Once you complete Companies House identity verification, Companies House gives you an 11-character personal code.

This code proves that you have completed the identity verification process. It belongs to you personally, not to your company, your employer or any particular UK business.

If you act as a director or person with significant control, known as a PSC, you will need to use your Companies House personal code to connect your verified identity to your Companies House roles.

The most important point is simple:

You only verify your identity once. You then use the same Companies House personal code for each director or PSC role that you hold.

For example, if you are a director of three UK companies and a PSC of two of them, you do not need five different personal codes. You use the same personal code for each relevant appointment, although you must connect the code separately to each role.

What Is a Companies House Personal Code?

A Companies House personal code is an 11-character code issued after successful identity verification.

Companies House uses the code to connect your verified identity to your position on the UK company register.

The code is:

• personal to you;
• reusable;
• not tied to one company;
• different from your company authentication code;
• different from your Companies House company number; and
• different from any passport, National Insurance, tax or other identification number.

Companies House may ask you to provide your date of birth when you use the personal code. This allows Companies House to check that the verified identity matches the person recorded on the company register.

Is a Companies House Personal Code the Same as a Company Authentication Code?

No.

These are completely different codes.

A Companies House personal code belongs to an individual after identity verification.

A company authentication code belongs to a company and acts more like an online filing password.

Your personal code confirms who you are.

The company authentication code helps confirm that someone has authority to make certain filings for the company.

Do not enter your company authentication code when Companies House asks for your personal identity verification code.

Who Needs a Companies House Personal Code?

You will need a personal code if you are:

• an existing UK company director;
• becoming a UK company director;
• a director of more than one UK company;
• a director of certain overseas companies registered in the UK;
• an existing PSC;
• becoming a PSC;
• both a director and a PSC; or
• applying to become a Companies House Authorised Corporate Service Provider, known as an ACSP or authorised agent.

Companies House may expand identity-verification requirements to other people who file information in the future.

How Do You Get a Companies House Personal Code?

You receive the code after successfully verifying your identity.

There are two main routes:

1. Verify Directly Through GOV.UK One Login

You can complete identity verification directly through the government service where your documents and circumstances allow it.

Depending on your case, GOV.UK One Login may ask you to:

• use the GOV.UK One Login app;
• answer security questions; or
• attend a participating UK Post Office.

Once Companies House successfully links the verification to your account, you can find the personal code in your Companies House account.

2. Verify Through an ACSP

You can also complete Companies House identity verification through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.

ACSPs include regulated professionals such as solicitors, accountants and company service providers that have registered with Companies House.

After the ACSP completes the verification and submits it successfully, Companies House sends your personal code to the individual email address that the ACSP supplied for you.

Where Can I Find My Companies House Personal Code?

The answer depends on how you verified your identity.

If You Verified Through GOV.UK One Login

Sign in to Companies House using the same email address that you used for identity verification.

Then go to:

Manage account → Personal code

Your personal code should appear in your account.

Companies House introduced an additional change on 8 July 2026.

If you completed your GOV.UK One Login identity verification after 8 July 2026, Companies House also sends your personal code to your email address.

If You Verified at a Post Office

If GOV.UK One Login directed you to a participating Post Office, GOV.UK sends you the result of the identity check by email.

The result will usually arrive within one day.

If the check succeeds, sign in to Companies House and open Manage account to view your personal code.

If You Verified Through an ACSP

Companies House sends the personal code to the email address that your ACSP supplied during the verification submission.

This means the ACSP does not create the personal code.

Companies House creates and sends it.

If you cannot find the email, first check:

• your inbox;
• spam or junk folders;
• the email address you supplied to the ACSP; and
• whether the ACSP entered that address correctly.

If you still cannot find the code, contact the ACSP that verified you.

What If the ACSP Used the Wrong Email Address?

Contact the ACSP that completed your identity verification.

Ask them to confirm exactly which email address they provided to Companies House.

