Companies House identity verification: the complete 2026 guide for UK directors and PSCs

TL;DR. If you're a director, a person with significant control (PSC), or someone who files at Companies House on behalf of others, you now have to prove who you are. Verification is mandatory for newly appointed directors and PSCs since 18 November 2025, and existing directors are being pulled in across the 2026 Confirmation Statement cycle — most companies will hit it at their next CS01 filing. You have two routes: do it yourself for free via GOV.UK One Login, or pay an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) £15–£100+ to do it on your behalf. The output is a Personal Code — a 16-character identifier you'll quote on every Companies House filing for the rest of your director career.

Most of what you'll find online about this regime is either copy-pasted press-release summaries from late 2023 or speculative "what to expect" pieces written before the rollout actually began. This guide is written in May 2026, six months into the mandatory phase, based on what's actually happening in practice.

Why this exists: the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023

The change traces back to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCT Act 2023), which received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Act gave Companies House its first real gatekeeping powers since it was founded in 1844.

Until ECCT, anyone could register as a UK director using a fake name (literally — Daffy Duck and Adolf Hitler were both used in test filings by transparency campaigners and accepted without challenge). Companies House's role was to receive information, not verify it.

The Act changes three things at once:

Identity verification for everyone on the register (directors, PSCs, LLP members, registered office filers).
Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) — a new regulated category of firm allowed to verify identity on Companies House's behalf.
A Personal Code — a unique identifier that ties a verified individual to every filing they ever make.

The Act's commencement is being phased in through secondary legislation. The dates below are accurate as of late May 2026 and reflect the operational reality, not the original optimistic timetable.

The rollout timeline (what's actually happened)

Date	What changed
26 Oct 2023	ECCT Act 2023 receives Royal Assent
4 Mar 2024	First Companies House fee rises take effect (£12 → £50 for incorporation)
18 Mar 2025	ACSP register opens; firms begin applying for authorisation
8 Apr 2025	Voluntary identity verification opens via GOV.UK One Login
18 Nov 2025	Mandatory IDV for new directors, PSCs, members of LLPs, and registered office contacts
1 Apr 2026	Mandatory IDV begins rolling into Confirmation Statements (CS01) — every company has a 14-day window after its CS due date
Q4 2026 (planned)	Mandatory IDV for anyone filing on behalf of someone else (presenters, accountants, formation agents)

If you incorporated a company before 18 November 2025, you can keep operating without verifying until your next Confirmation Statement is due. If you incorporated after that date, the directors and PSCs were verified at incorporation as a precondition — there's no separate action required.

There's one wrinkle worth knowing: companies whose Confirmation Statement was due between 1 January 2026 and 31 March 2026 were given an automatic three-month extension, because Companies House admitted in a March 2026 service update that the bulk verification queue at the start of the year had built up to roughly 11 working days for ACSP submissions. If you fell into that window and didn't hear about the extension, you weren't penalised.

Who has to verify

You need a Personal Code if you are, or are about to become, any of the following at a UK company:

A director of a limited company (private or public)
A person with significant control (PSC) of a company or LLP
A member of a limited liability partnership (LLP)
A partner in a limited partnership (LP), in some cases
The registered office contact for a company that does not have a PSC (e.g., a wholly-owned subsidiary using the corporate PSC exemption)
Anyone filing on behalf of a company in a professional capacity (delayed; expected late 2026)

You don't need a Personal Code if you are:

A shareholder with no director or PSC role (holding shares alone does not trigger IDV)
A company secretary without a directorship (the role isn't covered)
A PSC who is a corporate entity (a UK company that is itself a PSC of another company — the corporate PSC is exempt, though its own directors are verified through their own companies)
A deceased PSC (the executors are responsible for updating the register but don't verify on the deceased's behalf)

The PSC test trips a lot of people up. You are a PSC if you hold more than 25% of shares, control more than 25% of votes, can appoint or remove a majority of directors, or have significant influence by other means. If you're not sure, the Companies House PSC guidance is the canonical source — read it before you assume you're exempt.

