Guide

Companies House Identity Verification: 2026 Guide

By Muhammad Mustafa Updated 8 min read

Quick answer

Companies House identity verification is a one-off check for directors, people with significant control (PSCs) and LLP members. It became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025 for new appointments, and existing directors confirm it in their next confirmation statement during the 12-month transition. You can verify free with GOV.UK One Login and get an 11-character personal code, or pay an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) to verify you.

On this page
  1. What Companies House identity verification is
  2. Who must verify
  3. Identity verification timeline
  4. When you need to verify: deadlines by role
  5. How to verify with GOV.UK One Login
  6. Verifying through an ACSP instead
  7. What happens if you do not verify
  8. Filing presenters: verification from no earlier than November 2027
  9. Identity verification scams
  10. Sources
  11. Frequently asked questions

What Companies House identity verification is

Identity verification is a check that you are who you say you are, done once and linked to every role you hold on the register. It was introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. When you pass, you receive a Companies House personal code. The code is personal to you, not to a company, so one code covers all your directorships and PSC roles.

Verification opened on a voluntary basis on 8 April 2025, and more than 300,000 people verified during that phase. Companies House estimated that 6 to 7 million individuals would need to verify by mid-November 2026.

Who must verify

The GOV.UK guidance lists these people as needing to verify now:

  • Directors of UK companies, including directors of overseas companies registered in the UK
  • Director equivalents, such as members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs), general partners and managing officers
  • People with significant control (PSCs), meaning anyone with more than 25% of shares or votes, the power to appoint or remove most directors, or significant influence or control
  • Authorised Corporate Service Providers, who must verify before they can register

Later phases will add people who file at Companies House (presenters), officers of limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members and officers of corporate PSCs. The current list does not include company secretaries. You do not need to verify a PSC who has died.

Nationality and residence make no difference. A founder in Lahore, Lagos or Dubai who is a director of a UK company must verify in the same way as a UK resident.

Identity verification timeline

The dates below come from the Companies House transition plan, last updated on 5 August 2026.

DateWhat happens
18 March 2025ACSP registration opens
8 April 2025Voluntary identity verification opens
18 November 2025Verification becomes compulsory for new directors and PSCs. The 12-month transition for existing directors and PSCs starts.
By mid-November 2026Existing directors should have verified through their company's confirmation statement, and existing PSCs in their individual windows
No earlier than end of 2026Transition completes and compliance activity starts
No earlier than November 2027People who file at Companies House must verify, and third-party filing agents must be registered ACSPs (with at least 6 months' notice)

When you need to verify: deadlines by role

Your deadline depends on whether you were appointed before or after 18 November 2025, and whether you are a director, a PSC or both. These rules come from GOV.UK's when you need to verify guidance, updated 30 July 2026.

Your situationWhen to verify
Director of a new companyBefore incorporation. Your personal code goes into the registration filing.
Director appointed to an existing company after 18 November 2025On appointment
Existing directorGive your personal code in the company's next confirmation statement filed during the transition
Existing PSC who is also a directorWithin a 14-day period starting the day after the company's confirmation statement date
Existing PSC who is not a directorWithin the first 14 days of your birth month (born 22 January: 1 to 14 January)
PSC added after 18 November 2025When first added to the register, or within 14 days of being added
Director of an overseas companyBy the anniversary of the UK establishment's registration

For existing directors, the confirmation statement is the checkpoint. The confirmation statement guidance says every director must have verified before the statement can be filed, so one unverified director holds up the whole company's filing.

How to verify with GOV.UK One Login

Most people verify online through GOV.UK One Login, which is free. There are three ways to prove who you are:

  • The GOV.UK One Login app, which scans your photo ID and takes a face scan
  • Security questions online, after entering UK bank or building society details and your National Insurance number
  • In person at a Post Office, after entering your photo ID details online

Documents you can use

The accepted documents for the app route are:

  • a biometric passport from any country (it has a small rectangular chip symbol on the cover); expired passports cannot be used
  • a UK photo driving licence, full or provisional; a DVLA licence that expired in the last 90 days is accepted
  • a UK biometric residence permit (BRP), biometric residence card (BRC) or Frontier Worker permit, accepted up to 18 months after expiry

You will also be asked for your current address and the year you moved in.

Step by step

  1. Start from the Companies House verification page on GOV.UK. Only follow links that sit on gov.uk.
  2. Sign in to GOV.UK One Login, or create an account with your email address.
  3. Prove your identity using the app, the security questions or the Post Office.
  4. Receive your Companies House personal code by email. It is 11 characters long.
  5. Give the code to whoever files for your company, or enter it yourself when you file.

Companies House reported an average of 2.4 minutes for people using the app between March and June 2025. If you lose the code, the Companies House blog explains that you can sign in and view it under "Manage account". The GOV.UK One Login contact center is open on weekdays from 9am to 5pm.

Living outside the UK? The app with your passport is usually the practical route. The security question option relies on bank details and a National Insurance number, and the Post Office option means a visit to a UK branch.

