Last reviewed: 24 October 2026. Identity verification for company directors and people with significant control (PSCs) has been a legal requirement since 18 November 2025, and the 12-month transition for existing directors and PSCs ends on 17 November 2026. This is a practical checklist for directors, PSCs and LLP members who have not yet verified, and for the accountants and Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) helping them. For the background and the wider picture for practices, see our Companies House ID verification guide for accountants.
Who must verify, and by when
- Verify once, get one personal code, use it for every role. The code belongs to you, not to any company.
- Existing directors and LLP members: give your code in the company’s or LLP’s next confirmation statement filed on or after 18 November 2025. Companies House will not accept the statement until every director is verified. The transitional period for this ends on 17 November 2026.
- Existing PSCs: you have a 14-day window. If you are also a director, it starts the day after the company’s confirmation statement date. If you are not a director, it is the first 14 days of your birth month.
- Verification is free through GOV.UK One Login, or an ACSP (for example an AML-supervised accountant) can verify you, usually for a fee.
- Missing it can be an offence. The first directors were fined in September 2026, including a co-director who had verified himself but let an unverified director keep acting.
Who needs to verify now
Companies House guidance says identity verification currently applies to:
- Directors of UK companies, and their equivalents, including LLP members, general partners and managing officers
- Directors of overseas companies registered in the UK
- People with significant control (PSCs) who are individuals
- ACSPs themselves, as part of registering
Not yet required, and due to be introduced later: people who file documents at Companies House, limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members and officers of corporate PSCs. Companies House says verification for people who file will come in no earlier than November 2027, with at least six months’ notice.
Your deadline at a glance
| Your role | When you must give your personal code | Where you give it |
|---|---|---|
| Existing director (appointed before 18 Nov 2025) | In the company’s next confirmation statement on or after 18 November 2025 | Confirmation statement |
| Existing LLP member | In the LLP’s next confirmation statement (members are treated as director equivalents) | LLP confirmation statement |
| Existing PSC who is also a director of the same company | Within 14 days, starting the day after the company’s confirmation statement date | “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service |
| Existing PSC who is not a director | Within the first 14 days of your birth month | PSC verification service |
| New director (appointed on or after 18 Nov 2025) | Before appointment, as part of the appointment filing or incorporation | Appointment or incorporation filing |
| New PSC (added after 18 Nov 2025) | When first added to the register, or within 14 days of being added | Registration filing or PSC verification service |
| Director of an overseas company | By the anniversary of the UK establishment’s registration | Overseas company filings |
Two details catch people out:
- Filing the confirmation statement early does not move the PSC window. It runs from the day after the confirmation statement date, not the date you actually file.
- If you hold several directorships, you give the same code in each company’s confirmation statement. Each company has its own deadline.
Worked example
A company’s confirmation statement date is 4 November 2026. Its two directors must both be verified before the statement can be filed (the filing deadline is 14 days after the confirmation statement date). One director is also a PSC: her 14-day PSC window starts on 5 November 2026, the day after the confirmation statement date, even if the statement is filed on 1 November. A third shareholder with more than 25% who is not a director was born in March: his PSC window is 1 to 14 March.
Checklist: before you start
- Find out your deadline. Check your company’s confirmation statement date on the Companies House register, and if you are a PSC who is not a director, note your birth month.
- Check how your name and date of birth appear on the register. They should be consistent with the ID document you will use. Fix errors in the record before you verify, not after.
- Choose your route: GOV.UK One Login (free) or an ACSP (may charge a fee).
- Get your photo ID ready, such as a passport or photocard driving licence. GOV.UK One Login asks a few questions and then directs you to the route that suits your documents.
- Do not post or email identity documents to Companies House. It does not accept them that way.
Checklist: verifying through GOV.UK One Login
- Go to the Companies House “Verify your identity” service on GOV.UK and sign in or create a GOV.UK One Login.
- Answer the questions about you and your documents. The service then sends you down one of three routes:
- the GOV.UK ID Check app on your phone
- security questions online
- entering your photo ID details online and finishing the check at a participating Post Office
- Once you are verified, Companies House gives you a personal code. You should be able to find it again in your Companies House account.