The two routes: GOV.UK One Login vs an ACSP

There are exactly two ways to get verified. They are not equivalent.

Route 1: GOV.UK One Login (free, DIY)

Open https://www.gov.uk/identity-verification-companies-house and start the flow. You'll be redirected to GOV.UK One Login, which is the government's centralised identity service (the same one used for HMRC personal tax accounts and the UK passport renewal service).

You have two sub-options inside One Login:

Biometric verification, using the GOV.UK ID Check app on a smartphone. You scan a chip-enabled passport or a UK biometric residence permit, then film a short selfie video to prove liveness. Total time: about 8 minutes if everything works. Best for: anyone with a current biometric passport.
Document-based verification, where you upload your documents and answer knowledge-based authentication questions drawn from your credit file. Best for: UK residents without a current biometric passport. Doesn't work for non-UK-resident applicants because the credit-file question source is restricted to UK data.

If One Login accepts you, your Personal Code is issued within a few hours, usually faster. It arrives in your One Login inbox and is also visible on the Companies House WebFiling system once it propagates (allow up to 24 hours).

This route is free. Companies House charges nothing for identity verification; GOV.UK One Login is funded centrally.

Route 2: ACSP (paid, supported)

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider is a firm — usually a formation agent, an accountant, a solicitor, or a specialist verification service — that has been authorised by Companies House to verify identity on its behalf.

The ACSP performs the same checks that One Login would (passport scan, liveness check, address proof) but under its own supervised process. The ACSP submits the verified identity record to Companies House, and the Personal Code is issued the same way.

ACSP fees vary widely. As of May 2026, the typical range is:

£15–£35 for a basic document-review service with email-only support, often bundled with a formation package
£35–£60 for a standalone verification service with delivery in 1–3 working days
£60–£150+ for "concierge" services aimed at overseas directors, with notarisation arrangements or in-person verification options

You can find the full list of authorised ACSPs at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/authorised-corporate-service-providers.

When the free route is fine, and when it isn't

If all of the following are true, GOV.UK One Login is the obvious choice:

You hold a current chip-enabled UK passport or a UK biometric residence permit
You have a recent UK credit-file footprint (mortgage, current account, credit card)
You're comfortable with a self-service flow
Your address on the documents matches your current address

If any of these are false, you'll probably find One Login frustrating or impossible, and an ACSP is the realistic option:

Your passport is from a country that One Login's chip-reader doesn't support (the list shifts; as of 2026 it includes most EU, US, Canadian, Australian, Japanese, Singaporean, and Hong Kong SAR passports, but not all)
You're a non-UK resident with no UK credit file
Your name on your passport doesn't match the name on the Companies House register (common after marriage, divorce, or name change)
You've tried One Login and been rejected, and you don't know which step failed

We cover the choice between routes in more depth in ACSP vs GOV.UK One Login: which route should you choose?.

What documents count

Companies House publishes a list of accepted identity documents, which is updated when the GOV.UK ID Check app's supported-document list changes.

Primary identity document (you need one)

Chip-enabled passport from a country supported by the GOV.UK ID Check app
UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
EU/EEA national identity card (chip-enabled) for One Login; some ACSPs also accept non-chip cards under document-review processes
UK photo driving licence (for One Login document-based route only, paired with credit-file verification)

If your only ID is a passport from a country not on the supported list — for example, a Bangladeshi passport without a chip, or a Mainland Chinese passport — you cannot use One Login's biometric flow. An ACSP that runs a manual document-review process is the workable route. We've written a country-by-country guide in Verifying your identity with Companies House from abroad.

