Guide · Updated March 2026 · ECCTA 2023

Identity Verification for Company Directors

Since November 2025, every director and PSC of every UK company must verify their identity with Companies House. This guide covers the full rollout, how to get your personal code, the deadlines that apply to you, and what happens if you don't comply.

If you've been a director for years and suddenly received a letter from Companies House telling you to verify your identity, you're not alone. Around 6 to 7 million people in the UK need to go through this process by November 2026, and a lot of them aren't sure what it involves, when they need to do it, or what happens if they don't.

The requirement comes from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 — a law designed to make the Companies House register more trustworthy by confirming that the people behind UK companies are who they say they are. The intent is reasonable. The execution is rolling out in phases, and understanding which phase applies to you is the part most people find confusing.

We're an accounting firm that handles company filings every day. This guide is what we'd tell you if you asked us to explain the whole thing from scratch.

1. What changed and why

Before November 2025, anyone could be named as a director of a UK company without proving their identity to Companies House. The register relied on self-reported information — names, dates of birth, addresses — with no verification. That made it relatively easy to file fraudulent information, create shell companies with fictitious directors, or register companies using stolen identities.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) changed this. It gave Companies House new powers and responsibilities, including the requirement for all directors and persons with significant control (PSCs) to verify their identity. The aim is straightforward: if your name is on the register as a director, Companies House should be able to confirm you're a real person and that you are who you claim to be.

This isn't a one-off exercise. Identity verification is now a permanent feature of being a company director in the UK. If you're appointed as a director, you verify. If you're already a director, you verify during the transition period. If you stop being a director and get appointed again later, you'll need a valid personal code again.

Source: Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 · GOV.UK: Verify your identity for Companies House

2. Who must verify

The requirement currently applies to two groups:

Directors — every individual director of every UK limited company. This includes both newly appointed directors and those already in post on 18 November 2025. It doesn't matter how long you've been a director, how many companies you direct, or whether the company is active or dormant. If you hold a directorship, you need to verify.

Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) — every individual who meets the PSC criteria (broadly: owns more than 25% of shares, holds more than 25% of voting rights, or has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board). Many directors of small companies are also the PSC — if that's you, you verify once and it covers both roles.

Not yet required (but coming): Identity verification for people who file documents at Companies House on behalf of companies (such as agents and accountants), corporate directors, corporate PSCs, LLP members, and limited partnership officers. These requirements are expected no earlier than late 2026 or 2027.

In practice, for a typical small company with a single director who is also the sole shareholder, this means one person needs to verify once. For a company with multiple directors and a separate PSC structure, each individual needs to verify separately.

3. The rollout timeline

Companies House is implementing identity verification in phases. Understanding where we are in this timeline is important because different rules apply depending on when you were appointed and what type of filing you're making.

4 March 2024 Complete

Registered email address required

All companies required to provide a registered email address to Companies House. First wave of ECCTA reforms.

18 March 2025 Complete

ACSP registration opens

Authorised Corporate Service Providers can register with Companies House. Required to verify identities on behalf of clients.

8 April 2025 Complete

Voluntary identity verification opens

Individuals can start verifying through GOV.UK One Login or via an ACSP. Not yet mandatory — early adopters encouraged.

18 November 2025 Complete

Mandatory for new appointments and incorporations

All new director appointments and new company formations require verified identity. Cannot file an AP01 (new appointment) or IN01 (incorporation) without a personal code. Start of the 12-month transition for existing directors.

Nov 2025 – Nov 2026 We are here

Transition period for existing directors and PSCs

Existing directors must verify before their company's next confirmation statement (CS01) is filed. Existing PSCs have specific 14-day verification windows. All must be verified by November 2026 at the latest.

Spring 2026 Upcoming

Filing restrictions for third-party agents

Only verified officers/employees of a company — or registered ACSPs — will be able to file documents at Companies House on behalf of a company. Unregistered agents will be rejected.

Late 2026 – 2027 Upcoming

Corporate directors, LPs, and cross-checking

Mandatory verification for corporate directors, corporate PSCs, LLP members, and limited partnerships. Companies House will begin cross-checking data with other public and private bodies.