Verifying through an ACSP instead

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider, also called a Companies House authorised agent, is a business or sole trader registered with Companies House to verify identities and, in future, to file for clients. Registration opened on 18 March 2025 and the registration fee is £63.

To become an ACSP, a firm must be supervised by a UK anti-money laundering (AML) supervisory body. There are 25 of them, and an application from a firm that is not supervised in the UK is rejected. The ACSP checks your documents against the Companies House identity verification standard and then tells Companies House. Companies House then emails you your personal code. The ACSP must keep records of the check, including copies of your documents, for 7 years.

ACSPs may charge for this. People often use one when they have no document the app accepts, or when their accountant already handles their company's filings.

How to check that a firm is an ACSP

  • Search the list of ACSPs, a CSV file Companies House publishes. It is not updated on a set schedule, only includes agents that asked to be listed, and is not an endorsement.
  • Check the separate list of ceased or suspended ACSPs.
  • Ask the firm which UK AML supervisory body supervises it, and check with that body.

Our ACSP guide covers the ACSP rules in more depth.

Borderless Filings is not an ACSP and cannot verify your identity for Companies House. You verify yourself free through GOV.UK One Login, or choose an ACSP from the list above. Once you have your personal code, our filing team uses it in the formation and confirmation statement filings we prepare for you.

What happens if you do not verify

Failing to verify when required may be an offence. GOV.UK lists these consequences:

  • prosecution and a fine through the courts, or a financial penalty
  • a notation on the public register showing you have not verified
  • being unable to be appointed as a new director
  • being unable to register a new company or other entity
  • being unable to register as an ACSP

There is a knock-on effect for the company too. A confirmation statement cannot be filed until every director has verified, and a company that does not file its confirmation statement risks a financial penalty and being struck off. Companies House has said it will take a proportionate approach to enforcement, but that is not a reason to leave it late.

If your confirmation statement is coming up, verify first, then file. Our filing team can prepare and submit the statement with each director's code.

Filing presenters: verification from no earlier than November 2027

The person who actually submits a filing, known as the presenter, does not need to verify yet. Under the August 2026 transition plan, presenter verification and the rule that third-party filing agents must be registered ACSPs start no earlier than November 2027, with at least 6 months' notice. This was earlier planned for November 2026, and some GOV.UK pages written before the update still show that date.

Until then, anyone can file on a company's behalf, but only an ACSP can verify someone's identity for Companies House. If you use an agent for filings, ask now what it plans to do before the presenter rules start.

Identity verification scams

Fraudsters copy Companies House messages to get personal details or payments. Companies House's scam reporting page, updated 16 July 2026, gives these warning signs:

  • Genuine Companies House emails come from addresses ending in .gov.uk. Lookalike domains such as companies-house-gov.uk are fake.
  • Companies House will never call to ask for passwords, bank details, your authentication code or details of directors.
  • Scam emails pressure you to act fast, demand payment or ask you to open attachments.
  • Scam letters may include QR codes, web links or fake registration invoices.

Remember that GOV.UK One Login verification is free. A message asking you to pay to "complete mandatory verification" from anyone who is not a listed ACSP is a warning sign. Report suspicious emails to phishing@companieshouse.gov.uk.

New to UK companies? Our guide to registering a company in the UK shows where verification fits in the formation process, and UK company formation for non-residents explains how we handle the rest.

Sources

Fees, deadlines and rules on this page were last checked on 27 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Companies House identity verification free?

Yes, when you do it yourself through GOV.UK One Login. Companies House does not charge for it. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider can verify you instead, but it may charge a fee.

How long does it take to get a Companies House personal code?

Companies House reported an average of 2.4 minutes for people verifying with the app, and the 11-character code is then sent to you by email. The Post Office and security question routes take longer.

Can I verify my identity for Companies House from outside the UK?

Yes. The GOV.UK One Login app accepts a biometric passport from any country, so directors and PSCs living abroad can verify online. The passport must not be expired.

Do I need a separate verification for each company I am involved in?

No. The personal code belongs to you, not to a company. You verify once and use the same code for every directorship and PSC role you hold.

Do company secretaries need to verify their identity?

The current GOV.UK list of people who must verify covers directors and their equivalents, PSCs and ACSPs. Company secretaries are not on it. People who file documents will need to verify from no earlier than November 2027.

Can my accountant verify my identity for me?

Only if the accountant is a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Check the Companies House list of ACSPs and ask which UK anti-money laundering body supervises the firm. Otherwise you verify yourself through GOV.UK One Login and give them your code.

What if my passport has expired?

Expired passports cannot be used in the app. You can use another accepted document, such as a UK photo driving licence, or prove your identity at a Post Office or through an ACSP.

Written by Muhammad Mustafa

Muhammad Mustafa owns and runs Borderless Filings. He researches and writes the guides on this site from official sources such as the IRS, US state filing offices, Companies House and HMRC. Filings are prepared and submitted by our specialist filing partner. Muhammad is not a lawyer or an accountant, and nothing on this site is legal or tax advice.

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