Appointment of Directors (IDV compliant)
The Appointment of Directors (IDV compliant) section helps private companies appoint new directors in line with the Companies Act 2006 and the new mandatory identity verification (IDV) regime under ECCTA.
From 18 November 2025:
- individuals who are appointed as new directors must have their identity verified before they can be appointed; and
- there are potential civil and criminal penalties for failure to comply.
IDV applies to all directors, regardless of nationality or residence. If notice of the appointment of a person as a director is not filed at Companies House within 14 days, the person may not act as a director until notice has been given. Breach is an offence for those concerned. Companies must therefore ensure that board changes are promptly notified to Companies House.
Existing directors must complete IDV during a 12-month transition period beginning on 18 November 2025 and tied to each company’s confirmation date filing.
The templates in this section set out an IDV-compliant process to appoint a new director and include appropriate IDV wording.
When To Use These Templates
Use these templates when you are:
- appointing a new individual director or corporate director;
- recording the board’s decision to appoint a new director (in short or long form minutes);
- obtaining shareholder approval for a new director appointment;
- documenting the appointment at a general meeting or by written resolution;
- collecting and evidencing IDV information and confirmations from the proposed director;
- reporting the appointment to Companies House or correcting the record.
📁 Templates In This Section
Guidance and Companies House forms
- Guidance Notes: Appointment of Directors
- AP01 – Appointment of Director
- AP02 – Appointment of Corporate Director
- RP06 – Apply to Remove Material About a Director
Board and shareholder approvals
- Board Minutes Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Long Form Board Minutes Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Directors’ Written Resolution Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Shareholders’ Ordinary Resolution Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- General Meeting Minutes Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Shareholders’ Written Resolution Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Letter of Recommendation to Appoint New Directors (Identity Verification Compliant)
Director consents and IDV confirmations
- Consent to Act Director’s confirmation (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Confirmation of Identity Verification (New Directors) - Letter from a prospective director to a company
IDV requests and records
🔀 Document Toolkit: Typical Sequence (may vary)
- Use the guidance note to check the legal and procedural requirements for appointing a director and the IDV steps that must be followed.
- Obtain the necessary board and, if required, shareholder approvals using the appropriate minutes or resolution templates (short form, long form, general meeting or written resolution).
- Request and obtain IDV information and documents from the proposed director, using the request letter and Identity Verification Form, and secure their consent to act and IDV confirmation.
- Complete and file the relevant Companies House form (AP01 or AP02), and use RP06 if you need to remove material about a director from the register.
- Keep signed minutes, resolutions, consents, IDV records and filed forms with the company’s statutory records.
Each document in the Appointment of Directors (IDV compliant) section is drafted to comply with the Companies Act 2006.
- Guidance Notes: Appointment of Directors
- AP01 – Appointment of Director
- AP02 – Appointment of Corporate Director
- RP06 – Apply to Remove Material About a Director
- Board Minutes Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Long Form Board Minutes Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Directors’ Written Resolution Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Shareholders’ Ordinary Resolution Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- General Meeting Minutes Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Shareholders’ Written Resolution Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Letter of Recommendation to Appoint New Directors (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Consent to Act Director’s confirmation (Identity Verification Compliant)
- Confirmation of Identity Verification (New Directors) - Letter from a prospective director to a company
- Request Letter to Directors for ID Verification Documents
- Identity Verification Form
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Frequently Asked Questions
We want to appoint a new director. Do they need identity verification first?
Yes. Since 18 November 2025 an individual must have their identity verified with Companies House before they can be appointed as a director, and the appointment notice must include a statement that their identity is verified. The Board Minutes Appointment of New Director (Identity Verification Compliant) and the Consent to Act and Confirmation of Identity Verification templates build these confirmations into the appointment process.
How does someone verify their identity for Companies House?
Either free through GOV.UK One Login, usually completed online in minutes using a passport or driving licence, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider such as a solicitor or accountant registered with Companies House. Verification is a one-off: the person receives a personal code they reuse for every directorship and PSC role. The Request Letter and Identity Verification Form here help companies gather the details.
What is the deadline for our existing directors to verify?
Each existing director must verify before the company files its first confirmation statement due in the 12 month transition period that began on 18 November 2025, so the final backstop is November 2026. An unverified director will block the confirmation statement filing altogether. Check the confirmation statement date now and use the Request Letter to Directors for ID Verification Documents to chase early.
What approvals do we need before the appointment itself?
Check the articles first: most, including the model articles, allow appointment either by a board decision or by ordinary resolution of the shareholders. Record whichever route you use with the matching template: short or long form board minutes, a directors' written resolution, a shareholders' ordinary or written resolution or general meeting minutes, all in identity verification compliant versions, with a signed Consent to Act from the appointee.
What happens if we miss the 14 day filing deadline for form AP01?
The appointment itself remains valid, but until notice is given the person must not act as a director and commits an offence if they do, unless they reasonably believed the notice had been filed. The company and its officers also commit an offence for the late filing. File the AP01 immediately, and use form RP06 only where material about a director needs removing from the register.
Can another company be appointed as a director?
Currently yes, using form AP02, provided the board includes at least one natural person. ECCTA legislates for a ban on corporate directors, with a narrow exception for UK entities whose own directors are all identity verified natural persons, but the ban had not been commenced as at July 2026 and no start date has been announced. Take advice before building a structure that relies on a corporate director long term.