There are two types of ID verification:

• direct verification via Companies House (CH) using the free GOV.UK One Login service;
• an indirect route through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) such as an accountant, lawyer or company formation agent. An individual may appoint an ACSP to carry out the verification process on their behalf.

Verifying ID direct with CH

Using the "Verify your identity for Companies House". This service is via GOV.UK One Login, is free of charge and uses one of three channels:

• the ID Check app, using photo ID (e.g. a UK passport) and completing a facial scan;
• the web portal, by completing security questions online; or
• in person at a Post Office offering in-branch verification (also requiring photo ID).

Mandatory ID verification of new directors and PSCs began on 18th November 2025. It is envisaged that most individuals will be able to verify directly via the free One Login service with a smartphone using UK biometric ID.

Individuals need to provide certain details, including:

• name (and any former names);
• date of birth;
• current home address (and, if required previous addresses);
• a valid email address that hasn't been used by anyone else to verify their ID; and
• evidence of identity, such as a bio-metric passport, driving licence or resident permit.

More details of which can be found here.

Companies House guidance for verifying your identity can be found here and here.

If individuals are unable to satisfy the documentation requirements for direct verification, they will need to engage an ACSP.

Once an individual has verified their identity, they will be provided with a unique identifier code. This code is personal to the individual and not the company. It will need to be provided to CH to confirm that the identity of the individual has been verified for each separate company and each separate role for which the individual needs to identity verify. An individual may have multiple applicable notification deadlines for different roles at different companies. Individuals need to identify their earliest deadline and ensure that they have been verified by that date. They will then potentially have to notify CH of their verification multiple times in respect of each different role or appointment using their personal code. From 18th November 2025, existing directors and PSCs can check the CH register to see the ID verification due dates applicable to them.

Companies House has published guidance on how to use and manage a personal code. This can be accessed here.

Verifying through an ACSP

The alternative to verifying directly with CH is that a verification statement can be made on the individual’s behalf and delivered to CH. This statement will be made by an ACSP, who will confirm to CH that it has verified an individual’s ID. 

ACSPs are intermediaries such as accountants, legal advisers, and company formation agents. They can be individuals, bodies corporate or unincorporated. They MUST be registered with a supervisory body for anti-money laundering (AML) purposes. They therefore already have an existing obligation to carry out customer due diligence checks on behalf of all their clients. ID verification will build on these existing checks. ACSP need to be UK based. The checks that ACSPs will make will need to be at least as stringent as CH checks. 

ACSPs have been able to register with CH (online) since 18th March 2025 and demonstrate that they are supervised for AML purposes. If an individual, they apply as such (after being ID verified themselves), if a corporate body or other legal entity/partnership etc, their application must be delivered by a relevant officer (director, partner etc). The relevant officer of an ACSP does not need to be ID verified. CH will check that the ACSP is known to them and appropriately supervised. 

Note that ACSP’s can verify IDs and file documents/information at CH on behalf of others. An ACSP will therefore be able to make a notification to CH of a new director (or PSC) at the same time as issuing the relevant verification statement. 

The following GOV.UK links will be useful for ACSPs: 

How to register as an ACSP here.

How to meet Companies House identity verification standard here.

Tell Companies House you have verified someone's identity here.

Timetable for Implementation as it currently stands:

18th November 2025 - ID verification now a compulsory part of the process of new company incorporations, appointing new directors and new PSCs. The 12-month transition period to require the more than 7 million existing directors and PSCs to verify their identity has begun. ID verification will largely happen as part of the annual confirmation statement (this is slightly nuanced depending on whether or not an existing PSC is also a director of the company).

Spring 2026 - ID verification expected be made compulsory for anyone filing a document with CH.

By the end of 2026, it is expected that the transition period for all individuals on the register requiring ID verification will have been completed and compliance activity will begin against those who have failed to verify their identity.

Note that the current timetable does not include the ID verification of corporate directors or legal officers of relevant legal entities. No date has yet been announced for these.