26. October 2026

Companies House Identity Verification: What Directors and PSCs Need to Do

Article written by PR Accountants LTD in the category Limited Companies

Identity verification is now a legal requirement

Directors and people with significant control now need to prove their identity to Companies House.

The requirement is intended to reduce fraudulent appointments, improve the accuracy of the companies register and make it harder for someone to use another person's details without permission.

Mandatory identity verification began on 18 November 2025. That date started a transition process. It was not one universal deadline by which every existing director and PSC had to complete every step.

The relevant deadline depends on:

Whether the person is a director, a PSC or both
Whether the role existed before 18 November 2025
When the company's next confirmation statement is due
Whether the individual is connected to more than one company
Whether the person is being appointed to a new role

There are also two stages that are easily confused.

First, the individual verifies their identity and receives a Companies House personal code.

Second, the individual or the company uses that code to connect the verified identity to each relevant Companies House role.

Verifying once does not always complete every role-based filing.

This guide explains who needs to act, when the code must be supplied, how directors and PSCs are treated differently and how companies can avoid confirmation statement delays.

Who needs to verify their identity?

Companies House guidance says identity verification applies to people including:

Individual company directors
Members of limited liability partnerships
General partners and managing officers in relevant entities
Directors of overseas companies registered in the UK
People with significant control
Individuals applying to become an Authorised Corporate Service Provider

Further filing requirements are being introduced in phases for other categories, including people who file on behalf of companies and certain corporate roles.

This article focuses on individual directors and PSCs because they are the roles most likely to affect an ordinary private limited company.

What is a person with significant control?

A PSC is an individual who meets one or more statutory control conditions.

This commonly includes someone who:

Holds more than 25% of the company's shares
Holds more than 25% of the company's voting rights
Has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board
Otherwise has the right to exercise, or actually exercises, significant influence or control
Exercises significant influence or control over a trust or firm that meets another PSC condition

The PSC assessment can be more complex where shares are held through another company, a trust, a partnership, nominee arrangements or a group structure.

A person can be a director without being a PSC. A person can also be a PSC without being a director.

That distinction matters because the deadlines and filing routes are different.

What changed on 18 November 2025?

From 18 November 2025, identity verification became a legal requirement under the phased Companies House reforms.

The practical effect includes:

New directors must verify as part of incorporation or appointment
Existing directors must provide their personal codes through the relevant confirmation statement process
PSCs must verify and provide their codes within their applicable 14-day periods
Companies House can reject affected filings where the required verification information is missing
Failure to comply on time can lead to enforcement action

Companies House described the change as a 12-month transition for existing directors and PSCs. However, that does not mean every person has the same final day.

Existing directors are linked to the confirmation statement timetable of each company. Existing PSCs have separate rules, including different windows for PSCs who are also directors and PSCs who are not directors.

The correct approach is to check the individual and each company appointment rather than relying on a generic mid-November date.

How to verify your identity

There are two main routes.

Verify directly using GOV.UK One Login

The Companies House verification service uses GOV.UK One Login and is free.

Depending on the individual's circumstances and documents, the service may guide them to verify:

Through an identity-checking app
By answering security questions online
By entering photo identification details and attending a participating Post Office

The answers must relate to the individual, not the company.

Companies House says identity documents should not be posted or emailed to it.

Verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider

An ACSP is a business registered with Companies House as an authorised agent and supervised for UK anti-money laundering purposes.

An accountant, solicitor or company formation agent may be able to verify a client through this route if it has completed the ACSP registration requirements.

The agent will need approved identity evidence and must complete its own checks. It may charge for the service.

Using an accountant for company filings does not automatically mean that the accountant has verified the individual's identity for Companies House. The verification service and the ordinary client relationship are separate matters.

The individual or company should confirm:

Whether the agent is a registered ACSP
What documents are required
Whether the agent is verifying the identity or only filing the company form
Which email address will receive the personal code
Who will retain the code for future filings

What happens after verification?