- Keep the code secure. You can share it with a trusted person who files for you, such as your accountant, but treat it like a password.
- Give the code in the right place and at the right time (see the table above).
Checklist: verifying through an ACSP
- Ask your accountant, solicitor or company secretarial provider whether they are a registered ACSP. Companies House says an ACSP must be registered with Companies House and supervised by a UK anti-money laundering supervisory body.
- Ask what they charge and what documents they need. They will use documents from an approved list.
- The ACSP checks your identity to the Companies House standard and tells Companies House it has verified you.
- Your personal code is usually emailed to the address you gave the ACSP. Check that inbox (and spam) before assuming it has not arrived.
- Give the code in the confirmation statement or PSC service, or let the ACSP do it for you as part of their filing.
What happens if you miss your deadline
Companies House and GOV.UK guidance set out these consequences:
- It may be an offence, leading to prosecution and a fine, or a financial penalty.
- The confirmation statement cannot be filed until every director is verified, and failing to file a confirmation statement on time is a separate offence.
- Other directors and the company can be liable too. Continuing to act as a director or PSC without verifying may be an offence, and the company and its directors may also commit an offence.
- A note on the public register. Companies House plans to publish a note against the name of a person who has not verified.
- Restrictions on future roles. An unverified person may be unable to be appointed as a director, register a new company or register as an ACSP.
This is already being enforced. On 16 September 2026 three directors were fined at City of London Magistrates’ Court in the first prosecutions brought by the Insolvency Service. One had verified around nine months after her deadline. Another, her co-director, had verified himself but was fined for failing to take reasonable steps to stop her acting while unverified. Both companies had also filed confirmation statements late.
If you’re an accountant or ACSP
If you look after client companies, you are probably the person most of them will turn to in the next few weeks. A simple process:
- Build a deadline list. For every client company, record the confirmation statement date and each director, LLP member and PSC. Add birth months for PSCs who are not directors.
- Chase the codes early. Ask everyone for their personal code at least a month before the confirmation statement date. A missing code blocks the filing.
- Store codes securely, not in long email chains, and only for people who have asked you to file for them.
- Warn co-directors. Make sure verified directors know they can be liable if an unverified co-director keeps acting.
- Decide whether to register as an ACSP. You need to be supervised for AML by a UK supervisory body, and the person registering must hold a senior role (for example director or sole trader) and verify their own identity first. The one-off registration fee is £63 following the Companies House fee changes on 1 February 2026, according to ICAEW (it was £55 at launch). Once registered you can verify clients and file for them, and add staff to your authorised agent account.
- Plan for the filing change. From no earlier than November 2027, you will need to be an ACSP to file at Companies House on behalf of clients. Companies House will give at least six months’ notice.
- Keep the two checks separate. If you verify a client for Companies House as an ACSP, you must meet the Companies House identity standard. That is not the same as your customer due diligence under the Money Laundering Regulations, and one does not replace the other.
Using the conversation to refresh your own AML file
Chasing personal codes means you are already talking to every director and PSC. It is a good moment to check that your own CDD on each client is current: identity verified, beneficial owners identified, sanctions and PEP screening up to date, risk rating reviewed. A Companies House personal code is useful evidence, but it does not cover screening, risk assessment or ongoing monitoring.
AML Buddy does not do Companies House identity verification and is not an ACSP. It can help with the separate AML side: you send your client one secure link, they verify their ID with a selfie, and AML Buddy runs sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening with a timestamped PDF report for your file. It costs £5.40 per check including VAT, with no subscription, and new accounts get 5 free checks once on sign-up. See pricing.
