC

Generally, a PSC holds more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, can appoint or remove a majority of the board, or otherwise has significant influence or control. In a small owner-managed company, the director-shareholder is usually also the PSC, so expect to provide the code twice.

Practical checklist for small company owners

1. List every company where you are a director or PSC.
2. Find each company's confirmation statement date on the Companies House register.
3. Verify once through GOV.UK One Login or an ACSP and store your personal code safely.
4. Remind co-directors and PSCs, and confirm they have verified.
5. Provide codes on each confirmation statement and in each PSC window.
6. Check the register shows everyone as verified.
7. Ask your accountant whether they are registered as an ACSP if they file for you.

Running a limited company also means keeping up with tax. If you pay yourself through salary and dividends, see our guides to UK dividend tax rates for 2026/27 and employer National Insurance. Directors normally file a Self Assessment tax return as well.

What Companies House identity verification means for your invoices

Verification does not change what goes on an invoice, but it is a good moment to check your company details are right everywhere. Companies must show their registered name, registered number and registered office on business letters, order forms and websites, and most companies show the same details on invoices. If you are VAT registered, your VAT number must appear on VAT invoices. Our guide to tax IDs on invoices explains what to include, and the sole trader invoice guide covers the different rules if you have not incorporated.

Verification also helps against fraud. Fake supplier invoices and bank detail change scams often rely on lookalike companies. A verified register makes it easier to check a supplier is real. See our guide to invoice scams for warning signs.

Sole trader or limited company?

If you are deciding whether to incorporate, identity verification is one more piece of admin on the limited company side, alongside the confirmation statement, annual accounts and corporation tax. It is not a reason on its own to stay a sole trader, but it belongs in the comparison. Our article on sole trader vs limited company sets out the full picture.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules and dates are being phased in, so check the latest GOV.UK guidance or speak to a qualified adviser about your situation.

Conclusion

Companies House identity verification is now part of running a UK company. Verify once, give your personal code on each confirmation statement and in each PSC window, and check the register. It takes minutes online and protects both you and your company. Once your company details are in order, you can create professional, correctly detailed invoices with our free UK invoice generator, and find more guides in our tax compliance section.