Companies House Identity Verification for Directors

Since 18 November 2025, every company director and person with significant control (PSC) must verify their identity with Companies House. Existing directors have a 12-month transition period, which ends in November 2026, and must link their verified identity when the company files its next confirmation statement. If any director is not verified, the company cannot file its confirmation statement.

Here is what you need to do, and how we can help.

Based on Companies House guidance. Last reviewed October 2026.

You need to verify your identity if you are:

  • a company director, or the equivalent (for example an LLP member)
  • a person with significant control (PSC)
  • a director of an overseas company registered in the UK

In most cases you only verify once, even if you hold roles in several companies. Companies House will introduce verification later for people who file on behalf of a company, corporate directors and limited partnerships.

Existing directors: you must give your Companies House personal code in your company’s next confirmation statement. If you are a director of more than one company, you do this for each one.

New directors: you must verify before you are appointed, and give your code on the appointment filing or when the company is incorporated.

PSCs who are also directors: you have 14 days starting the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.

PSCs who are not directors: you have the first 14 days of your birth month.

You can check your own dates on the Companies House register.

There are two ways:

  • GOV.UK One Login. The free “Verify your identity for Companies House” service. Depending on your answers, you verify with an app, by answering security questions online, or by taking photo ID to a participating Post Office.
  • An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). An accountant, solicitor or other AML-supervised professional registered with Companies House can verify you instead. AccounTax is a Companies House authorised agent, so we can verify you directly, using a digital ID check with a liveness test.

Do not post or email identity documents to Companies House.

When you verify successfully you receive a unique personal code. It belongs to you, not to your company. You need it for your company’s confirmation statement, when you are appointed as a director, and when you become a PSC.

Keep it as secure as your Unique Taxpayer Reference, and only share it with people you trust to file on your behalf, such as your accountant.

  • Your company will not be able to file its confirmation statement until every director is verified.
  • Continuing to act as a director after your deadline without verifying is an offence. The company and its other directors may also be committing an offence.
  • You could face prosecution and a fine, or a financial penalty.
  • Companies House plans to add a note against unverified names on the public register, and you will not be able to be appointed as a director or register a new company.

AccounTax is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), so we can verify your identity for you.

We don’t rely on a manual look at a scanned passport. Every check uses digital identity verification with a liveness test: you photograph your ID document and take a short selfie on your phone, and the check confirms the document is genuine and that you are the real person in it, live, before we confirm your identity to Companies House. It can be done remotely, and helps if the GOV.UK app won’t accept your documents or you would rather deal with a person.

We can also take care of the whole process for your company:

  • check which directors and PSCs still need to verify, and the dates that apply to each
  • verify directors and PSCs as your authorised agent, or guide them through GOV.UK One Login
  • keep personal codes secure
  • file your confirmation statement with everything linked correctly

If your confirmation statement is due soon, or a director is struggling to verify, contact us or call 020 8599 5210.

Need your identity verified?

AccounTax is a Companies House authorised agent (ACSP). We verify directors and PSCs using digital ID checks with a liveness test, check your company’s position and file your confirmation statement on time. Call 020 8599 5210 or email info@acountax.co.uk.