If the ACSP entered the wrong email address, Companies House states that the ACSP will need to contact Companies House to resolve the problem.

This is why applicants should check their individual email address carefully before the ACSP submits the verification.

Should I Save My Personal Code to My Companies House Account?

Yes.

Companies House recommends that people who verified through an ACSP save their personal code to a Companies House account.

Doing this means you can retrieve the code again later instead of depending on the original email.

To save your code, you need to:

1. sign in to Companies House or create sign-in details;
2. use the email address to which Companies House sent your personal code;
3. confirm that you have already verified your identity;
4. enter your 11-character personal code; and
5. enter your date of birth.

Once saved, you can sign in and use Manage account to access the code whenever you need it.

How Do Directors Use the Companies House Personal Code?

Directors must connect their verified identities to their director appointments.

Existing Directors

If you were already a director when mandatory identity verification started, you normally provide your personal code through the company’s next confirmation statement.

The mandatory identity-verification regime began on 18 November 2025.

For example, suppose you verified your identity in August 2026 and your company’s next confirmation statement falls due in October 2026.

The company will normally provide your personal code as part of that confirmation statement filing.

Directors of More Than One Company

You do not need to verify your identity again for each company.

Use the same personal code for every director appointment.

However, the code must be connected separately to each company.

If you are a director of five companies, the same personal code can therefore appear in five separate director-role confirmations.

New Directors

If you become a director on or after 18 November 2025, Companies House requires your personal code as part of the director appointment process.

This applies when:

• an existing company appoints you as a director; or
• you become a director during incorporation of a new company.

Companies House will not treat verification for another role as automatically connecting you to the new director appointment. You still need to provide the personal code for that appointment.

Directors of Overseas Companies Registered in the UK

Companies House also applies identity-verification requirements to directors of relevant overseas companies registered in the UK.

The overseas company must confirm that all its directors have verified their identities by the anniversary of the UK establishment’s registration.

How Do PSCs Use the Companies House Personal Code?

People with significant control follow a different process.

A PSC normally has a 14-day period in which to provide the personal code.

The exact dates depend on:

• when the person became a PSC;
• whether they were already a PSC before 18 November 2025; and
• whether they are also a director of the same company.

If You Are Both a Director and PSC of the Same Company

You must connect your personal code twice:

• once to the director role; and
• once to the PSC role.

As a director, you normally provide the personal code through the company’s confirmation statement.

As a PSC, you use the separate Provide identity verification details for a PSC service.

Your PSC 14-day period starts on the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.

Importantly, filing the confirmation statement early does not move the PSC verification period forward. The original confirmation statement date still determines the 14-day window.

If You Are a PSC but Not a Director

If you were already a PSC before 18 November 2025 and you are not also a director of the same company, you normally provide the personal code during the first 14 days of your birth month.

For example, if your birthday is 22 January, your PSC compliance period starts on 1 January and runs for 14 days.

If You Became a PSC After 18 November 2025

You can provide your personal code when Companies House first records you as the PSC.

Alternatively, you can provide it within 14 days after Companies House adds you to the register.

How Do I Check My PSC Deadline?

Companies House now displays the relevant 14-day compliance period on the Companies House register.

Do not assume that your PSC deadline is the same as your director deadline.

Check the company record and the PSC section carefully.

What If a PSC Has Died?

Companies House updated its guidance on 30 July 2026.

You do not need to complete identity verification for a PSC who has died.

The deceased PSC should remain on the Companies House register until the relevant grant of probate or letters of administration have been received.

Can I Use the Same Personal Code as Both Director and PSC?

Yes.

You only receive one personal code.

The code belongs to you as an individual.

However, Companies House treats your different roles separately. You therefore need to use the same code once for your director appointment and again for the PSC role.

For example:

Person: Sarah Smith
Director of: ABC Limited
PSC of: ABC Limited
Director of: XYZ Limited

Sarah verifies her identity once and receives one personal code.

