Companies House Identity Verification
Our legal consultant is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
Our partner solicitors verify your identity as director or person with significant control (PSC). Your identity will be verified remotely in a video call. You will be provided with your Companies House personal code.
From £138 per verification
Email: certify@ginkgoadvisory.com
Companies House identity verification is now a core compliance issue for directors, PSCs, accountants, and ACSPs.
Whether you verify through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, it is important to understand the document rules, personal code process, record-keeping requirements, and role-specific deadlines.
Companies House identity verification is a legal process that confirms a person is who they claim to be before they can take certain roles or carry out certain filings connected with a UK company. It forms part of the UK’s wider company law reform and anti-fraud measures.
Identity verification applies to directors and people with significant control (PSCs). The wider Companies House reform programme also includes future identity verification requirements for some people who file on behalf of companies.
Companies House identity verification became a legal requirement from 18 November 2025. That date marked the start of the live regime and the 12-month transition for existing companies, rather than a single one-day deadline for everyone.
Yes. Existing directors must verify their identity and then provide their personal code through the relevant Companies House process, usually linked to the company’s next confirmation statement filing.
Yes. Existing PSCs also need to verify their identity, but the timing depends on whether they are also a director. Companies House says PSCs have a defined compliance window, and some PSCs must provide their personal code through the specific PSC service rather than relying only on the confirmation statement.
No. In most cases, you only verify your identity once. But you may still need to provide your personal code separately for each role, because verifying once and linking that verification to each Companies House role are not the same thing.
A Companies House personal code is an 11-character code issued after a person successfully verifies their identity. It belongs to the individual, not to the company. The same code is used again when that person needs to confirm their verified status for multiple roles or multiple companies.
That depends on how you verified. If you verified through GOV.UK One Login, you can usually view your code in your Companies House account. If you verified through an ACSP, Companies House sends the code to the email address provided during the verification process.
Yes. The personal code is tied to the person, not to a specific company. If you hold roles across multiple companies, you usually use the same code each time you need to confirm your verified identity.
There are different routes. A person can verify directly through GOV.UK One Login, use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), or in some cases use the Post Office route within the GOV.UK process. The correct route depends on the person’s documents, circumstances, and whether they are using a third party.
An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) is a business authorised to carry out identity verification for Companies House and submit the required verification statement. Companies House also refers to this as an authorised agent.
Yes, if that business is properly registered as an ACSP and meets the Companies House standard. But being a professional firm alone is not enough. The business must comply with the identity verification rules and retain the required evidence and records.
Yes. Companies House expressly says the checks can be completed remotely or in person. An ACSP can also use commercial identity verification technology, provided the full required standard is met and the ACSP can explain and evidence why the process is appropriate.
The documents depend on the route used. Under the Companies House standard, some people can verify with one qualifying photo ID using IDVT, while others using manual checks will need two documents, usually from the specified Group A and Group B lists. The official guidance includes passports, photocard driving licences, biometric residence documents, and certain proof-of-address style documents such as utility bills or bank statements in the relevant route.
Usually, expired documents cannot be used unless the official guidance specifically allows an exception. For example, some passports and certain UK biometric residence documents may still be accepted within a limited expiry period depending on the route and the technology used.
Option 1 is technology-led and uses identification document validation technology (IDVT) to validate the document. Option 2 is used where documents are checked by a person, either remotely or in person, and requires a different document combination and a process sufficient to validate the documents provided.
Not necessarily. Companies House says that if an ACSP uses a commercial provider or platform, the ACSP must still be satisfied that all required steps in the identity verification standard have been completed. If the platform only completes part of the standard, the ACSP must complete the rest.
Yes. Companies House requires records to be kept for 7 years from the date the identity checks are completed. That includes copies of documents checked, evidence of the checks completed, and records of failed attempts.
Yes. The official standard says records of failed verification attempts must also be retained for 7 years.
No, not usually. The ACSP does not normally upload the ID documents themselves when confirming a verification. But Companies House requires information about the documents used, such as reference numbers, expiry dates, and issuing country where relevant.
The personal code may not connect properly to the Companies House record. This can happen if the date of birth is wrong on the register, the personal code was entered incorrectly, or the ACSP submitted incorrect personal details during verification.
Companies House says you should first contact the ACSP and check which email address was used. If the wrong email address was provided, the ACSP may need to contact Companies House.
Companies House says it can issue a replacement code and cancel the previous one if you think the code has been shared or compromised.
Yes. Overseas individuals can verify using the available Companies House routes, depending on the type of identity document they hold and whether the direct digital route works for them. Companies House guidance also points people to ACSPs where needed.
Not always, but under the manual document-checking route, Companies House says a person who does not live in the UK must provide at least one government-issued document.
Yes. Companies House says the timing is different for PSCs who are not also directors. In the PSC guidance, Companies House explains that non-director PSCs generally have a specific 14-day window linked to their birth month, while PSCs who are also directors may have a window linked to the company’s confirmation statement cycle.
Not always. Companies House guidance says some PSCs can only provide their personal code once their official 14-day period has started.
Yes. Companies House has said that, in some cases, a 14-day extension can be requested, but the request must be made within the permitted period and before the deadline has passed.
Companies House has said the public register can show whether a role’s verification requirements are complete. Guidance and Companies House responses indicate that this can be checked through the company’s record and relevant people sections.
The consequences can be serious. Companies House guidance links verification to legal compliance, company filings, and role eligibility, and the wider guidance collection includes Companies House’s approach to non-compliance with mandatory identity verification.
In most cases, no. Companies House states that identity is usually verified once, and the same personal code is then used when needed for future filings or appointments unless Companies House tells the person to verify again.
No. Companies House verification serves a Companies House legal and registry function. Whether another business, regulated firm, bank, investor or compliance team accepts it for its own AML, KYC or due diligence purposes is a separate question and may require its own risk-based assessment. Companies House has publicly indicated it does not give advice on whether others should rely on the published verification status for their own AML decisions.
Yes, in some cases. Companies House has publicly explained that not every company necessarily has a PSC, but the company’s PSC position must still be properly stated on the register through the correct PSC statement rather than left blank.
Not in the same way as individual PSCs. Companies House has publicly stated there are currently no identity verification requirements for RLEs, while future reforms may cover some related corporate roles later.
The official purpose is to improve the accuracy and traceability of the register, make it harder to use fake identities in UK companies, and support anti-fraud and anti-economic-crime measures.
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