Ward Hadaway: New Identity Verification Requirements for Companies House
Posted on 16 July 2025
Stacey Brown
Stacey is a Solicitor in the commercial team at Ward Hadaway specialising in corporate governance and company law matters. She acts for a wide range of clients in various sectors and is responsible for providing the firm's company secretarial and registered office services..
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (the Act) received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, gradually bringing in new provisions to tackle economic crime and create corporate transparency. The Act is aimed at tackling abuse of corporate structures by introducing some major changes for companies and their officers.
Who does it affect?
· All new and existing company directors
· People with significant control (PSCs) which also includes relevant legal entities (RLEs) who are corporate PSCs
· Anyone who currently files on behalf of a company
Authorised Corporate Service Providers
The Act creates Authorised Corporate Service providers (ACSP), who are known as 'Companies House authorised agents.' These refer to businesses registered in the UK and subject to the UK’s anti-money laundering regime, which will include, for example, third-party agents, solicitors and accountants.
Registration as an ASCP opened on 18 March 2025 and applications can be filed now online at Companies House. Third-party providers will need to register their business as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider if they intend to carry out identity verification checks on their clients now and in the future. They will also need to register as an ACSP to be able to file on behalf of clients from Spring 2026. Through the ACSP account, other employees of the business can be assed to file for clients on behalf of the ACSP
As part of the application process, you will be required to carry out identity verification for a person in a senior role in the business, such as a director of a limited company or a member of a limited liability partnership (LLP). There is also a £55 fee to pay.
The application process is completed online at Companies House. To complete the application you will be required to provide the following details:
· Company number
· Company authentication code
· Correspondence address
· Email address for correspondence
· Anti-money laundering (AML) registration details including the name of the supervisory body the business is registered with and the AML registration number or ID
· ID verification for a senior officer
Once a business is registered, Companies House will create an online account for the authorised agent. Once registered, authorised agents must:
· Always be registered with at least one UK AML supervisory body
· Tell Companies House about any changes to the authorised agent’s details
· Keep records and provide more information about filings with Companies House if requested
Failure to do so may mean that the business is suspended from acting as an authorised agent.
Identity verification
Why you need to verify your identity
Identity verification is a new legal requirement. It will help to deter people intending to use companies for illegal purposes. By law, you will need to verify your identity to confirm you are who you claim to be.
This is to reduce the risk of fraud and improve transparency, trust and accuracy of information on the Companies House register. Anyone who needs to verify their identity can do so now with effect from 8 April 2025.
Who needs to verify
Essentially, anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a company in the UK needs to verify their identity. This includes roles such as:
- Director
- The equivalent of a director – this includes members of LLPs and general partners
- Persons with significant control (PSC). Where it is a relevant legal entity (RLE) then a director of that corporate entity will need to verify their identity
- An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
- A third party who files for a company – for example, chartered secretaries and governance professionals
In most cases, you’ll only need to verify your identity once. You must not verify your identity again unless Companies House requests you to do so.
What happens once ID is verified
When you have successfully verified your identity, you’ll get a unique identifier known as a Companies House personal code. The code is personal to you, not your company or a company you work for.
If you are currently a director or a PSC, you’ll need to verify your identity and then use your Companies House personal code to connect your verified identity to any companies where you have a role. This will ensure that all of your appointments at Companies House are linked together and all set out the same information.
From Autumn 2025 (exact date still to be confirmed), it will become a mandatory requirement for everyone subject to the requirements to complete their identity verification check. From the implementation date, you will be required to do this:
- When you file your confirmation statement – this will be the trigger point for existing directors and PSCs to verify their identity and you will not be able to file your confirmation statement until all identities have been verified
- If you are appointed as a director to a new or existing company. At the time you are appointed, (with effect from the implementation date in Autumn 2025), you will need to verify your identity before your appointment can be filed with Companies House
- If you become a person with significant control (PSC)
Timetable
By autumn 2025, it is expected that:
- Identity verification will become a compulsory part of company incorporations and filing new director appointments; and
- There will be a 12-month transition phase to require all existing directors and PSCs to verify their identity which will be required as part the annual confirmation statement filing.
By spring 2026, it is expected that:
- Identity verification will be a compulsory part of filing any document;
- Third party agents filing on behalf of companies will need to be registered as an ACSP; and
- Companies House will reject documents delivered by disqualified directors as they will be prohibited from doing so, unless they are delivered by an ACSP for specified filings permitted by law.
By the end of 2026, Companies House expects that all individuals on the register who are required to verify their identity will have done so. Compliance activity against those who have failed to verify their identity can begin from this point.