She then uses that same code:

• for her ABC Limited director role;
• separately for her ABC Limited PSC role; and
• for her XYZ Limited director role.

There is no need for three separate identity verifications.

Can I Share My Companies House Personal Code?

Yes, but only where necessary.

Companies House says you should keep the code safe. However, you can share it with a trusted person who files on your behalf.

For example, you may provide the code to:

• your solicitor;
• accountant;
• company secretary;
• authorised company administrator; or
• ACSP handling the filing.

Treat the code as sensitive company-compliance information.

Do not publish it on:

• your website;
• social media;
• public correspondence;
• invoices;
• company marketing material; or
• the public section of your company records.

What If My Companies House Personal Code Does Not Work?

Several problems can prevent the code from connecting to your Companies House record.

The most common reasons are:

• you entered the personal code incorrectly;
• the date of birth on the Companies House register is incorrect;
• the ACSP submitted incorrect identity information;
• you are trying to connect the code to the wrong person;
• your company records contain inconsistent personal details; or
• you are using a superseded personal code.

Companies House checks the personal information linked to the verified identity against the information held on the register.

Check the 11-Character Code Carefully

Start by checking that you entered the code exactly as Companies House issued it.

Avoid:

• adding spaces;
• omitting a character;
• confusing similar letters or numbers; or
• entering the company authentication code instead.

If you copied the code from an email, make sure you did not copy punctuation or spaces around it.

What If My Date of Birth Is Wrong at Companies House?

An incorrect date of birth can prevent Companies House from connecting your verified identity to the company record.

Check the date of birth that Companies House holds for you.

If it is incorrect, you need to correct the Companies House record before providing the identity-verification details successfully.

Companies House directs affected users to WebFiling to check and update the date of birth.

This issue is especially important for overseas directors and PSCs because date discrepancies can arise from:

• an earlier company-formation error;
• day/month reversal;
• incorrect calendar conversion;
• a typo;
• an incorrect year;
• inconsistent historic records; or
• inaccurate information supplied by an intermediary.

Do not repeatedly submit the personal code against an incorrect record. Correct the underlying Companies House information first.

What If the ACSP Submitted My Details Incorrectly?

Contact the ACSP that completed your identity verification.

The ACSP may need to review or correct the identity-verification information it submitted to Companies House.

Possible errors include:

• incorrect date of birth;
• misspelled name;
• wrong email address;
• incomplete former-name information; or
• another incorrect personal detail.

Companies House specifically directs applicants back to the verifying ACSP where an ACSP may have supplied incorrect details.

What If I Never Received My Personal Code From an ACSP?

First, contact the ACSP.

Ask them to confirm:

• whether the verification submission succeeded;
• which email address they supplied;
• when they submitted the verification; and
• whether Companies House returned any error.

If the ACSP supplied the correct email address, check your spam and junk folders.

If the ACSP supplied the wrong address, the ACSP may need to contact Companies House.

How Long Does Companies House Take to Send the Personal Code?

Where an ACSP successfully completes the verification, Companies House sends the code to the individual email address supplied during the submission.

Companies House advises users who have not received the code to contact the ACSP and check which email address the ACSP provided.

Where GOV.UK One Login sends an applicant to a Post Office, the identity-check result usually arrives within one day. After successful verification, the applicant can sign in to Companies House and view the code under Manage account.

Do not leave identity verification until the last day of a director or PSC compliance period. Problems involving email addresses, dates of birth or mismatched records can require correction before the code will work.

What If My Personal Code Has Been Shared or Compromised?

Companies House can replace your personal code.

If you believe someone has obtained the code without your permission, contact Companies House and request a new one.

Companies House will:

• issue a replacement code;
• send the new code by email; and
• cancel the previous code.

Once Companies House cancels the old code, do not use it for future appointments or filings.

Does My Personal Code Expire?