How many people have actually verified so far? Between 18 March and 18 December 2025, 975,100 individuals completed identity verification with Companies House — roughly 1 in 7 of the estimated 6–7 million who will eventually need to. Of those, 88.5% verified directly through GOV.UK One Login, while 11.5% went through an ACSP. At the current pace, the vast majority of directors and PSCs still haven't verified. As deadline pressure builds through 2026, expect Companies House to ramp up enforcement and reminders. If you haven't started yet, you're in the majority — but that won't last. Source: Companies House, December 2025.

18 November 2025 is not a deadline — it's a start date. A common source of confusion. The November 2025 date is when the requirement switched on for new appointments and when the 12-month transition period began for existing directors. Your actual deadline depends on your company's confirmation statement date and your role — see Section 6.

4. How to verify: two routes

There are two ways to verify your identity with Companies House. The right one depends on what documents you have and where you're based.

Route 1 — GOV.UK One Login

CostFree

Time10–15 minutes

DocumentsUK passport or UK driving licence

WhereOnline (app or browser)

Best forUK-based directors with UK ID

Route 2 — Via an ACSP

Cost£30–80 typically

Time1–3 business days

DocumentsVaries by provider

WhereThrough a registered provider

Best forOverseas directors, no UK ID

Route 1: GOV.UK One Login (do it yourself)

This is the standard route and the one most UK-based directors should use. You go to the GOV.UK website, create a One Login account (or sign in if you already have one), and verify your identity using a UK passport or UK photocard driving licence. The process involves taking a photo of your document and a short video of your face. If you have a biometric passport, you can use the GOV.UK ID Check app on your phone to read the chip — this is the fastest method.

Once verified, you'll receive a Companies House personal code. That's it — you're done. The whole process takes about 10 to 15 minutes if your documents are valid and the system doesn't flag anything for manual review.

There's also a Post Office route for people who can't verify online — you book an appointment at a participating Post Office, bring your documents in person, and they handle the verification. This is less common but it exists for accessibility reasons.

Route 2: Via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)

An ACSP is a firm registered with Companies House to verify identities on behalf of others. This route exists primarily for directors who can't use Route 1 — typically because they don't have a UK passport or UK driving licence. This is common for international directors, non-UK nationals, or people whose documents aren't compatible with the GOV.UK One Login system.

The ACSP checks your identity using their own accepted documents (which may include foreign passports, national ID cards, or other forms of identification), then confirms your identity to Companies House. You receive your personal code once the ACSP has completed the process.

Costs vary by provider — typically £30 to £80, though some accountancy firms include it as part of a broader service package.

Which route should you use? If you have a valid UK passport or driving licence, use Route 1 — it's free, fast, and you can do it from your sofa. If you don't have UK-compatible documents, or if you're based overseas, Route 2 via an ACSP is your best option. There's no advantage to using an ACSP if you can use One Login, other than convenience.

Source: GOV.UK: Verify your identity for Companies House

5. The personal code — what it is and how it works

When you successfully verify your identity, Companies House issues you a personal code. This is an 11-character alphanumeric string (letters and numbers) that serves as proof of your verified identity. Think of it like a unique reference number — it's personal to you, not to any company.

One code, all companies. If you're a director of three different companies, you verify once and use the same personal code for all three. You don't need to verify separately for each directorship.

You provide it to the company, not to Companies House directly. When a company files a confirmation statement (CS01) or appoints a new director (AP01), the filing must include the personal code for each relevant individual. So the company — or its accountant — needs to collect the code from each director. You should keep your personal code somewhere safe and be ready to share it when your company needs to file.

It stays with you. Your personal code doesn't expire with the company. If you resign from one directorship and get appointed to another, you use the same code. If you haven't verified at all, you'll need to complete the process before the new appointment can be filed.

Don't confuse your personal code with your company authentication code. The company auth code is a 6-character code used to authorise filings for a specific company — it belongs to the company. The personal code is an 11-character code tied to you as an individual — it belongs to you. Different codes, different purposes. Mixing them up is one of the most common errors we see.

6. Verification windows and deadlines

This is the part that catches most people out. There isn't one single deadline for everyone. Your deadline depends on when you were appointed, what role you hold, and when your company's confirmation statement is due.

New directors (appointed after 18 November 2025)

You must verify before your appointment. The appointment filing (AP01) requires your personal code. If you don't have one, the filing will be rejected and you cannot be registered as a director. There is no grace period — get your code before the appointment is submitted.

