Is your accountant chasing you about identity verification? Sending urgent reminders that you need to get this done before they can file your confirmation statement?
Don’t be mad. Companies House made identity verification mandatory on 18 November 2025, and your accountant has probably already verified themselves (or is going through the same process). Without your verified identity, they literally cannot file your Companies House documents. They’re stuck until you complete it.
Over one million people have already verified, but thousands of business owners are still trying to figure out what’s actually required. The good news? Companies House has built comprehensive support to help you through this. Everything you need to know is in the next 6 minutes.
Key Points at a Glance
- Identity verification is now mandatory for all UK company directors, PSCs, and equivalent roles under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act
- You have a 12-month transition period (until 17 November 2026) to verify if you held your role before 18 November 2025
- New directors must verify before appointment; existing directors must verify before their next confirmation statement
- Two verification routes available: free GOV.UK One Login or a paid Authorised Corporate Service Provider
- Companies House provides direct email updates, detailed guidance, step-by-step videos, and multi-channel support
- FigsFlow helps you track verification deadlines, monitor compliance status across multiple entities, and integrate identity requirements into your existing workflow
Understanding Companies House Identity Verification
What is Companies House Identity Verification?
Identity verification means proving you are who you claim to be before you can legally act as a company director or person with significant control. It represents a significant shift in how Companies House maintains the integrity of the UK corporate register.
The requirement stems from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, designed to tackle fraud, money laundering, and the misuse of corporate structures. By confirming the actual identity of every person setting up, owning, or controlling a UK company, Companies House aims to make it significantly harder for criminals to hide behind shell companies or use stolen identities to create fraudulent entities.
Here’s what actually happens with the Companies House Identity Verification:
- You verify your identity once (in most cases),
- receive a unique Companies House personal code, and
- Use that code whenever you need to file documents or confirm your role with Companies House.
That personal code links your verified identity to every directorship or PSC role you hold. Think of it as your authenticated digital signature for all UK corporate activities.
The verification process checks your identity against official documents like your passport or driving licence, confirms your details through security questions or biometric checks, and creates a permanent record that this specific person holds this particular role. Once verified, your personal code travels with you. If you’re appointed director of a new company next year, you’ll use the same code. If you’re already a director of five companies, one verification covers all of them.
Who Needs to Verify & When
The requirement applies to company directors, people with significant control (anyone owning more than 25% of shares or voting rights), members of limited liability partnerships, general partners in limited partnerships, managing officers, and directors of overseas companies with UK establishments. If you file documents on behalf of companies (like a company secretary), you’ll eventually need to verify, too, though that requirement hasn’t started yet.
Your deadline depends on when you took on your role and what type of role it is. Here’s how it breaks down:
Companies House Identity Verification Deadline for New Directors
New directors appointed on or after 18 November 2025 must verify before their appointment becomes effective. You cannot legally act as a director until you’ve completed verification and received your personal code. The appointment filing itself requires that code, which means you need to verify before the appointment is submitted to Companies House.
Companies House Identity Verification Deadline for Existing Directors
Existing directors who held their role before 18 November 2025 must provide their personal code in their company’s next confirmation statement filing. Practically, this means you need to verify before your confirmation statement date, not on the date. If your confirmation statement is due in January 2026, you should verify in December 2025 to give yourself time to receive your code and share it with whoever files the statement, whether that’s you, your accountant, or your company secretary.
Companies House Identity Verification Deadline for Person with Significant Control
People with significant control face slightly different timing.
- If you’re both a PSC and a director of the same company, you follow the director timeline for verification, but must also submit a separate PSC notification within 14 days of your confirmation statement date
- If you’re a PSC but not a director, you must provide your personal code within the first 14 days of your birth month as shown on Companies House records. For example, if Companies House shows your birth month as March 1980, your 14 day window starts on 1 March 2026
- New PSCs registered on or after 18 November 2025 must submit their code within 14 days of being registered
The transition period runs until 17 November 2026 for existing role holders. That’s your window to complete verification without immediate penalties. After that date, Companies House will enforce the rules strictly: refusing filings from unverified individuals, annotating public registers to show non-compliance, and potentially pursuing prosecution for persistent breaches.
What You Need to Prepare Before Verifying Your Identity
Before you start the verification process, gather everything you’ll need to avoid interruptions halfway through. The process itself takes 10 to 20 minutes, but only if you have the right documents and information ready.
You’ll need one of these photo ID documents:
- Valid UK passport (check it hasn’t expired)
- UK photo driving licence (full or provisional)
- Biometric residence permit (if applicable)
You’ll also need:
- Your National Insurance number
- Your current residential address (matching your credit file if using the security questions route)
- A smartphone with a camera (for app-based verification)
- Access to your email to receive your personal code
- Good lighting and a stable internet connection
If you’re using an Authorised Corporate Service Provider instead, contact them beforehand to confirm which documents they require and their fee structure. They may ask for additional proof of address or identity documents beyond what Companies House requires.
The key is having everything in one place before you begin. Starting verification without your passport, then realising it’s expired, then scrambling to find your driving licence wastes time and creates unnecessary stress, especially if your confirmation statement deadline is approaching.
Your Options for Verifying Identity
You have two routes to complete identity verification:
- directly through Companies House using the free GOV.UK One Login system, or
- through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider who verifies your identity on your behalf.
