Every company director and person with significant control (PSC) must now verify their identity with Companies House. The requirement became law on 18 November 2025 and started a 12-month transition period, which ends in mid-November 2026. Verifying is free through GOV.UK One Login, or can be done for you by an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) such as an accountant. Either way you receive a Companies House personal code. Existing directors must give that code in their company's next confirmation statement. PSCs have their own 14-day windows.
Who needs to verify
Companies House's guidance lists the people who must verify their identity:
- Directors. Including directors of overseas companies registered in the UK;
- Director equivalents. Members of LLPs, general partners and managing officers;
- People with significant control. Individuals registered as PSCs of a company;
- ACSPs. Firms and individuals registered to file and verify on behalf of others.
Some roles come later. Companies House says it will introduce verification "at a later date" for corporate directors, corporate members of LLPs, officers of corporate PSCs and people who file at Companies House. Until those dates are announced, someone who only files documents is not yet required to verify, unless they also hold one of the roles above.
How to verify your identity
There are two routes.
GOV.UK One Login. The "Verify your identity for Companies House" service uses GOV.UK One Login and is free of charge. You will need your current address and the year you moved in, plus an accepted photo ID. The accepted documents are a biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence (full or provisional), a UK biometric residence permit or card, or a UK Frontier Worker permit. One Login then guides you to one of three methods:
- An app. You check your photo ID and complete a face scan on your phone;
- Security questions. You give bank or building society details and your National Insurance number, then answer security questions online;
- The Post Office. You enter your photo ID details online first, then complete the check in person at a participating Post Office.
Through an ACSP. You can ask an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, such as an accountant or solicitor, to verify your identity on your behalf. This suits people who cannot use the online routes and companies that want one firm to handle the whole board. The One Login route is the free one; an ACSP may charge for the work.
Once you are verified, you receive a Companies House personal code. The code is personal to you, not to any company, and you use the same code to link your verified identity to every role you hold. A director of five companies verifies once and gives the same code five times.
When directors must verify
New directors. Since 18 November 2025, new directors must verify to incorporate a company or to be appointed to an existing one. The personal code is given as part of the incorporation or appointment filing.
Existing directors. Directors in post before 18 November 2025 must provide their personal code in the company's next confirmation statement filed after that date. Companies House will not accept a confirmation statement until all directors have verified. In practice, the deadline for each director is set by the company's confirmation statement date, which is why the transition was spread over 12 months. Our guide to filing a confirmation statement shows where the codes go.
When PSCs must verify
Every PSC has a 14-day period in which to provide their personal code and a verification statement. When it falls depends on their position:
- A PSC who is also a director of the company. The 14 days start on the day after the company's confirmation statement date;
- An existing PSC who is not a director. The first 14 days of their birth month. Companies House's example: a PSC born on 24 February had the window 1 to 14 February 2026;
- A new PSC. They can give the code when first added to the register, or within 14 days afterwards. Companies House's guidance says within 14 days of being added; its PSC blog post says within 14 days of the date on the direction letter sent shortly after. Use the earlier date to be safe.
PSCs give their code through the "Provide identity verification details for a PSC" service. A PSC who cannot meet the deadline can request a 14-day extension, but only before the deadline passes. You do not need to verify a PSC who has died.
What happens if you do not verify
This is a legal duty, not an administrative preference. Section 167M of the Companies Act 2006, in force since 18 November 2025, prohibits an individual from acting as a director unless their identity is verified. A director who acts without verifying commits an offence, and so do the company and every officer in default. For PSCs, Companies House warns that non-compliance may be an offence with a financial penalty or fine, and that a note may be displayed against the person's name on the public register.
The practical consequences arrive sooner. An unverified director blocks the company's confirmation statement, and a company that cannot file its confirmation statement is exposed to late-filing action and, ultimately, strike-off. With the transition period ending in mid-November 2026, any director or PSC who has not yet verified should do it now rather than at the next filing date.
A checklist for companies
- List every director and PSC. Note each person's role, confirmation statement date and, for PSCs, birth month;
- Collect personal codes. Ask each person to verify and send you their code well ahead of the filing date;
- Use an ACSP for hard cases. People who cannot complete the online routes are usually the bottleneck;
- Diary the PSC windows. They are personal deadlines and do not follow the company's filing calendar;
- Verify new appointees first. No code, no appointment filing.
Companies House's guidance on verifying your identity and on when you need to verify is the authoritative source for your own dates.
If you would rather have the board's verification, personal codes and filings handled in one place, our company secretarial services team can coordinate it alongside the confirmation statement. For new companies, company formation covers verification at incorporation.