Companies House identity verification: who must verify, by when, and what happens if you miss it
Compulsory since 18 November 2025 for every director and PSC. The deadline follows your confirmation statement date, and an unverified director blocks that filing.
By PromptFiling · Published · Updated
The short version
Identity verification has been a legal requirement at Companies House since 18 November 2025. Every director (and equivalent), every person with significant control and every authorised agent must verify once, through GOV.UK One Login (free) or an authorised corporate service provider, and receives an 11-character personal code. An existing director connects that code to the company at its next confirmation statement; a new director must be verified before appointment. From that confirmation statement on, the company cannot file the statement until all its directors are verified — which is how an administrative step turns into a filing deadline.
Who has to verify
Companies House lists the roles plainly, and in most cases a person verifies once for all the companies they are involved with. The roles not yet in scope are listed too, because 'later' is not 'never'.
- Directors, and the equivalent of a director — members of an LLP, general partners, managing officers.
- Directors of an overseas company registered in the UK.
- People with significant control (PSCs).
- Authorised Corporate Service Providers — accountants, solicitors and formation agents who verify others or file for clients.
- Coming later, not yet: people who file at Companies House, limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members, officers of corporate PSCs.
By when — the deadline depends on your role
There is no single calendar date for everyone. The deadline is derived from your role and from a date on your own company's register entry, which is why two directors of two companies can have deadlines months apart.
| Your situation | Deadline | Where you provide the code |
|---|---|---|
| Existing director (appointed before 18 November 2025) | With the company's next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025 — for each company you direct | In the confirmation statement |
| New director, or director of a new company | Before the appointment or the incorporation is filed | In the appointment or incorporation filing |
| Director who is also a PSC of the same company | Both: the code in the statement as director, and separately as PSC within 14 days starting the day after the confirmation statement date | Statement, plus the 'Provide identity verification details for a PSC' service |
| PSC who is not a director of the company | Within the first 14 days of your birth month | The PSC service |
| Became a PSC after 18 November 2025 | When first added to the register, or within 14 days of being added | The PSC service |
| Director of an overseas company with a UK establishment | By the anniversary of the UK establishment's registration | Confirmation to Companies House |
Because every company files a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, the 'next confirmation statement' rule means the whole existing population passes through the gate within a year of 18 November 2025. That is the transition period: it ends in November 2026, and the last cohort of unverified directors is the one whose statement falls then. Filing the statement early does not move a PSC's 14-day window; it stays anchored to the original confirmation statement date.
The two ways to verify
Companies House accepts exactly two routes, both ending in the same personal code, and asks you not to post or email identity documents to it — a request to send a passport scan by email is not from Companies House.
| Verify your identity for Companies House (GOV.UK One Login) | Through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | The agent may charge a fee |
| How | Answer a few questions, then verify with the app, with online security questions, or with photo ID and a visit to a participating Post Office | Give the agent documents from the approved list; the agent confirms the verification to Companies House |
| Who can use it | Anyone with acceptable ID; answers are about you, not your company | Anyone, from any country — the agent must be registered with Companies House and supervised by a UK anti-money-laundering body |
| Result | A Companies House personal code | The same personal code |
Your existing accountant or solicitor may already be registered as an agent; if not, Companies House publishes a list. Either way the output is identical, and you verify once — Companies House says you must not verify again unless it tells you to.
What you get: the personal code, and what to do with it
Verification issues a Companies House personal code — 11 characters, personal to you, valid across every company you are involved with. You need it when the company files its confirmation statement, when you are appointed as a director, and when you become a PSC. Companies House compares it to a Unique Taxpayer Reference: share it only with people you trust to file for you, because anyone holding it can link your verified identity to a filing. It is not the company authentication code, which is 6 characters, belongs to the company and signs filings; a sole director filing their own accounts ends up needing both.
What happens if you do not verify
Companies House is explicit that non-compliance is an offence, and it lists consequences that bite before any prosecution does — the first of them is administrative and immediate, and it lands on the company rather than the person.
- The company cannot file its confirmation statement until all its directors are verified — so an unverified director puts the company itself in breach of a separate filing duty, with strike-off at the end of that road.
- Continuing to act as a director after your deadline without verifying is an offence; the company and all its directors may also be committing one.
- You may face prosecution and a fine through the courts, or a financial penalty from Companies House.
- You will be unable to be appointed as a new director of an existing company, to register a new company, or to register as an authorised agent.
- Companies House intends to publish a note against your name on the public register.
For a dormant company with one director this is the practical risk: the accounts are a page, but the confirmation statement — which is also due every year — cannot be filed at all until the director has verified, and the statement's own overdue consequences follow.
What this means for your calendar
Treat the confirmation statement date as the identity-verification deadline for every director, and verify well before it: the One Login route takes minutes when the documents are in order, but a failed likeness check, an expired passport or a Post Office visit can add days. The free deadline checker shows each company's confirmation statement date alongside the accounts date; if a director has not yet verified, that date is the one to work back from.
Questions people ask
Is identity verification compulsory for UK company directors?
Yes — it has been a legal requirement since 18 November 2025 for directors and equivalents, people with significant control and authorised corporate service providers. Each person verifies once.
When is the Companies House identity verification deadline?
For an existing director, the company's next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025 — which puts every existing director inside a transition that ends in November 2026. A new director must verify before appointment; a PSC has a 14-day window tied to the confirmation statement date or to their birth month.
How do I verify my identity for Companies House?
Use the free 'Verify your identity for Companies House' service on GOV.UK One Login — app, online security questions, or photo ID plus a Post Office visit. Or ask an Authorised Corporate Service Provider such as an accountant or solicitor, who may charge a fee. Both issue the same 11-character personal code.
Does Companies House identity verification cost anything?
The GOV.UK One Login route is free. An authorised agent (ACSP) may charge for verifying you; Companies House itself charges nothing for verification.
What happens if a director does not verify their identity?
The company cannot file its confirmation statement until every director has verified. Continuing to act as a director after the deadline is an offence that can bring prosecution or a financial penalty, and the person cannot be appointed to another company or register a new one.
Do I need to verify separately for each company I direct?
You verify once and receive one personal code, but you must provide that code to each company — in each company's confirmation statement — so the identity is connected to every directorship you hold.
What is the difference between the personal code and the authentication code?
The personal code is 11 characters, belongs to a person and proves verified identity; the authentication code is 6 characters, belongs to the company, arrives by post to the registered office and signs every online filing. Most sole directors need both.
Can my accountant verify my identity for Companies House?
Only if they are registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, which requires them to be supervised by a UK anti-money-laundering body. Ask them directly, or use the free GOV.UK One Login route yourself.
Official sources
- Companies House guidance — Verifying your identity for Companies House
- Companies House guidance — When you need to verify your identity for Companies House
- Companies House guidance — Filing your company's confirmation statement
Sources checked .
Guidance, not advice. Last updated , checked against gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk sources.