Address proof (some flows need it)

The biometric flow inside One Login doesn't ask for an address proof separately — it cross-references with credit-file data. ACSP flows usually require one piece of address proof dated within the last three months:

Utility bill (gas, electricity, water; not mobile phone)
Bank or building society statement
Council tax bill
HMRC tax letter
Government-issued correspondence in your name

What doesn't count: screenshots of online banking, statements older than three months, anything addressed to "Mr & Mrs", or any document where the name doesn't exactly match the ID. P60s and payslips are generally accepted by ACSPs but explicitly excluded by some.

The verification process, step by step

What follows is the standard flow as of May 2026. ACSP-specific flows differ slightly — they all collect the same core information but in different orders.

Step 1: Eligibility and document check

You confirm you're eligible (you're a director, PSC, etc.), and you confirm your documents. If you're using One Login, this happens through the web flow. If you're using an ACSP, you usually upload documents through a secure portal or email link.

Step 2: Biometric capture (or document review)

For biometric: you open the GOV.UK ID Check app, scan the chip on your passport (hold the back of the passport against the back of your phone), then film a short video reading the words shown on screen. The app checks that the chip data matches the photo page, and the liveness check confirms you're a real person.

For document review: a human reviewer (at the ACSP) checks the documents, runs them against a sanctions database, and produces a verification record. This typically takes a few hours of human time spread over 1–3 working days.

Step 3: Cross-check against the Companies House register

The verifier confirms that the name and date of birth you've provided match the name and date of birth on the Companies House register for the company where you're a director or PSC. If you appear on the register under a different name (e.g., maiden name, anglicised name), this step fails and you need to update the register before verification can complete. The fix is filing form CH01 (change of director's details) or PSC04 (change of PSC details), which we cover in the edge-cases section below.

Step 4: Personal Code issued

The Personal Code is a 16-character alphanumeric identifier, formatted in groups of four (e.g., K7H2-9PXM-3LRN-8QWE). It's not a password — it's an identifier you quote on every Companies House filing you make.

You should store it like a passport number: not secret, but worth protecting. Companies House will not issue replacements lightly; the only way to get a new one is to repeat the full verification process.

Step 5: Verification status appears on the register

Within 24 hours of issuance, your verification status appears against your name on the public Companies House register, with a green "verified" tick. The Personal Code itself is never displayed publicly.

What can go wrong (and how it gets fixed)

Most verification failures fall into one of these buckets. Knowing what triggers a fail can save you a week of confusion.

Name mismatch with the register

Companies House holds the name you used when you were originally appointed. If you've married since (and changed your surname), divorced and reverted, anglicised your name, or simply spelled it differently — the verification will fail at the cross-check stage.

Fix: file a CH01 (for directors) or PSC04 (for PSCs) to update the register first. Wait 24 hours for the update to propagate, then start verification. Don't try to game it by submitting under your old name; ACSPs will catch it because the passport doesn't match.

Address mismatch (ACSP route)

Less common, but happens when an ACSP requires an address proof that matches the service address on the register. If you've moved without updating your service address with Companies House, the ACSP will ask for either an updated service address or a proof of your old address.

Fix: decide which address is "right" (it should be your current service address), file form AD02 to update Companies House if needed, then proceed with verification.

Passport chip not readable

The GOV.UK ID Check app sometimes fails to read passport chips, even on supported passports. Causes include: a passport case with magnetic strips, a phone with a weak NFC antenna (older Android devices), or a chip that's been physically damaged.

Fix: remove the case, try a different phone, or fall back to the document-based route. If you've tried twice and failed, switch to an ACSP — they have higher first-pass success rates with manual review.

Liveness check rejection

The selfie video sometimes rejects perfectly real people. Common causes: heavy beard with patchy regrowth, recent significant weight change, makeup that obscures facial features, or lighting that washes out facial contours.

Fix: retry in better lighting, no makeup, no glasses, neutral expression. If you've failed twice, switch to an ACSP that does manual identity matching.

Sanctions or PEP hit

If your name matches an entry on the UK consolidated sanctions list or appears in PEP databases that the verifier runs against, the verification pauses for enhanced due diligence. False positives are common when you share a name with a sanctioned individual (this happens regularly with common surnames).