The GOV.UK One Login route is completely free and handles verification digitally. You create or log into your GOV.UK One Login account, which asks simple questions to determine the best verification method for your circumstances. Depending on your answers, you’ll verify either through a smartphone app (scanning your photo ID and taking a live photograph), by answering security questions online using details from your credit history, or by entering details from your photo ID online and then visiting a participating Post Office with your physical documents for in-person verification.
The system accepts UK passports, UK photo driving licences, biometric residence permits, or certain other government-issued photo ID. The app route involves scanning your document and taking a selfie for comparison. The Post Office route requires bringing your ID to a participating branch where staff confirm your identity. The entire process typically takes 10 to 20 minutes if you have the right documents ready.
Alternatively, you can use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (usually an accountant, solicitor, or company formation specialist registered with Companies House and supervised under UK Anti-Money Laundering regulations). ACSPs verify your identity by checking your documents against the same standards Companies House requires, either digitally through video verification or in person. They then confirm your identity directly to Companies House.
Regardless of which route you choose, you receive your unique Companies House personal code. That code is personal to you, not your company, and stays with you across all your directorships and PSC positions.
How Companies House Is Supporting Businesses Through This Transition
Companies House launched comprehensive support months before verification became mandatory. Over one million people verified before November 2025, showing their early communication worked. Here’s what they’re providing:
The guidance is concrete and specific. It tells you exactly which documents you need, your deadline based on your role, and step-by-step how to complete verification.
Where FigsFlow Adds Value
To properly verify your clients’ identities and maintain Companies House compliance, you need to send proposals and engagement letters for the verification service, collect electronic signatures on those documents, conduct AML checks to verify clients are who they claim to be, gather supporting documentation through multiple email exchanges, and price your services appropriately for the work involved.
FigsFlow handles each step of this process, turning what would normally be scattered across multiple tools and manual workflows into a single, integrated system.
What is FigsFlow?
FigsFlow is an all-in-one compliance platform for accountants featuring proposals, engagement letters, e-signature collection, AML/KYC verification modules, client portals for document collection, advanced pricing calculators, and integrations with your existing practice management tools.
Here’s how FigsFlow makes this simple:
- Proposals & Engagement Letters – Create, send, and get signatures on verification service agreements using built-in templates, all in one platform
- AML Verification Built In – Run complete AML checks on clients to verify identity and meet Money Laundering Regulations requirements without switching tools
- Client Document Portal – Clients upload their ID documents, proof of address, and supporting materials through a secure portal (no more email chains asking “did you get my attachment?”)
- Smart Pricing – Advanced calculators factor in verification complexity, number of directors, and service tier to generate accurate quotes instantly
- Deadline Tracking – Monitor verification status across your entire client base, see which directors need codes, and get alerts before confirmation statement deadlines
- Seamless Integrations – Connect with Companies House to pull company data automatically, sync with Xero or QuickBooks to generate invoices, and keep everything updated across your practice management tools
All this can be yours at zero cost. Yes, totally free for the next 30 days. Claim it now.
Helpful Resources
- Verify your identity for Companies House: Official GOV.UK guidance walking through the complete verification process, document requirements, and available routes.
- Find an Authorised Corporate Service Provider: Searchable list of ACSPs registered with Companies House who can verify identity on your behalf.
- Changes to UK company law: Companies House campaign site covering all Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act changes, including identity verification, registered email addresses, and filing requirements.
- Identity Verification Through ACSP: Why identity verification creates new revenue opportunities for accountants, how to register as an ACSP, and what clients expect from professional verification services.
- Directors’ Identity Verification Engagement Letter Templates for Accountancy Firms Registered as ACSP: Ready-to-use engagement letter templates for identity verification services, including scope, fees, client responsibilities, and MLR compliance requirements.
- ACSP: How Can Accountants Prove & Verify Clients’ Identity: Complete guide to ACSP identity verification standards, covering acceptable documents, verification procedures, record-keeping, and compliance with Companies House requirements.
Final Thoughts
Identity verification is mandatory, and it’s not going away.
So, the best thing to do is, verify as early as possible. The process isn’t as complicated as it might seem. You can complete it yourself, completely free, and Companies House provides comprehensive guidance to walk you through each step. We at FigsFlow also offer additional resources to help make the process even easier.
Don’t wait until your deadline approaches. Verify now, share your code with your accountant, and avoid the last-minute scramble.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You have two options: verify yourself for free using GOV.UK One Login (through a smartphone app, online security questions, or Post Office visit), or use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider like an accountant or solicitor who verifies your identity on your behalf for a fee, typically between £50 and £150.
Yes. From 18 November 2025, identity verification is mandatory for all company directors and people with significant control (anyone owning more than 25% of shares or voting rights). The requirement also applies to LLP members, general partners in limited partnerships, and managing officers.
Unverified directors cannot file documents at Companies House, cannot be legally appointed to new director roles, and risk criminal penalties for acting as a director without verification. Your accountant cannot file your confirmation statement until you provide your personal code, which blocks routine compliance filings.
If you were appointed director on or after 18 November 2025, you must verify before your appointment becomes effective. If you were already a director before that date, you must provide your personal code by your company’s next confirmation statement date. Existing directors have until 17 November 2026 to complete verification.
No. The GOV.UK One Login process typically takes 10 to 20 minutes if you have the right documents ready (UK passport, photo driving licence, or biometric residence permit). The system guides you through each step, and Companies House provides video tutorials and detailed guidance on their campaign website.