Companies House describes the personal code as the code you continue using whenever you need to confirm that you have verified your identity.

You do not receive a new code every year or every time you become a director of another company.

Companies House can replace the code where it has been compromised. Otherwise, you continue using the same personal code for your relevant roles.

Do I Need to Verify My Identity Again for a New Company?

Normally, no.

Identity verification relates to you as a person.

If you have already completed Companies House identity verification successfully, you use your existing personal code when:

• incorporating another company;
• becoming a director of another company;
• connecting another PSC role; or
• confirming another relevant appointment.

You do not normally repeat the full document and facial verification process every time you join another UK company.

Can My Accountant, Solicitor or Agent Use My Personal Code?

Yes.

Companies House expressly allows you to share the code with someone who files on your behalf.

Your accountant, solicitor, company secretary or other trusted agent may therefore use your personal code for the relevant filing.

The code remains your personal code, even when an agent submits it.

Will People Who File for Companies Need Personal Codes?

Companies House plans to introduce identity-verification requirements for people who file information on behalf of companies at a later stage.

The current guidance says that people may need their personal codes to submit filings in the future.

However, some users will not need to enter the code each time if they have:

• verified through GOV.UK One Login;
• saved their personal code to their Companies House account;
• registered as an ACSP; or
• been added to an ACSP account.

Companies House will introduce these broader filing requirements separately.

How Our Legal Consultant Can Help

Our Legal Consultant and partner solicitor can help directors and PSCs with Companies House identity verification and personal-code issues by:

• reviewing identity documents before verification;
• confirming the correct Companies House verification route;
• arranging remote identity verification by video call where suitable;
• completing the ACSP identity checks;
• submitting the identity-verification information;
• checking the individual email address before submission;
• helping clients understand where Companies House sends the personal code;
• explaining how to save the code to a Companies House account;
• checking whether the code needs to connect to a director role, PSC role or both;
• identifying date-of-birth mismatches;
• reviewing name differences;
• checking director and PSC compliance periods;
• helping clients understand which company appointments still need the code; and
• identifying when the applicant needs to contact Companies House or the verifying ACSP.

Ginkgo Advisory’s Role

Our Legal Consultant and partner solicitor provide the identity-verification service.

Ginkgo Advisory supports the process through:

• preliminary document review;
• client communication;
• document coordination;
• appointment arrangements;
• personal-code guidance; and
• practical case handling.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is My Companies House Personal Code?

It is the 11-character code Companies House gives you after successful identity verification.

The code belongs to you personally rather than to your company.

How Many Characters Does a Companies House Personal Code Have?

Eleven characters.

Where Can I Find My Companies House Personal Code?

If you verified through GOV.UK One Login, sign in to Companies House using the same email address and open Manage account.

If you verified after 8 July 2026, Companies House also sends the code to your email address.

If you verified through an ACSP, Companies House sends the code to the email address supplied by the ACSP.

Why Did I Not Receive My Companies House Personal Code?

If an ACSP verified you, contact the ACSP and check which email address they supplied.

Also check your spam and junk folders.

If the ACSP entered an incorrect email address, they may need to contact Companies House.

Does the ACSP Issue My Personal Code?

No.

The ACSP verifies your identity and submits the required information.

Companies House issues the personal code.

Can I Save My ACSP Personal Code to My Companies House Account?

Yes.

Companies House recommends this.

Use the email address to which Companies House sent the code, confirm that you have already verified your identity, then enter your personal code and date of birth.

Do I Need a Different Personal Code for Every Company?

No.

You use the same personal code for all relevant Companies House appointments.

You must still connect it separately to each company and role.

Do I Need Different Codes as a Director and PSC?

No.

Use the same personal code.

However, you must provide it separately for your director appointment and PSC role.

When Does an Existing Director Provide the Personal Code?

An existing director normally provides it through the company’s next confirmation statement.

When Does a New Director Provide the Code?

A new director provides the personal code when the company files the appointment or during incorporation of a new company.