Ways to verify your identity
You can either verify your identity online through Companies House GOV.UK One Login service or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.
Online
You can verify your identity online at Companies House for free.
To verify your identity you will need a GOV.UK One Login account. This is simple to set up using your email address and you will be required to create a password. The One Login account has a two-step authentication process meaning that every time you log in, you will need to either receive a code to your mobile phone or use an authenticator app, so you need to ensure you have these to hand when logging in.
You’ll also need one of the following types of photo ID:
- Biometric passport from any country
- UK photo driving licence (full or provisional)
- UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
- UK biometric residence card (BRC)
- UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)
There are three ways to prove your identity with GOV.UK One Login:
- GOV.UK ID Check app
To use this you need to download the app to your phone and have access to a working camera. You can use this if you are relying on one of the following types of ID:
- UK photocard driving licence
- UK passport
- Non-UK passport with a biometric chip
- UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
- UK biometric residence card (BRC)
- UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)
- Answering security questions online
Alternatively, you can answer some security questions about things like your mobile phone contract, and any bank accounts, credit cards, loans or mortgages you may have. You also need to enter details from one of the following:
- UK passport
- UK photocard driving licence
- Current account with a UK bank or building society
- Post Office
If you cannot verify your identity using either of the above steps, and you live in the UK, you may be able to verify your identity in person at a Post Office. You will still firstly need to use the online GOV.UK One Login service where you will be asked to enter details from your photo ID on GOV.UK but then you will go to a Post Office that offers ‘in branch verification’, where they’ll scan your photo ID and take a photo of you. You will then receive an email about the result of your identity check, usually within a day of going to the Post Office.
For this method, you will need one of the following types of photo ID:
- UK passport
- Non-UK passport
- UK photocard driving licence
- European Union (EU) photocard driving licence
- National identity photocard from an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
Using an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
If you cannot complete your identity verification using the steps outline above, via GOV.UK One Login service, then the alternative method for verifying your identity is by asking an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) to verify your identity on your behalf.
Where an ACSP agrees to verify your identity, you will need to provide documents from an approved list as evidence of your identity and the ACSP will be able to confirm what they require. They may also charge a fee for their services.
This may be an option for any overseas directors or PSCs who do not have the documents to verify online with Companies House, but you would need to check with the ACSP as to their verification process and what documentation will require.
What happens if you fail to comply with IDV requirements?
If you do not comply with identity verification requirements on time, you will be committing an offence.
Directors
For directors, if you continue to act as a director without verifying after it becomes a mandatory requirement, you will be committing an offence and could be disqualified and prohibited from acting as a director and face a fine. You should therefore not hold yourself out or act as a director of a company unless you have verified your identity.
The company (or entity) also has a duty to ensure that individuals do not act as directors unless their identity has been verified. The company and its directors may also be fined if in breach.
People with significant control (PSCs)
If you are a PSC without verifying after it becomes a legal requirement, you will be committing an offence and again may receive a fine.
What should you do now?
It is essential that you review your company's information. This includes checking that all director and PSC appointment and resignations are correct and up to date, making sure these are free from any spelling errors in names and information such as date of birth is correct.
You will also need to determine whose identity will need to be verified and make them aware of the requirement and the process, ensure that they have the required identity documentation to this and check that it is valid (for example, if relying on a passport, ensure that the passport is in date)..
You should also consider any changes you anticipate in the future. If any directors or PSCs will be leaving, you will need to inform Companies House and ensure that their replacements have the necessary verification. The same also applies if you envisage any corporate transactions taking place later in the year if it is likely this will affect your PSC position.
If your organisation is one that intends to carry out identity verification checks on their clients, you will need to register as an ACSP now and if you file on behalf of third parties then you will need to check if you need to register as an ACSP to continue to do this beyond Spring 2026.
How can Ward Hadaway help?
Directors will need to complete the identify verification themselves via Companies House or an ACSP but we can assist you now in providing consultancy/management services regarding advice and assistance around the new identify verification requirements. We can assist you with:
- Identifying individuals who will be required to verify their identity under the provisions of The Economic Corporate and Transparency Act and ensuring that their details are correct
- Provide clear and detailed guidance to all individuals to complete the identity verification checks (IDV) including advice around how they are completed directly with Companies House online and advice around alternative options if so required
- Project management to monitor and complete all IDV checks and collate all personal codes
- We can also assist with completing all Companies House filings which would be required in due course to update all IDV information once the IDV has been completed.
Please get in touch with Stacey Brown [Stacey.Brown@wardhadaway.com] if you require any further information or support.