After successful verification, Companies House issues an 11-character personal code.

The code belongs to the person. It does not belong to one company.

An individual normally verifies once and then uses the same personal code to connect their verified identity to each relevant role.

For example, a person who is a director of four companies should not normally verify four times. They verify once and use the same code for each company appointment when required.

The code is not the same as:

The company's authentication code
A company registration number
A Unique Taxpayer Reference
A National Insurance number
A Government Gateway user ID

Each item has a different purpose.

Where can the personal code be found?

If the person verified using GOV.UK One Login, they can sign in to Companies House using the same email address and view the code under the account management area.

Companies House states that people who verified after 8 July 2026 were also sent the code by email.

Where an ACSP completed the verification, Companies House sends the personal code to the email address provided by the agent.

If the code has not arrived, the individual should:

Check which email address was used
Check junk and filtered email folders
Contact the ACSP if an agent completed the verification
Sign in to the relevant Companies House account where applicable
Avoid starting a second verification unless Companies House instructs them to do so

An ACSP-verified person can save the personal code to a Companies House account so that it can be retrieved later.

Keep the code secure

Companies House says the code may be shared with a trusted person who files on the individual's or company's behalf, such as an accountant.

It should still be treated as sensitive information.

A sensible process includes:

Sending it through an agreed secure channel
Confirming the recipient before sharing it
Avoiding unprotected group emails or messages
Storing it in a controlled client record
Limiting access to staff who need it for filings
Reporting suspected compromise promptly

The code may be required for more than one company and more than one role. A casual disclosure can therefore affect several appointments.

Deadlines for existing directors

An existing director must provide their personal code through the company's next confirmation statement filing after mandatory verification began.

The company must provide the code for every director and make the relevant verification statement.

If one director has not completed the process, Companies House may not accept the confirmation statement.

This means the director's practical deadline is connected to the company's confirmation statement date and filing deadline.

Where an individual is a director of several companies, each company has its own confirmation statement cycle. The same code must be connected to each appointment through the relevant filing.

A director should therefore list all appointments rather than assuming that using the code for one company updates every company automatically.

Deadlines for new directors

An individual becoming a director on or after 18 November 2025 must normally provide the personal code as part of:

The incorporation of a new company
The filing that appoints the director to an existing company

The person should verify before the appointment filing is due.

A company should not leave verification until after a board decision has already taken effect if the appointment cannot be registered correctly.

The incorporation or appointment timetable should include identity verification from the outset.

Deadlines for PSCs who are also directors

A person who is both a director and PSC of the same company has two roles.

They normally verify their identity only once, but the personal code must be provided separately for each role.

For the director role, the code is provided through the company's confirmation statement.

For the PSC role, the code is provided using the separate service for PSC identity verification details.

For an existing PSC who is also a director, the 14-day PSC period starts on the day after the company's confirmation statement date.

Companies House warns that filing the confirmation statement early does not change the dates of this PSC period.

This is an important trap. Completing the director section of the confirmation statement does not automatically complete the PSC requirement.

Deadlines for PSCs who are not directors

An existing PSC who is not a director of the same company must provide the personal code during the first 14 days of their birth month.

Companies House publishes the relevant window on the public register.

For example, if the person's month of birth is January, the applicable period generally begins on 1 January and runs for 14 days.

The public register displays only the month and year of birth, not the full date. Companies House uses the person's full information internally for matching.

Companies should check the published verification dates rather than relying on an informal reminder based on the director timetable.

Deadlines for new PSCs

A person who becomes a PSC after 18 November 2025 can provide the personal code when first added to the register or within 14 days of being added.

The PSC filing and the verification connection should be treated as linked tasks.

If the ownership or control change is complex, the company should first confirm:

Who has become registrable
The date the condition was met
Whether a relevant legal entity should be registered instead
Which notices and filings are required
Whether the new PSC has completed identity verification

Identity verification does not replace the legal analysis needed to identify the correct PSC.

