The rules

Verifying your identity with Companies House as a director

To verify your identity with Companies House as a director, you prove who you are through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised agent, get a personal code and give that code in your next filing.

Updated 24 Oct 2026 · 6 min read · By Rayhaan Moughal, Sidekick Accounting

If you're a company director or a PSC, you now have to verify your identity. The quickest route is free: use GOV.UK One Login, get your personal code, and put the code in your appointment filing or your company's next confirmation statement.

That's the short answer. The rest of this guide covers who's caught, the two routes, what ID you can use, what happens if you leave it, and what's public afterwards. It's one piece of the wider Companies House privacy changes.

Who has to verify, and by when?

GOV.UK lists directors (and equivalents such as members, general partners and managing officers), directors of overseas companies registered in the UK, PSCs and ACSPs. Voluntary verification opened on 8 April 2025 and became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025.

Director identity verification deadline: the dates

8 Apr 2025Voluntary verification opensAnyone can verify early.
18 Nov 2025Compulsory for directors and PSCsNew directors give their code when they're appointed or the company is incorporated.
Next confirmation statementExisting directors give their codeIf you direct several companies, you do it for each one.
14-day windowPSCs give their codeThe dates depend on when you were registered and whether you're also a director.
Later, no dateNot yet coveredPeople who file, limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members and officers of corporate PSCs.

You may have read that existing directors get a 12-month transition. The GOV.UK pages we checked tie existing directors to the next confirmation statement and don't state a separate transition period, so follow that.

Are you a new or existing director?

Are you being appointed, or is your company being incorporated?

Yes: Verify first. The appointment or incorporation filing asks for your personal code.

No: You're an existing director. Go to the next question.

Are you a director of a company already on the register?

Yes: Give your code in the company's next confirmation statement. The company can't file it until every director is verified.

No: Check whether you're a PSC only. Then your code is due within 14 days of the dates on the register.

Are you both a director and a PSC of the same company?

Yes: Provide the code twice. Once in the confirmation statement as a director, and once through the PSC service within 14 days from the day after the confirmation statement date.

No: One filing is enough.

The two routes to verify your identity

	GOV.UK One Login	Authorised agent (ACSP)
Cost	Free	The agent may charge
How	App, online questions or a Post Office check	Documents checked by the agent
Who	You, on your own	An accountant, solicitor or similar
Check first	Your photo ID and address	They're on the official ACSP list

Whichever route you use, don't post or email identity documents to Companies House. GOV.UK says not to.

01Choose your routeOne Login is free and works for most people with a passport or photocard licence.
02Prove who you areFollow the One Login prompts, or visit your agent.
03Collect your personal codeIt's personal to you, not your company.
04Use the code in your filingAppointment, confirmation statement or the PSC service, depending on your role.

What ID can you use to verify with Companies House?

For the One Login route, GOV.UK accepts one photo ID from this list:

A biometric passport from any country (not expired)
A UK photo driving licence, full or provisional (expired by no more than 90 days)
A UK biometric residence permit or card (expired by no more than 18 months)
A UK Frontier Worker permit (expired by no more than 18 months)

You'll also need your current address and the year you moved in.

Agents follow Companies House's identity verification standard, which allows either one photo ID checked with validation technology, or two documents checked by a trained person. The second option uses photo ID plus, in some cases, a document such as a bank statement or utility bill showing your current address. Your agent will tell you what to bring.

What happens if you don't verify?

GOV.UK says failing to verify may be an offence, with possible prosecution, a fine or a financial penalty. There's a practical block too. A company can't file its confirmation statement unless all its directors are verified, and a PSC who carries on past the deadline may be committing an offence.

GOV.UK also lists measures to come. People who haven't verified would get a note against their name on the public register, and couldn't be appointed a new director, register a new company or register as an ACSP.

What's made public and what stays private?

GOV.UK's main page doesn't say your verified details are published. Your identity information is handled under the GOV.UK One Login privacy notice, and your personal code should be kept confidential. The one public marker it describes is the planned note against your name for non-compliance.

Verification doesn't touch what's already on the register. Your home address, signature and day of birth on old filings stay visible until you apply to remove them. If you're not sure what's out there, run the free scan, or see what information Companies House shows about directors.

PSCs have their own rules on addresses, covered in PSC address on Companies House. When you're ready to clean up old filings, the process is on the page about how to remove your home address from Companies House.

Questions

Do I have to verify my identity as a company director?

Yes. GOV.UK says identity verification has been a legal requirement since 18 November 2025 for directors and people with significant control (PSCs). It's generally a one-off, and you shouldn't verify again unless Companies House tells you to.

What is a Companies House personal code?

It's a code you get once you've verified your identity. GOV.UK describes it as personal to you, not to your company, and you use it when you're appointed, in a confirmation statement and when you become a PSC. You can share it with someone who files for you, but keep it as secure as your UTR.

Can I verify my identity through my accountant?

Yes, if your accountant is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) and with a UK anti-money-laundering supervisor. They may charge a fee. You can check the official list of ACSPs on GOV.UK before you hand over any documents.

What happens if a director doesn't verify?

GOV.UK says it may be an offence, with possible prosecution, a fine or a financial penalty. A company can't file its confirmation statement unless all its directors are verified. Companies House also plans a note against the person's name on the public register.

Is my passport or driving licence published on the register?

GOV.UK doesn't say the documents are published, and it points to the GOV.UK One Login privacy notice for how your identity information is handled. The page we checked does say a note against your name is planned for people who don't comply.

Does verifying my identity remove my home address from Companies House?

No. Verification is a separate process and doesn't change any filing already on the register. Removing a home address from an old document needs a paid application on form SR01.