Fix: the verifier asks for additional ID and context (e.g., a second photo ID, a recent utility bill) and resolves the false positive. Don't be alarmed if this happens — it's not an accusation, just a process.

Edge cases the official guidance doesn't cover well

Deceased PSC

If a PSC dies before being verified, no verification is required. The executors of the estate file form PSC07 to remove the deceased PSC from the register. If they continue to hold the shares through the estate, the executors don't become PSCs automatically — they're stewarding the shareholding, not benefiting from it.

Gender marker mismatch

Trans directors whose current legal documents show a gender marker that doesn't match the gender held on the Companies House register (which, in many cases, was inferred from the title used at appointment) can encounter awkward verification flows. Companies House confirmed in March 2026 guidance that title and gender are not verified directly — only name and date of birth — but some ACSPs flag the discrepancy.

If this is your situation, choose an ACSP that explicitly states it does not require title/gender alignment, or use One Login directly (which doesn't check this).

Director appointed to multiple companies

You only need to verify once. The Personal Code is yours, not the company's. After verification, you quote the same Personal Code on every filing for every company you're a director of. New appointments after verification are checked against your Personal Code automatically and don't require re-verification.

Joint directors (LLP)

Each member of an LLP verifies separately. There is no joint verification process.

Non-UK addresses

Companies House accepts non-UK service addresses without any issue. The complication is at the ACSP step — some ACSPs require utility bills in English with a Latin alphabet address, which excludes utility bills from China, Japan, Korea, and most of the Middle East. We cover workarounds in the overseas-director guide.

After verification: what changes

For most directors, verification is a one-time inconvenience. After it's done, the practical impact is small:

Every Companies House filing (CS01, AP01, TM01, etc.) now requires a Personal Code field
Your verified status is visible on the public register
WebFiling and most filing software handle the Personal Code automatically once you've added it to your profile
Companies House can refuse filings from anyone without a valid Personal Code (this began enforcement on 1 April 2026)

If you stop being a director, your verification doesn't expire. The Personal Code is permanent — re-use it if you ever become a director of a UK company again, even decades later.

The most common questions, answered properly

Q: I'm a sole director and shareholder of a small company. Do I really need to do this? A: Yes. The regime applies to every director, regardless of company size. The only exemption is for dormant companies that have no PSCs and no active directors, which is a very narrow category.

Q: Can my accountant verify on my behalf? A: Only if they are themselves an ACSP. Most general accountants are not — they would need to be authorised separately. Ask your accountant whether they're on the ACSP register before assuming they can help. If they aren't, you'll need to either use One Login yourself or engage an ACSP directly.

Q: I'm overseas. Can I do this without flying to the UK? A: Almost always, yes. ACSPs run remote verification flows that don't require physical presence. The country-by-country specifics are in our overseas-director guide.

Q: I missed my deadline. What now? A: Don't panic. There is a remediation process, but it gets expensive after the first late filing. We've written it up in What happens if you miss the Companies House identity verification deadline?.

Q: Will my Personal Code expire? A: No. It's tied to your identity for life. The underlying ID documents can expire, but Companies House does not require periodic re-verification.

Q: Can I see my Personal Code if I lose it? A: Yes — it's stored against your account on Companies House WebFiling and in GOV.UK One Login. If you've lost access to both, you need to re-verify from scratch. There is no separate Personal Code recovery service.

Sources and references

Need help getting verified?

VerifyDirector is an Authorised Corporate Service Provider on the Companies House register. We run document-review verification for UK and overseas directors, with Personal Code delivery in 1–3 working days.

If your situation is straightforward and you have a UK biometric passport, save your money and use GOV.UK One Login directly — it's free. If you're overseas, your passport isn't on the supported list, you've already failed One Login, or you just don't want to deal with it: see our pricing.

We'd rather you pick the right route than the most expensive one.