What’s changing
United Kingdom · Identity

Companies House identity verification: who must verify, how, and by when

Since 18 November 2025, directors and people with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House. Accountants, lawyers and formation agents can do the check for clients if they register as an ACSP.

In brief
  • Companies House identity verification became a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control (PSCs) on 18 November 2025.
  • New directors must verify before they are appointed; existing directors confirm their verification with the company's next confirmation statement within a 12-month transition period.
  • A person can verify directly through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an AML-supervised accountant or solicitor.
  • To register as an ACSP, a business must be supervised by a UK anti-money laundering supervisory body, and it must keep records of the identity checks it does for 7 years.
  • Acting as a director without being verified is an offence, and the first convictions were handed down on 16 September 2026.

United Kingdom · Identity · Companies House · Reviewed 5 Nov 2026

Industries: All industries

What it is

What it is

Companies House identity verification comes from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA). The Act gave Companies House new powers to check who is setting up, running and controlling UK companies. Identity verification is the centre of those changes.

Companies House is phasing it in. ACSP registration opened on 18 March 2025, voluntary verification on 8 April 2025, and verification became compulsory for incorporations, new directors and PSCs on 18 November 2025. That date started a 12-month transition for people already on the register. Companies House says plainly that 18 November 2025 "is not a deadline".

Once a person is verified, they get a Companies House personal code. Companies use that code to show each director and PSC has verified. A person only needs to verify once, even if they hold roles at several companies.

Who it applies to

Who it applies to

The requirement falls on individuals, and on the companies that must report their verification. Professional firms come in two ways: their own directors must verify, and many firms will choose to verify clients as an ACSP.

  • Directors of UK companies, including new directors and those already appointed
  • People with significant control (PSCs), whether or not they are also directors
  • Directors of overseas companies with a UK establishment, who must confirm verification by the anniversary of the establishment's registration
  • Accountants, solicitors, trust and company service providers and formation agents who register as ACSPs to verify identity or file for clients
  • Later, anyone who files documents at Companies House (presenters)

Verification is personal. A director who sits on five boards verifies once and gives the same personal code to each company.

The obligations

What you have to do

The duties depend on your role. A director or PSC has to verify and report a code. A firm acting as an ACSP takes on a defined verification standard, record keeping and reporting to Companies House.

  1. Verify each director and PSC

    Each person verifies once, either through GOV.UK One Login (photo ID, current address and the year they moved in) or through an ACSP. Without suitable photo ID, UK residents may use bank details or the Post Office.

    Verify
  2. Report verification on time

    Existing directors give their personal code in the company's next confirmation statement. A PSC who is not a director gives their code within the first 14 days of their birth month. A PSC who is also a director has 14 days from the day after the confirmation statement date.

    Per company
  3. Register as an ACSP before verifying for clients

    The person applying must verify their own identity first, and the business must be registered with a UK AML supervisory body. The supervisor names and membership numbers must match, or the application is rejected.

    One-off
  4. Meet the identity verification standard

    ACSPs must follow the Companies House standard: collect the person's details and 12-month address history, then check evidence with document validation technology (IDVT) or by a trained person using two documents. Remote checks need a clear view of the face to compare with the photo.

    Verify
  5. Collect the right details before the check

    The standard starts with full name, former names, date of birth, home address, 12 months of address history and email. One email address can only be used to verify one identity.

    Intake
  6. Keep records and tell Companies House

    ACSPs keep records of evidence, checks and failed attempts for 7 years, report each verification through the online service, and tell Companies House within 14 days about changes, including losing AML supervision.

    Ongoing
Commonly misread

What firms get wrong

The rules are phased and the deadlines are personal, so most errors come from treating it as a single date.

Every director had to verify by 18 November 2025

That date started the requirement for new appointments and opened a 12-month transition. Companies House guidance says existing directors verify by the company's next confirmation statement during that window.

Any accountant can verify a client for Companies House

Only a registered ACSP can verify for Companies House, and only AML-supervised businesses can register. An ordinary AML check done for your own client file does not count unless it meets the Companies House standard and is reported as an ACSP.

