Companies House personal code: how to find or get one

What is a Companies House personal code?

A Companies House personal code is an 11-character code issued to a person once they have verified their identity. Companies House says it is “personal to you, not your company or a company you work for”. You use it to tell Companies House that your identity is verified for each role you hold.

Identity verification has two steps. First, you complete an identity check and get your personal code. Second, you or someone filing for you gives Companies House an identity verification statement that includes the code.

You need a personal code if you are, or are about to become, a director (or equivalent, such as an LLP member) or a PSC. Companies House also says people who file on behalf of a company may need one in future. Its campaign site says that requirement will start no earlier than November 2027, with at least six months’ notice.

Companies House has not published the format of the code beyond its length, so be wary of sites that show an “example”.

How to get a personal code

You can get a personal code in two ways. You can verify your identity free through GOV.UK One Login, using an app, online security questions or a participating Post Office. Or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an AML-supervised accountant or solicitor, can verify you on your behalf, usually for a fee.

For One Login, accepted photo ID includes a biometric passport from any country and a UK photo driving licence (full or provisional). UK residents without one of the accepted photo IDs may be able to verify with bank or building society details, their National Insurance number and security questions, or in person at a Post Office. Each email address can only be used to verify one identity, so people who share an email need their own.

To find out what an ACSP is and who can register, see our glossary entry on ACSPs. For the full step-by-step process, use our Companies House ID verification checklist for directors and PSCs.

How to find your personal code again

Where your personal code is depends on how you verified. If you used GOV.UK One Login, it is under ‘Manage account’ in your Companies House account, and if you verified after 8 July 2026 it was also emailed to you. If an ACSP verified you, Companies House emailed it to the address the ACSP gave, and that is the only place it was sent.

Where and when you give your personal code

When you give your personal code depends on your role. Existing directors give it in the company’s next confirmation statement, new directors in the appointment or incorporation filing, and PSCs through a separate Companies House service within a 14-day window. Companies House will not accept a confirmation statement until every director is verified.

The transition for existing directors ends on 17 November 2026. If your confirmation statement date falls in early or mid-November 2026, the filing deadline (and a director-PSC’s 14-day window) can fall after 17 November, up to 1 December 2026. Our guide to the 17 November 2026 deadline explains what ends and the risks of missing it. For PSC windows and worked examples, see PSC verification with Companies House. You can also add the key dates to your calendar from our AML deadlines page.

One personal code for several companies and roles

You only verify once, even if you hold several appointments. Companies House says you use the same personal code each time. But you must still give the code for each company, and separately for each role. A director who is also a PSC of the same company gives it twice.

In practice:

• Director of three companies: one code, given in each company’s confirmation statement.
• Director and PSC of the same company: the code goes in the confirmation statement for the director role, and again through the PSC service for the PSC role. Companies House’s blog confirms that giving it as a director does not cover you as a PSC.

Personal code vs company authentication code

The personal code and the company authentication code are different things. The company authentication code is issued to each company, posted to its registered office and used to file for that company. The personal code is issued to an individual who has verified their identity. Companies House says so explicitly in its guidance.

Readers are not imagining the confusion. One comment on the Companies House blog lists a company authentication code, a company password, a GOV.UK One Login password and a personal code, and asks which one to use.

Common problems and how to fix them

Most personal code problems have an official fix. A code that never arrived can be found or resent, a mismatch usually means a typo or a wrong date of birth, and a compromised code can be replaced. The one thing to avoid is verifying again: Companies House says you must not, unless it tells you to.

Sharing your personal code safely

Keep your personal code as safe as your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR). Companies House says you can share it with someone who files on your behalf, such as an accountant. An ACSP who verified you does not receive the code: Companies House sends it only to you, so your adviser knows it only if you share it.

If you are an accountant collecting codes from company clients, collect them through a secure channel rather than long email threads, and only for the filings you are making.

LLPs, overseas companies and overseas entities

The personal code rules reach beyond limited companies. LLP members count as director equivalents and give their code in the LLP’s next confirmation statement, and LLP PSCs follow the same rules as company PSCs. Directors of overseas companies with a UK establishment need codes too. The Register of Overseas Entities uses a separate system.

• LLPs: an existing member’s code goes in the LLP’s next confirmation statement on or after the “relevant day” in SI 2025/1033, reg 16. That day is 18 November 2025, when the ban on acting as a director without verified identity came into force (SI 2025/1033, reg 12; SI 2025/1118, reg 2).
• Overseas companies with a UK establishment: the company files form OS VS01, one per company, giving the personal code of every director. Companies House says this is due by the anniversary of the date the UK establishment was opened: for example, an establishment opened on 3 May 1995 had to file by 3 May 2026.
• Overseas entities: the Register of Overseas Entities has its own regime. A UK-regulated agent completes verification checks on beneficial owners and managing officers before the entity is registered, and the ACSP verification service cannot be used for these checks.
• Not in scope yet: limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate members of LLPs and officers of corporate PSCs. Companies House says these come “at a later date”.

A personal code is not an AML check

A personal code shows that Companies House considers a person’s identity verified. It does not replace a regulated firm’s own customer due diligence (CDD) under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLRs). Companies House itself says its identity verification standard is different from CDD checks to prevent money laundering.

If your firm is supervised for AML, you still need to identify and verify each client, screen them for sanctions and politically exposed persons (PEPs), assess the risk and keep records. A client’s personal code is useful context for the file, not a substitute.

AML Buddy handles that AML side: your client verifies through one secure link, and you get sanctions and PEP screening, adverse media results and a timestamped report. AML Buddy is not an ACSP and does not verify identities for Companies House. For how the two fit together in practice, read our Companies House ID verification guide for accountants.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the latest Companies House guidance for your own circumstances.