Identity verification is a new legal requirement under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA). It is the biggest change to Companies House in decades, and it is there for one reason: to put an end to people using fake or stolen identities to set up and run UK companies.

Who do the rules apply to?

If you run, own, or control a UK company, this applies to you:

  • All directors of UK limited companies and LLP members
  • All Persons with Significant Control (PSCs), typically anyone owning more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or otherwise controlling the company
  • New directors and PSCs appointed from 18 November 2025 onwards. You must verify immediately, before or at the point of appointment
  • Existing directors and PSCs appointed before that date. You get a 12-month transition period, with your deadline tied to your company's next confirmation statement date, or your birth month if you're a PSC who isn't also a director
  • Accountants, solicitors, and other filing agents. We need to register with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) to keep filing on your behalf, expected to become mandatory from spring 2026

The net is wide. Almost every active UK company is caught. Exemptions are few.

Who's exempt

  • Company secretaries who aren't also directors
  • Corporate directors, where a company rather than a person holds the directorship. Deferred, not exempt outright
  • Officers of corporate PSCs. Also deferred
  • Limited partnerships as entities. Rules coming later in 2026
  • Ordinary shareholders who don't meet the PSC thresholds
  • Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIOs)
  • Businesses not registered at Companies House, such as sole traders and ordinary (non-LLP) partnerships

Not exempt, even though people assume otherwise

  • Dormant companies. Dormant status only affects accounts filing, not ID verification
  • Overseas directors. There is no exemption based on nationality or residence
  • Small or single-director companies. Size doesn't matter

The timeline

The rules have been active since 18 November 2025. That date opened a 12-month transition window, ending 17 November 2026. Your own deadline sits somewhere inside that window. It isn't the same for everyone.

What clients need to know

  1. You only do this once. Verify free via GOV.UK One Login, or through an ACSP like us, and you get a personal code. That code covers every directorship or PSC role you hold, with no need to repeat it per company.
  2. The clock is already running. 18 November 2025 wasn't a deadline for everyone to act on that day. It started the transition window. Your actual deadline depends on your company's confirmation statement date, or your birth month if you're a non-director PSC. Waiting until the window closes is the riskiest option: you can't file a confirmation statement at all without a verified code.
  3. Small mismatches cause real delays. If your name or date of birth on the Companies House register doesn't match your ID exactly, for example "Robert Smith" on the register versus "Robert James Smith" on your passport, the automated check can fail. Check your Companies House record now, before you try to verify.
  4. Missing your deadline has real consequences. No verification means no confirmation statement filing, no new director's appointments, and a criminal offence with penalties that can include fines and disqualification.

How this affects the services we provide

For clients whose confirmation statement we file, here is what changes:

  • We are registered as an ACSP, so we can verify your identity and keep filing for you once this becomes mandatory
  • We're checking client records against ID documents now, to catch mismatches before they cause a rejected verification
  • We can talk you through which route suits you, free self-verification or verification through us, and flag your specific deadline
  • This is separate from the AML checks we already run under MLR 2017. Same idea, different requirement, different code

We'd rather sort this with clients now than deal with a scramble in October and November 2026, when Companies House volumes are expected to spike.

Next steps

Don't wait for your confirmation statement to land before checking where you stand. Get in touch, and we'll confirm your deadline, check your details for mismatches, and get you started on the fastest route to verification.

Staying ahead of changes like this is part of how we work. We'd rather flag what's coming than react to it. If you'd like that same proactive eye on the rest of your numbers, that's a conversation worth having.

This article reflects Companies House guidance as of July 2026. Requirements continue to evolve under ECCTA, including further identity verification measures for people who file at Companies House (expected no earlier than November 2026) and additional rules for limited partnerships and corporate directors at a later date.