An ACSP check is the same as our usual AML check

The Companies House standard has its own six steps, its own document lists and a 7-year record rule. It overlaps with customer due diligence under the Money Laundering Regulations. Each firm decides under its own program how the two fit together, and a check only counts for Companies House if it meets every step of that standard.

The transition ends on one fixed day for everyone

GOV.UK describes a 12-month transition but does not publish a single end date for each person. Most secondary sources give 18 November 2026; some give 17 November. In practice, each company's confirmation statement date and each PSC's 14-day window set the deadline.

Key dates

What happens when

  1. In force

    ACSP registration opens for trust and company service providers Source

  2. In force

    Voluntary identity verification opens Source

  3. In force

    Verification compulsory for incorporations, new directors and PSCs; 12-month transition begins for existing ones Source

  4. In force

    First convictions for acting as a director without verifying identity Source

  5. Commencing

    12-month transition for existing directors and PSCs closes (GOV.UK states 12 months; the exact day comes from secondary sources) Source

    Confirmed by secondary sources; the regulator has not published the exact date.

  6. No earlier than Nov 2027Proposed

    Presenters must be verified to file, and third-party agents must be registered ACSPs; at least 6 months' notice promised Source

    Not yet confirmed. We will update this when the date is set.

  7. From Apr 2028Proposed

    All companies to file annual accounts using commercial software (planned) Source

    Not yet confirmed. We will update this when the date is set.

Also on the regulatory timeline.

Going deeper

Related guides

Money Laundering RegulationsThe AML rules that make a firm eligible to be an ACSP, and the CDD it already owes clients.HMRC AML supervisionWho supervises accountants and TCSPs, and the reform moving supervision to the FCA.Biometric identity verificationHow document and selfie checks work, and where they fit in a verification standard.Types of identity verificationDocument, database and biometric methods compared.
Questions

Questions people ask

What is the Companies House identity verification deadline?

New directors must verify before they are appointed. Existing directors confirm their verification with the company's next confirmation statement, within the 12-month transition that started on 18 November 2025. PSCs who are not directors have 14 days from the start of their birth month.

How do I verify my identity for Companies House?

Use GOV.UK One Login with a photo ID such as a passport or UK photo driving licence, or ask an ACSP to verify you. UK residents without suitable photo ID may be able to use bank details or the Post Office. You then receive a personal code.

What is an ACSP?

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider is a business registered with Companies House to verify identities and, later, to file for clients. It must be supervised by a UK anti-money laundering supervisor, such as a professional body or HMRC. See HMRC AML supervision.

How does an accountant or solicitor register as an ACSP?

Verify your own identity first, then apply through the Companies House online service with your business details and your AML supervisory body and membership number. A sole trader applies for themselves; for a firm, a director, partner or member applies.

What happens if a director does not verify?

It is an offence to act as a director without being verified. Companies House says it will enforce proportionately, but the Insolvency Service secured its first convictions in September 2026.

Can an ACSP use identity verification software?

Yes. The standard allows remote checks and commercial providers, using document validation technology. The ACSP stays responsible for making sure every step of the standard is completed. See types of identity verification.

Sources

Primary sources

Checked 5 Nov 2026. We review this page every 90 days and when the rules change.

Where StackGo fits

Where StackGo fits

Companies House verification itself happens through GOV.UK One Login or an ACSP's own process, and IdentityCheck does not verify identity for Companies House on a firm's behalf. Where it can help is the AML work around it: the identity, screening and onboarding checks an AML-supervised firm owes its own clients. Other approaches exist, including doing this manually.

What IdentityCheck covers today
  • Biometric identity checks for a firm's own AML customer due diligence: a photo of a government ID document plus a live selfie with liveness, covering 12,500 document types from 230+ countries and territories
  • Onboarding forms, including multi-entity forms that collect each director, PSC and entity on a structure
  • PEP, sanctions and adverse media screening, with ongoing monitoring of screened clients
  • Links to Xero Practice Manager, Xero, Karbon and HubSpot, where by default the connected system gets a link to the result plus the outcome and status, with no personal details written back
What it does not do
  • It does not verify identity for Companies House, issue personal codes or report verifications to Companies House
  • It does not register a firm as an ACSP or file documents at Companies House
  • It is not a substitute for checking each step of the Companies House standard yourself

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