New Companies House requirements for mandatory identity verification of company directors and PSCs is to go live from 18 November 2025.
ID verification requirements have been brought in to ensure transparency on the corporate register under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
It is estimated that 6 to 7 million individuals will need to verify their identity by mid-November 2026. They will be contacting companies (via registered email addresses) to inform them what they need to do to meet identity verification requirements.
Redfern Legal LLP, as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), can assist companies with verification requirements.
We have set out the key points to note below.
What companies need to do
Directors and People with Significant Control (PSCs) must have the following information verified:
- Full name and any former names
- Date of birth
- Home address
- Address history for the last 12 months
- Email address
Once complete, a “personal code” will be provided to the director/PSC which must be submitted to Companies House when required.
When do they need to do it by?
Directors
- After 18 November 2025, new company directors will need to verify their identify and provide their personal code on incorporation of a new company or before they are appointed to a company;
- After 18 November 2025, existing company directors will need to provide their personal code before filing the next annual confirmation statement.
If a person is a director of multiple companies, they need to do this for each company.
People with significant control (PSCs)
- After 18 November 2025, for newly appointed PSCs/PSCs appointed on incorporation of a new company, they will need to provide their personal code within 14 days of appointment.
- After 18 November 2025, existing PSCs will need to provide their personal code in line with an appointed day within 12 months of 18 November 2025:
- If a person is both a director and a PSC of the same company, they need to provide their code separately for each role:
- As a director, they must do this before filing the next annual confirmation statement.
- As a PSC, they must do this within 14 days of the company’s next annual confirmation statement date.
- If a person is a PSC but not a director of the same company, they must provide their code within the first 14 days of their birth month. For example, if the date of birth is shown on the register as March 1990, the 14-day period will start on 1 March 2026.
- If a person is both a director and a PSC of the same company, they need to provide their code separately for each role:
While individuals only need to verify their identity once to obtain their personal code, the above means that one individual may have multiple deadlines and must provide their Companies House personal code on multiple occasions.
How to verify an identity
Individuals can verify their identity in one of the following two ways:
- Directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login (for free); or
- Through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
As mentioned, Redfern is registered as an ACSP and can assist with company verification requirements.
Verification for other company roles
Companies House has confirmed that it will introduce mandatory ID verification at a later date for:
- Limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
- Corporate directors of companies
- Corporate members of LLPs
- Officers of corporate PSCs
- Those who wish to file at Companies House
Next steps
Despite the specific deadlines set out above, Companies House is encouraging individuals to verify their identities as early as possible. If you would like our assistance with the process or have any questions, please get in touch.
Tom Redfern email: tredfern@redfernlegal.com