Common problems and how to fix them
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Lost personal code | Do not verify again: Companies House says you must not re-verify unless it tells you to. If you used GOV.UK One Login, look in your Companies House account. If an ACSP verified you, search the email address you gave them. Then contact Companies House. |
| Name on the register does not match your passport | Update the officer or PSC record first, so that your details are consistent with your ID document. |
| Confirmation statement rejected | At least one director has not given a verified personal code. Check every director, including dormant or non-executive ones, and resign anyone who should no longer be on the register. |
| Director and PSC thinks one step covers both | It does not. Give the code once in the confirmation statement and again through the PSC service within the 14-day window. |
| PSC window about to be missed | Use the PSC verification service to request a 14-day extension. You must ask before your deadline has passed. |
| PSC window missed | Provide the code as soon as possible through the PSC verification service. Acting late is better than not at all, but the deadline has passed and enforcement is possible. |
| Client cannot use the app | GOV.UK One Login offers security questions online or a Post Office check, or the client can use an ACSP. |
| Director is a company, not a person | Corporate directors and corporate PSC officers are not yet in scope. Verification for them will be introduced later. |
Key dates
| Date | What happened or happens |
|---|---|
| 8 April 2025 | Voluntary identity verification opened |
| 18 November 2025 | Verification became a legal requirement; new directors and PSCs must verify on appointment; 12-month transition began for existing directors and PSCs |
| 1 February 2026 | Companies House fees increased, including the ACSP registration fee (£63) and the digital confirmation statement fee (£50) |
| 16 September 2026 | First directors fined for identity verification offences, in prosecutions brought by the Insolvency Service |
| 17 November 2026 | Last day of the transitional period (the 12 months beginning with 18 November 2025): almost every existing company will have filed a confirmation statement that requires verified directors. A company that fails to file one in this period must include the verification statements in the next one it files |
| No earlier than November 2027 | Verification for people who file, and ACSP registration needed to file on behalf of clients |
This checklist is general information, not legal advice. Check the latest Companies House guidance for your specific circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
When do existing directors have to verify their identity with Companies House?
An existing director must provide their personal code in the company's next confirmation statement filed on or after 18 November 2025. Companies House will not accept the confirmation statement unless every director is verified. The transitional period is the 12 months beginning with 18 November 2025, so it ends on 17 November 2026. Because confirmation statements are annual, almost every existing company will have reached its deadline by then.
When does a PSC who is not a director have to verify?
Within the first 14 days of their birth month. Companies House's example is a PSC born on 22 January, whose 14-day period begins on 1 January.
I am a director and a PSC of the same company. Do I verify twice?
No. You verify once and get one personal code, but you give it separately for each role: as a director in the confirmation statement, and as a PSC through the PSC verification service within 14 days starting the day after the company's confirmation statement date.
Does it cost anything to verify?
Verifying directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login is free. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an accountant, may charge for verifying you.
I have lost my personal code. Should I verify again?
Companies House says you must not verify again unless it tells you to. If you verified through GOV.UK One Login, look in your Companies House account; if an ACSP verified you, check the email address you gave them, then contact Companies House if you still cannot find it.
What happens if a director does not verify?
It may be an offence, with prosecution and a fine or a financial penalty. The company cannot file its confirmation statement, and the company and its other directors may also commit an offence. The first directors were fined at City of London Magistrates' Court in September 2026.
Is a Companies House verification enough for my accountant's AML checks?
Not on its own. Companies House verification confirms identity for the public register. An accountant's customer due diligence under the Money Laundering Regulations also covers sanctions and PEP screening, risk assessment, ongoing monitoring and record-keeping.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: SI 2025/1118, regulation 4 (existing directors and the transitional period)
- GOV.UK: Verifying your identity for Companies House (updated 1 June 2026)
- GOV.UK: When you need to verify your identity for Companies House (updated 30 July 2026)
- GOV.UK: Companies House personal codes for identity verification (updated 13 July 2026)
- GOV.UK: Provide identity verification details for a PSC (including 14-day extension requests)
- GOV.UK: Applying to register as a Companies House authorised agent (ACSP)
- Companies House: Changes to UK company law, identity verification
- Companies House: Changes to UK company law, Authorised Corporate Service Providers
- Insolvency Service and Companies House: Directors warned to verify identities following first prosecutions (17 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Companies House fees
- ICAEW: Significant hikes to Companies House fees in 2026