When Does a PSC Provide the Personal Code?

PSCs have a 14-day compliance period.

The exact dates depend on whether the PSC is also a director and when the person became a PSC.

What If I Am Both Director and PSC?

You must use the same personal code separately for both roles.

Providing it through the confirmation statement for your director role does not automatically satisfy your PSC requirement.

What If I Am a PSC but Not a Director?

An existing PSC who is not also a director of the company normally provides the personal code during the first 14 days of their birth month.

What If I Became a PSC After 18 November 2025?

You can provide the personal code when Companies House first adds you as a PSC or within 14 days after being added.

Does Filing the Confirmation Statement Early Change My PSC Deadline?

No.

If you are both a director and PSC, filing the confirmation statement early does not change the 14-day PSC period. Companies House calculates the period from the company’s confirmation statement date.

Does a Deceased PSC Need Identity Verification?

No.

Companies House states that you do not need to complete identity verification for a PSC who has died.

Why Does My Personal Code Not Work?

Possible reasons include:

• an incorrect personal code;
• an incorrect date of birth at Companies House;
• incorrect information submitted by the ACSP; or
• another mismatch between the verified identity and Companies House record.

What If Companies House Has the Wrong Date of Birth?

Correct the Companies House record before trying to connect the personal code.

Companies House directs users to WebFiling to check and update the date of birth.

What If My ACSP Entered the Wrong Date of Birth?

Contact the ACSP.

They may need to update the verification information supplied to Companies House.

Can I Share My Companies House Personal Code With My Accountant?

Yes.

Companies House allows you to share the code with a trusted person who files on your behalf.

Can I Share It With My Solicitor or Company Secretary?

Yes, where they need it to complete a relevant Companies House filing on your behalf.

Keep the code secure and only share it where necessary.

What If Someone Else Has My Personal Code?

Contact Companies House if you believe the code has been compromised.

Companies House can issue a new code and cancel the old one.

Is My Personal Code the Same as My Authentication Code?

No.

The personal code belongs to you after identity verification.

The authentication code belongs to the company for filing purposes.

Is My Personal Code the Same as My Companies House Company Number?

No.

A company number identifies a registered company.

A personal code identifies your verified personal identity within the Companies House identity-verification system.

Do I Need to Verify Again if I Become Director of Another Company?

Normally, no.

Use the same personal code for the new appointment.

Can I Have More Than One Companies House Personal Code?

You should use the personal code linked to your verified identity.

If Companies House replaces a compromised code, it cancels the previous code and sends you a new one.

Does My Personal Code Appear on the Public Companies House Register?

Companies House treats the code as personal verification information. You should keep it safe rather than publish it.

Can an Overseas Director Get a Companies House Personal Code?

Yes.

Overseas directors and PSCs can complete Companies House identity verification where they can satisfy the applicable verification route.

An ACSP can provide a practical option for people who cannot complete GOV.UK One Login verification.

Can Companies House Identity Verification Be Completed Remotely?

Yes.

An ACSP can complete a suitable identity check remotely where the process satisfies the Companies House identity verification standard.

The applicant must provide the required documents and complete the necessary identity checks.

Need Help With a Companies House Personal Code?

A Companies House personal code becomes an important part of UK company compliance once a director or PSC completes identity verification.

The key points are straightforward:

• the code contains 11 characters;
• the code belongs to the individual;
• you normally verify your identity once;
• you use the same personal code for multiple companies;
• directors connect it to each director appointment;
• PSCs connect it separately to each PSC role;
• an ACSP-verified applicant receives the code from Companies House by email;
• saving the code to a Companies House account makes it easier to retrieve;
• an incorrect date of birth can prevent the code from working; and
• Companies House can replace a compromised code.

Our Legal Consultant and partner solicitor can help with remote Companies House identity verification, ACSP submission, director and PSC personal-code requirements, document review and practical verification issues.