One person, several companies and several roles

Consider an individual who is:

A director and PSC of Company A
A director only of Company B
A PSC only of Company C

The person normally verifies once and receives one personal code.

However, the code must be used for:

The director role in Company A through Company A's confirmation statement
The PSC role in Company A through the PSC service
The director role in Company B through Company B's confirmation statement
The PSC role in Company C through the applicable PSC process

One successful use of the code does not necessarily complete the other three connections.

This is why a role-by-role control list is more reliable than a simple list of people who have verified.

What should a company do before its confirmation statement?

The company should not wait until the filing date to request personal codes.

At least several weeks before the confirmation date, it should:

Check every director on the register

Compare the Companies House record with the company's statutory register, board records and current appointments.

Confirm that each director has verified

Do not assume a director has completed verification because they have a GOV.UK One Login or have verified for another purpose.

Obtain the personal code securely

If an accountant or company secretary will file, agree a secure method for providing the code.

Check the date of birth held by Companies House

A mismatch can stop the code from connecting correctly. It may need to be corrected before the confirmation statement can be accepted.

Review PSCs separately

Identify each PSC's deadline and whether the person is also a director.

Correct other company details first

Changes to directors, PSCs, the registered office and registered email generally need to be filed using the appropriate process before the company confirms that its record is correct.

Preserve evidence

Keep confirmation from each person that verification was completed and record when each role connection was made.

What if the verified details do not match the register?

The personal code must match the individual recorded by Companies House.

Problems can arise where:

The code has been typed incorrectly
The date of birth on the register is wrong
A name has changed
The person's name is shown differently across companies
An ACSP provided incorrect verification details
The wrong email account is being used

Companies House provides a process for checking and correcting a director's date of birth.

The company should resolve mismatches before the confirmation statement deadline. Repeatedly entering the same code will not correct inconsistent underlying data.

Where the error came from an ACSP submission, the person may need to contact that provider so it can correct the verification details.

Does an accountant complete everything automatically?

No.

An accountant may be able to:

Verify a client's identity if the firm is a registered ACSP and agrees to provide that service
File a confirmation statement using codes supplied by the directors
Submit PSC verification details where authorised
Review the company register
Help correct company information
Maintain a compliance timetable

The individual remains responsible for providing genuine documents and information. Directors remain responsible for the company's compliance.

Engaging an accountant for annual accounts or tax does not automatically authorise every Companies House identity action.

The scope should be agreed clearly.

Identity verification is not the same as anti-money laundering checks

Accountants and other regulated professionals may already have carried out anti-money laundering checks on directors and beneficial owners.

Those checks do not automatically mean Companies House identity verification has been completed.

The two processes have related aims but different legal requirements, systems and reporting steps.

An existing client may therefore need to provide updated documents or take another action even though the accountant has identified them previously.

Identity verification does not replace the confirmation statement

A company still needs to file its confirmation statement at least once every 12 months.

Verification adds information to the process. It does not replace the annual review of:

Directors and secretary
PSCs
Registered office
Registered email address
SIC codes
Share capital
Shareholders
Lawful future activities statement

Read Confirmation Statements After Identity Verification: What Has Changed? for the complete filing process.

What happens if a person does not comply?

Companies House states that failing to comply with identity-verification requirements on time may be an offence.

Possible consequences can include:

The company being unable to file its confirmation statement
A new director appointment being blocked
A person being unable to incorporate a company
Financial penalties
Prosecution and a court fine
A note being added to the public register in future phases
Enforcement involving the company and its officers

The exact consequence depends on the role, filing and stage of implementation.

Leaving verification until the filing deadline creates avoidable risk because document issues, name mismatches and missing codes may take time to resolve.

Common identity-verification mistakes

Treating 18 November as the same deadline for everyone

It marked the start of mandatory verification. Existing roles have company-specific and person-specific deadlines.

Verifying once but not connecting every role

The personal code must be used for each relevant appointment and PSC role.

Assuming the director submission also completes the PSC submission

A director who is also a PSC must provide the code separately for the PSC role.

