ECCTA: updated template letters to Directors & PSCs regarding identity verification regime in force from Spring 2025

New mandatory identity verification requirements are being introduced under the Economic Crime & Coporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) for all new and existing directors, PSCs and those delivering documents to Companies House on behalf of other entities. These measures are designed to make it harder to appoint fictitious directors or beneficial owners and prevent fraudulent appointments.

Companies House has now issued its intended implementation timetable for much of the rest of the ECCTA that is not yet in force; this includes the new identity verification regime.

Identity verification of new and existing directors, persons of significant control (PSCs) and those delivering documents to Companies House, will commence in Spring 2025 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

In consideration of this timeline confirmation, we have updated our template letters to both directors and PSCs regarding the identity verification regime. It is essential that information regarding the regime and its timetable are disseminated from companies to their directors and PSCs as soon as possible. How each company intends to manage the process and what action a company’s directors and PSCs should be taking in preparation, is a matter for each company. However, these updated letters will be a useful starting point for this conversation and have been designed for company secretaries and administrators to use for this purpose.

Further information on the identity verification regime and the ECCTA more generally can be accessed here.

Templates on the ECCTA can be accessed here.