To confirm your identity for Companies House, you'll be required to provide necessary proof.
Identity Verification Becomes Mandatory for UK Company Directors and PSCs from November 2025
From the 18th of November 2025, identity verification will be mandatory for directors, People with Significant Control (PSCs), Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs), and other key roles in UK companies, as part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The process will be phased in over a 12-month transition period.
New directors and Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) members must verify their identity before being appointed or before incorporating a company/LLP. Existing directors and LLP members will need to confirm their identity verification when filing the next annual confirmation statement during the 12-month transition.
Existing PSCs must verify their identity within 12 months from the 18th of November 2025, according to assigned due dates; new PSCs must verify within a specified timeframe, often 14 days. ACSPs and other people who complete filings or act on behalf of companies will also be subject to identity verification requirements as part of corporate governance reforms.
Individuals will be issued a personal code upon successful verification, which must be provided along with a verification statement when making filings with Companies House from the 18th of November 2025 onward. Companies House will communicate with companies to help directors, PSCs, and others understand their identity verification requirements and due dates. Individuals can check Companies House’s register to see their identity verification due dates.
The verification process itself is expected to be quick and free of charge. It is designed to improve trust, data accuracy, and protection against fraud on the Companies House register.
If you are an ACSP, you need to verify your identity to apply to register as a Companies House authorised agent. PSCs must verify their identity and provide their Companies House personal code. As a PSC, a person must provide their personal code using a separate service within 14 days of the company's confirmation statement date. If you are registered as an ACSP, you can verify your clients' identities.
- To ensure compliance with the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, all UK business entities, including directors and People with Significant Control (PSCs), will be required to verify their identities as part of their corporate governance responsibilities.
- As part of the identity verification process, businesses will have to provide a personal code issued upon successful verification, a move aimed at enhancing trust, data accuracy, and preventing fraud within the Companies House register.