Requesting codes on the confirmation statement deadline

Any missing verification or mismatch can prevent acceptance.

Confusing the personal code with the company authentication code

The personal code belongs to the person. The authentication code belongs to the company.

Sharing the code insecurely

The code may be used across several company roles and should be disclosed only to trusted people.

Using a second verification to solve a mismatch

Companies House says people should not verify again unless instructed. The underlying personal details should be corrected.

Forgetting PSCs who are not directors

Their 14-day period can be based on the first 14 days of their birth month.

Assuming dormant companies are outside the rules

Dormant and non-trading companies still file confirmation statements, so director verification can still be required.

Read Dormant Company or Non-Trading Company: What Is the Difference? for the ongoing obligations.

A practical identity-verification checklist

For each individual

Confirm every director and PSC role
Choose GOV.UK One Login or an ACSP
Complete verification only once unless instructed otherwise
Retrieve the 11-character personal code
Save the code securely
Check that personal details match the register
Share the code only with a trusted filer

For each company

Check the next confirmation statement date and filing deadline
List every current director
Confirm that every director has verified
Obtain each director's personal code securely
Check director dates of birth and names
Review current PSC information
Identify each PSC's separate 14-day window
File necessary register changes before confirming the record
Record when the personal code is connected to each role
Retain filing receipts

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a different personal code for each company?

No. The code belongs to the individual. The same code is used to connect the verified identity to each company role.

If I verified for one company, am I finished?

Not necessarily. The code must be linked to every relevant director appointment and PSC role.

Is a director's Companies House personal code public?

No. It should be kept secure and shared only with trusted people who need it for authorised filings.

Do I need to verify again if I change companies?

Normally no. Companies House says most people verify once and reuse the personal code.

I am both director and PSC. Is one submission enough?

No. Verification occurs once, but the code is normally provided separately for the director role and the PSC role.

Can my accountant verify me?

Only if the accountant is registered as an ACSP and agrees to provide the service. Ordinary accounting or filing services do not by themselves complete verification.

Can my accountant use my code to file?

Yes, you can share it with a trusted agent who is filing on your behalf. Use a secure method.

What if I live outside the UK?

The requirements can still apply. GOV.UK One Login may offer a suitable route, or an ACSP can verify clients from any country using approved evidence.

Does a dormant company need director verification?

Yes, where the company must file a confirmation statement containing the verification information. Dormancy does not remove the confirmation statement obligation.

Can the confirmation statement be filed if one director has not verified?

Companies House says it will not accept the statement until all directors have verified and their required codes are provided.

Act before the filing date

Identity verification should now form part of every company's routine compliance process.

The safest sequence is:

Verify the individual
Retrieve and secure the personal code
Check the register for data mismatches
Connect the code to every director appointment
Complete each PSC submission separately
File the confirmation statement only after the underlying record has been reviewed

The process is manageable when planned early. It becomes much more difficult when a company discovers an unverified director or incorrect date of birth shortly before its filing deadline.

Speak to PR Accountants Ltd

PR Accountants Ltd helps company directors and PSCs understand their Companies House obligations, prepare for identity verification and keep company records accurate.

We can assist with:

Companies House identity-verification guidance
ACSP identity verification where agreed and available
Confirmation statement preparation and filing
Director and PSC record reviews
Registered office and registered email updates
Company incorporations
Dormant and non-trading company compliance
Annual accounts and Corporation Tax returns
Company secretarial support
Compliance deadline monitoring

If your confirmation statement is approaching, check the verification position of every director and PSC before the filing window becomes urgent.

PR Accountants Ltd
Email: info@praccounting.co.uk
Telephone: 0330 043 0792
WhatsApp: 07946 617369
Website: www.praccounting.co.uk
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Official guidance

This article provides general information and does not constitute personalised accounting, tax or legal advice. Companies House requirements are being implemented in phases and can change. Check the live register and official guidance for each person and company before filing.