Last reviewed: 24 October 2026. The 12-month transition for Companies House identity verification ends on 17 November 2026. If you advise company clients, use the next three weeks to check that every director and person with significant control (PSC) has a personal code, and remember that this is separate from the AML checks you run on the same clients.
The 17 November date in five points
- Identity verification for directors and PSCs became mandatory on 18 November 2025.
- The transition for existing directors is defined in law as the 12 months beginning with 18 November 2025, so its last day is 17 November 2026 (SI 2025/1118, reg 4).
- Each company’s real deadline is its next confirmation statement in that period, so almost every existing company will have reached it by 17 November.
- Not verifying may be an offence, and the first directors were fined in September 2026.
- Companies House verification is not customer due diligence (CDD) under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLRs). You still need both.
What ends on 17 November 2026
During the transition, a director appointed before 18 November 2025 has had to give their personal code when the company files its first confirmation statement on or after that date. Companies House will not accept the statement until every director is verified.
Because confirmation statements are annual, the transition covers one full cycle. By 17 November 2026, almost every existing company will have filed, or should have filed, the statement in which its directors confirm their identity. If a company has not filed one during the period, the duty moves to the next statement it files, and filing late is a separate offence.
Who is affected
- Existing directors and LLP members: verify before the company’s next confirmation statement.
- Existing PSCs who are also directors: a 14-day window starting the day after the company’s confirmation statement date. Filing early does not move it.
- Existing PSCs who are not directors: the first 14 days of their birth month, as recorded at Companies House.
- New directors: since 18 November 2025 they must be verified before they can be appointed.
Verification is free through GOV.UK One Login. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an AML-supervised accountant, can also verify people, usually for a fee. People who file documents at Companies House are not yet in scope: Companies House says that comes no earlier than November 2027, with at least six months’ notice.
What happens if someone has not verified
Companies House guidance says that failing to verify on time may be an offence, leading to prosecution and a fine or a financial penalty. A director who keeps acting while unverified may commit an offence, and so may the company and its other directors. Planned measures include a note on the public register and restrictions on future appointments.
The first convictions
On 16 September 2026, in the Insolvency Service’s first prosecutions for these offences, City of London Magistrates’ Court fined three directors of two companies. Two had acted as directors while unverified. The third had verified his own identity but was convicted of failing to take reasonable steps to stop his unverified co-director acting. All three were also convicted over late confirmation statements. The fines ranged from £80 to £307, plus £85 costs each and a victim surcharge.
The lesson: every director is responsible for the whole board being verified, not only for their own code.
A 5-step checklist for accountants and agents advising company clients
- List every client company with its confirmation statement date, each director and LLP member, and each PSC (with the birth month for PSCs who are not directors).
- Ask for personal codes now. A missing code blocks the filing. Collect codes securely, not in long email threads.
- Flag anyone unverified and point them to GOV.UK One Login, or verify them yourself if your firm is an ACSP.
- Check the overdue cases. Any company that has not filed a confirmation statement during the transition needs one, with every director verified.
- Refresh your own AML file while you are in touch. If a client’s CDD is out of date, re-verify, re-screen and update the risk rating.
Companies House verification is not your AML check
These are two separate duties. Companies House verification confirms that the person on the public register is who they say they are, once, for the register. Your CDD under the MLRs is your firm’s own process: identify and verify the client, screen for sanctions and politically exposed persons (PEPs), assess the risk, monitor the relationship and keep records. A personal code is useful evidence, but it does not replace CDD, and your AML check does not give anyone a Companies House code.
AML Buddy runs the AML side only: your client verifies through one secure link, and you get sanctions and PEP screening, adverse media results and a timestamped report for the file. AML Buddy is not an ACSP and does not verify identities for Companies House.
For the detail, read our Companies House ID verification guide for accountants and the checklist for directors and PSCs. To see where your own AML process stands, take the free AML health check.
This update is general information, not legal advice. Check the latest Companies House guidance for your clients’ circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
Is 17 November 2026 the deadline for every director?
Not exactly. The transitional period is the 12 months beginning with 18 November 2025, so its last day is 17 November 2026. Each existing director's deadline is their company's next confirmation statement filed in that period. Because confirmation statements are annual, almost every existing company will have reached its deadline by 17 November 2026.
What if a company has not filed a confirmation statement during the transition?
The duty does not go away. The company must include the director's identity verification statement in the next confirmation statement it files. Filing a confirmation statement late is a separate offence.
When do PSCs who are not directors have to verify?
Within the first 14 days of their birth month, as recorded at Companies House. PSCs who are also directors have a 14-day window starting the day after the company's confirmation statement date.
Does verifying with Companies House cost anything?
Verifying directly through GOV.UK One Login is free. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an AML-supervised accountant, may charge a fee.
Does AML Buddy verify identities for Companies House?
No. AML Buddy runs AML checks for regulated firms (ID document and selfie, address match, sanctions and PEP screening, adverse media and a timestamped report). It is not an ACSP and does not verify identities for Companies House.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: SI 2025/1118, regulation 4 (existing directors and the transitional period)
- Insolvency Service and Companies House: Directors warned to verify identities following first prosecutions (17 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: When you need to verify your identity for Companies House
- GOV.UK: Verifying your identity for Companies House
- GOV.UK: Provide identity verification details for a PSC
- Companies House: Changes to UK company law, identity verification