Existing directors (in post on 18 November 2025)

You must verify before your company files its next confirmation statement (CS01) after 18 November 2025. The CS01 will require your personal code. If it's not included, the filing will be rejected.

Example: your company's CS01 made-up date is 15 June 2026. You must verify before that CS01 is filed — ideally well in advance, not the day before.

PSCs who are also directors of the same company

Your 14-day verification window starts the day after your company's confirmation statement date. You must complete verification within those 14 days.

Example: CS01 made-up date is 31 March 2026. Your verification window runs 1 April to 14 April 2026.

PSCs who are NOT directors of the same company

Your 14-day verification window starts on the 1st of your birth month (as recorded on the Companies House register). You must complete verification within those 14 days.

Example: you were born in September. Your verification window runs 1 September to 14 September 2026.

New PSCs (registered after 18 November 2025)

You can provide your personal code when first registered. If you don't provide it at registration, you must verify within 14 days of the date on the direction letter sent by Companies House after your details are added to the register.

The hard backstop: regardless of individual deadlines, all existing directors and PSCs must be verified by 18 November 2026. That's when the 12-month transition period ends.

Don't wait until the last moment. If your CS01 is due in a few weeks and your directors haven't verified yet, you have a problem. The verification process is usually quick (10–15 minutes for Route 1), but if your documents are flagged for manual review or you need to use the ACSP route, it can take days. Build in a buffer — verify as early as possible, not as late as possible.

7. What happens if you don't verify

This isn't optional and the consequences are real. Identity verification is a legal requirement under ECCTA 2023, and non-compliance creates problems at multiple levels.

For the individual: acting as a director without a verified identity is a criminal offence. Consequences include prosecution and a fine through the courts, escalating financial penalties for repeat non-compliance, a note published against your name on the Companies House public register (this feature is coming — it will be visible to anyone who searches for you), and inability to be appointed as a director of any company until you verify.

For the company: if any director is unverified, the company's confirmation statement (CS01) will be rejected. A rejected CS01 means the company cannot fulfil its annual filing obligation — and filing a CS01 late is itself a criminal offence under the Companies Act 2006. So one unverified director can create a cascading compliance failure for the entire company.

For new appointments: the appointment simply cannot be filed. A new director without a personal code cannot be registered at Companies House, which means they can't legally act in the role. This can hold up board changes, company formations, and any transaction that depends on the company having properly appointed officers.

The enforcement picture is still developing. The mandatory regime only started in November 2025, so there's no established track record of how aggressively Companies House will enforce in practice. But the legislative powers are clear, and Companies House has signalled that it intends to use them. The safest approach is to treat the deadlines as firm.

Source: ECCTA 2023, Part 1 · Companies House announcement, November 2025

8. Common mistakes

We handle company filings daily and these are the errors we see most often with identity verification. All of them are avoidable.

Assuming 18 November 2025 was the deadline. It wasn't — it was the start of the transition period. Your actual deadline is tied to your company's CS01 date (for directors) or your birth month (for standalone PSCs). The latest possible deadline is 18 November 2026.
Not verifying before filing. Trying to file a CS01 or AP01 without including valid personal codes for all directors. The filing gets rejected. Check verification status before you start any filing process, not after.
Confusing the personal code with the company authentication code. The personal code is 11 characters, tied to you as an individual. The company auth code is 6 characters, tied to the company. They serve different purposes. Your accountant or filing agent needs both — make sure you're providing the right one.
International directors without UK documents. If you don't have a UK passport or UK driving licence, the standard GOV.UK One Login route won't work for you. You'll need to use an ACSP or the Post Office. Don't leave this to the last minute — the ACSP route takes longer.
Missing PSC verification windows. The 14-day windows are easy to miss, especially for PSCs who aren't directors. If your verification window is tied to your birth month and you don't have it in your calendar, you could miss it entirely. Set a reminder.
Thinking you need to verify separately for each company. One verification, one personal code, all companies. If you're a director of multiple companies, you verify once and provide the same personal code to each company when they file. But you do need to actively share it — each company needs it for their own filings.
Dormant companies thinking they're exempt. They're not. A dormant company still files a confirmation statement, and that CS01 still requires verified directors. If you're the sole director of a dormant company, you still need to verify.