Guidance Notes: Appointment of Directors

How to appoint a director is of critical importance for a company, particularly in light of the mandatory identity verification (IDV) requirements introduced by the Economic Crime & Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) from 18 November 2025.

This is a new requirement that companies and individual directors must adhere to when appointing a director.

The ECCTA gives Companies House new and enhanced powers to help disrupt economic crime, and the IDV regime is a key component of this.

Appointing directors in private companies, including IDV from 18 November 2025

This guidance note is written for private companies and is in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.

What the guidance covers

• The legal meaning of "director";
• The types of directors in a private company;
• The number of directors & their eligibility;
• Sole directors;
• The appointment of first and subsequent directors, including consent to act and IDV;
• The publication of a director's appointment;
• Filing requirements; and
• The changes being introduced by the ECCTA (including changes to corporate directors).

Who this guidance is for

This guidance note will be useful for a company secretary or a company director who is new to the role, and as a refresher for a more experienced company administrator.

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