Companies House

Companies House identity verification: who, how, and by when

The biggest change to Companies House in a generation is an ID check. It takes fifteen minutes — missing it blocks your filings.

5 min readUpdated 17 July 2026

The short version

Who it covers
Directors and PSCs of every UK company — several million people — under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.
Since when
Mandatory since 18 November 2025 for new directors; existing directors verify by their company's next confirmation statement during the 12-month transition.
How
Free via GOV.UK One Login (photo ID + likeness check), or through an authorised agent (ACSP).
If you don't
Acting unverified after your deadline is a criminal offence, and filings can be blocked.

What changed

Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, Companies House now requires identity verification for company directors and people with significant control. It became mandatory for new directors on 18 November 2025; existing directors verify during the 12-month transition that follows. This is the register's biggest change in decades, and it touches several million people — including single-director companies that have never thought about Companies House beyond the annual paperwork.

When your personal deadline falls

  • New directors: verify before the appointment is registered — it's now part of joining a board at all.
  • Existing directors: your deadline is tied to your company's next confirmation statement date during the transition year. Check when yours is due — that's effectively your ID deadline.
  • PSCs: people with significant control verify in their own window shortly after the regime applies to them.

How to verify (15 minutes, free)

The direct route is GOV.UK One Login: prove who you are with photo ID and a likeness check on your phone, or via knowledge-based checks at a Post Office if you prefer. Alternatively an authorised agent (an ACSP — many accountants and formation agents are registered) can verify you. Either way you end up with a personal verification code that works across every company you're involved with.

Do it before the filing needs it

Verification gates filings. Leave it until the week your confirmation statement is due and a One Login hiccup — wrong phone, expired passport, a failed likeness check — becomes a filing crisis. Fifteen minutes now removes a whole category of future emergency.

If you don't verify

Acting as a director without verifying, once your deadline has passed, is a criminal offence — and Companies House can annotate the public register and refuse filings that require a verified identity. There's no fine-and-forget here; the register simply stops accepting what your company needs to file.

Where WrenTax fits

WrenTax watches your company's confirmation statement date — which is also your verification deadline during the transition — and reminds you before it arrives. Verification itself happens with Companies House directly; no software can (or should) do the ID check for you. General information, not tax advice.

Common questions

Who has to verify, and by when?

All company directors and people with significant control (PSCs). New directors must verify before their appointment is registered. Existing directors verify during the 12-month transition that began on 18 November 2025 — your personal deadline is tied to your company's next confirmation statement date in that window.

How do I actually verify?

Two routes: free yourself through GOV.UK One Login (photo ID plus a likeness check, or knowledge-based checks at the Post Office), or through an authorised agent (an ACSP — typically an accountant or formation agent) who verifies you and files confirmation. Once verified you receive a personal code you'll reuse across companies.

What happens if I don't verify?

Acting as an unverified director once your deadline has passed is a criminal offence, and Companies House can annotate the public register and block filings that require a verified identity. It's a fifteen-minute task — do it well before your confirmation statement is due.

Keep reading

The confirmation statementReadEvery company filing deadlineReadFree HMRC service closed: optionsRead

This guide is general information about UK company filing, not tax or legal advice. Figures and deadlines are current for 2026; always check your own dates against Companies House and HMRC. Register data © Companies House.