05.11.2026, 10:51 (UK time)
News
In less than two weeks, on Wednesday 18 November 2026, it will be one year since identity verification at Companies House became mandatory. Since 18 November 2025, every new director and every person with significant control (PSC) over a company has had to confirm who they are. For people who were already directors, Companies House allowed a 12-month transition period. A director provides their personal code with the company’s next confirmation statement, the annual confirmation of company details.
Verification can be done yourself, free of charge, through GOV.UK One Login (for example with a passport), or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an accountant, solicitor or company formation agent.
What it means
If you run a limited company in the UK – even a one-person company – this applies to you. Anyone without a code should check the date of their company’s next confirmation statement. Without the director’s code, it cannot be filed correctly.
Different rules apply to PSCs, the owners with shares or influence above the threshold. If a PSC is also a director, they have 14 days starting the day after the confirmation statement date. If not, it is the first 14 days of their birth month. Anyone with several companies provides the code separately for each.
Why it is happening
It is part of the company law reform (Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023). For years the Companies House register accepted data without checks. Fraudsters exploited this, setting up companies in other people’s names and addresses or impersonating existing directors. Verification is meant to make the register more reliable for banks, business partners and entrepreneurs themselves.
Risks
- Failing to verify on time is an offence. It can lead to a financial penalty, and the director will not be able to make filings for the company or start a new one.
- Business partners and banks increasingly check the register to see whether directors are verified. A gap can delay payments or opening an account.
- Fraudsters are already sending fake emails and texts “from Companies House” with links to “urgent verification” and a fee. Verifying directly through GOV.UK One Login is free.
- Agents (ACSPs) may charge for their service – that is legal, but always check the firm is on the official list.
What could happen next
Once the transition period ends, Companies House will be able to enforce the requirement more effectively. Further steps are already announced: verification of people who file on behalf of companies will start no earlier than November 2027, with at least six months’ notice. Later it will also cover limited partnerships and corporate directors. There is no exact date yet – watch Companies House announcements.
What to do
- Check on the Companies House website when your company’s next confirmation statement is due.
- If you do not have a code yet, verify through GOV.UK One Login. Have a passport or other photo ID and a phone with a camera ready.
- Keep your personal code somewhere safe. You will need it for every company in which you hold a role.
- If you have an accountant, ask whether they can do it for you as an ACSP and what it costs.
- Do not click links in emails or texts about “verification”. Go to gov.uk yourself.
Contact us
Have a question or need help in Polish? Email [email protected], use the live chat on our website or call 07508 267866 (Mon–Fri 9:00–13:00 and 15:00–18:00, Sat 11:00–14:00).
Sources: GOV.UK – When you need to verify your identity for Companies House; Changes to UK company law – Identity verification; GOV.UK – Companies House confirms identity verification rollout from 18 November 2025; GOV.UK – Companies House personal codes
Photo: No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
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