Companies House Identity Verification: What Directors Need to Do

Companies House identity verification is a process for confirming that someone is genuinely the person they claim to be.

It has been introduced as part of wider changes to UK company law. The aim is to improve the accuracy of the Companies House register and make it more difficult to create or control companies using false or stolen identities.

Identity verification became a legal requirement from 18 November 2025. However, that date was the beginning of a 12-month transition period, not a single deadline for every existing company officer.

The date by which you must act depends on your role and circumstances.

The requirement applies to company directors and people with significant control, commonly called PSCs. It also covers certain equivalent roles and authorised company service providers.

An existing director will normally need to provide their personal code when the company files its next confirmation statement during the transition period.

This means your company’s own confirmation-statement timetable is important. Two directors running different companies may not need to provide their codes on the same date.

Before the confirmation statement can be accepted, every director must have verified their identity. The filing must include each director’s personal code and confirmation that they have completed verification.

If one director has not completed the process, Companies House says it will not accept the company’s confirmation statement.

That makes identity verification more than a personal administrative task. It can directly affect the company’s ability to meet its filing responsibilities.

The most direct route is through the GOV.UK identity-verification service using GOV.UK One Login.

The online service can accept several forms of photo identification, including:

• A biometric passport from any country

• A UK photocard driving licence

• Certain UK biometric immigration documents

• A Frontier Worker permit

You will also need your current address, the year you moved there and an individual email address for GOV.UK One Login.

If you cannot complete the online process yourself, other routes may be available. These include following the Post Office process where applicable or using an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, known as an ACSP.

An ACSP is an accountant, solicitor or other eligible professional who is registered with Companies House to carry out verification. The provider may charge for the service.

Companies House explains the available routes in its current identity-verification guidance.

After successful verification, you receive a Companies House personal code.

This code belongs to you as an individual. It does not belong to the company.

That distinction matters if you are involved with more than one company. You verify your identity once and use the same personal code to connect your verified identity to each relevant role you hold.

The personal code is also different from your company authentication code. Your authentication code is used to make online filings for a particular company. Your personal code connects your verified identity to your individual roles.

Companies House recommends treating the personal code as sensitive information. You may need to share it with a trusted accountant or another person filing on your behalf, but it should not be shared unnecessarily.

Many owner-managed companies have one individual who is both a director and a PSC.

A PSC is generally someone who owns or controls a significant part of the company. The exact definition depends on factors such as share ownership, voting rights and control.

If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, you only verify your identity once. However, you must provide your personal code separately for each role.

Your director code is normally provided through the company’s confirmation statement. Your PSC code must also be submitted through the separate Companies House service for providing PSC identity-verification details.

Companies House gives each PSC a 14-day period for completing this step. Where someone is both a director and PSC of the same company, that period normally starts on the day after the company’s confirmation-statement date.

The Companies House guidance for PSCs explains that using the code for the director role does not automatically complete the PSC requirement.

Imagine a small consultancy with two directors, Anna and David.

Its confirmation-statement date is 31 August 2026.

Anna verifies her identity in July and receives her personal code. David assumes he can wait until the filing is submitted.

When the company prepares its confirmation statement, it needs the personal codes for both directors. Anna’s code alone is not enough. David must complete verification before Companies House will accept the filing.

Anna is also registered as the company’s PSC. She does not need to verify her identity a second time, but she must provide the same personal code separately for her PSC role during the relevant 14-day period.

The company therefore needs to manage three connected actions:

• Anna’s director code

• David’s director code

• Anna’s separate PSC submission

The verification itself may be straightforward. The difficulty often comes from understanding which role each action relates to.

One common misunderstanding is assuming the company authentication code is the new personal code. They serve different purposes.

Another is believing that completing identity verification automatically connects the individual to every company role. Verification produces the personal code, but that code still needs to be provided for the relevant roles.

Directors may also leave the process until the confirmation-statement filing is due. This creates avoidable pressure if identification details do not match Companies House records or another director has not yet completed verification.

Finally, directors who are also PSCs may provide the code with the confirmation statement and assume everything is finished. The PSC role still requires its separate submission.

Before your next confirmation statement, check:

• The company’s confirmation-statement date and filing deadline

• Whether every director has completed identity verification

• Whether each director has safely retained their personal code

• Whether any director is also registered as a PSC

• The applicable 14-day period for every PSC

• Whether personal details match the Companies House register

• Who will provide the codes when the statement is filed

Companies House provides current guidance on filing confirmation statements, including the identity-verification information now required.

Identity verification is an important change, but it does not need to become an administrative crisis.

The main task is to understand the difference between verifying your identity, receiving your personal code and using that code for each relevant role.

Checking the position before the company’s next confirmation statement gives every director time to complete the process and resolve any differences in their personal information.

For owner-managed companies, the point most easily missed is that one person may hold both director and PSC roles. The identity is verified once, but the personal code may need to be provided separately for both.

A short review of the company’s directors, PSCs and confirmation-statement date can make the process much easier to manage.

This article provides a general explanation of Companies House identity-verification requirements. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice for your specific circumstances. Requirements and processes may change, so check the latest Companies House guidance before taking action.