Big changes are coming to the way directors and people with significant control (PSCs) interact with Companies House.
From 18 November 2025, you will need to verify your identity before taking up or continuing in your role.
Why do you have to verify your identity?
The change forms part of the Government’s Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
The intention of these new checks is to make company records more reliable and reduce opportunities for fraud.
The Government is also hoping it will give people greater confidence when doing business in the UK.
For anyone who is not quite sure how the process works and is worried that it will take too much time, you will be glad to know the process is very straightforward and should only take a couple of minutes.
What are the key changes?
Currently, from 18 November 2025 onwards, new directors will be required to verify their identity before setting up a company or being appointed to an existing one.
If you are currently a director of a company, you will have up to 12 months to complete your verification, usually when you file your next annual confirmation statement.
For PSCs, you will also have up to 12 months, but with separate deadlines depending on your situation. We will explain this in a little more detail later in this article.
Companies House expects around seven million people to complete this by, currently, November 2026.
How can you verify your identity as a director or PSC?
When verifying your identity, you will have two options:
- You can go to UK One Login and use the quick and free online service yourself; or
- You can ask an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as your accountant or solicitor, to handle the process on your behalf.
If you would prefer to go down the ACSP route, our solicitors are happy to help you.
Once verified, you will be given a personal code by Companies House. You will need to use this code whenever you take on or confirm a company role, so make sure you keep a record of it.
What are the identity verification rules for PSCs?
The rules for people with significant control are a little more complicated than for directors.
If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, you will need to provide your identity code twice, once for each role.
As a director, you must give your code when filing the company’s confirmation statement.
As a PSC, you will need to use a separate Companies House service, which will be available from 18 November 2025, and you must submit your code within 14 days of the confirmation statement date.
If you are a PSC but not a director, your deadline is linked to your month of birth rather than the company’s filing date. For example, if your birthday falls in February, your 14-day window will begin on 1 February and so on.
If you become a PSC after 18 November 2025, you must provide your code within 14 days of being added to the Companies House register. If you are (or were) a PSC without verifying after it becomes a legal requirement, you may be committing an offence.
Do not leave it until the last minute!
According to Companies House CEO Louise Smyth CBE, more than 300,000 people have already voluntarily verified their identity since April 2025.
If you are a director or PSC, now is the time to start thinking about who this applies to, who in your business will coordinate the verification process and whether you want to complete it yourself or through a trusted adviser.
For any enquiries relating to identity verification, please contact us.