Companies House identity verification is already affecting UK companies, and the question we are hearing most from directors and business owners is a straightforward one: do I need to do this, and if so, when? The answer to the first part is almost certainly yes. The answer to the second part is less simple, because the deadline depends on the person's role and circumstances rather than a single date that applies to everyone.

The requirement covers individual directors and individual persons with significant control regardless of whether the company is active, dormant, non-trading, family-owned or newly incorporated. Existing officeholders are being brought into compliance through a transition period that began on 18 November 2025. What follows covers who is affected, what the correct deadline is for each role, how the verification process works, and what is at stake if a deadline is missed.

Every individual director must verify, including directors who hold no shares and have no involvement in day-to-day filing. If your company has three directors, all three need their own verified identity and personal code. The obligation arises from the fact that they are registered as directors, not from their level of ownership or operational involvement.

Every individual registered as a person with significant control must also comply. Before dealing with verification, it is worth checking that your PSC register still reflects the company's real ownership and control. If it is out of date, the relevant changes may need to be reported before the verification requirement can be completed correctly.

The picture is different for company secretaries and people who only file documents on behalf of the company. As of August 2026, the mandatory stage focuses on individual directors and PSCs. Someone whose sole function is submitting documents to Companies House is not yet required to verify, though Companies House plans to extend the requirement to filers at a later stage, no earlier than November 2026.

Corporate directors and corporate PSCs follow a separate timetable that has not yet come into force. Where your structure includes a corporate appointment or a corporate PSC, those future requirements are distinct from the rules already applying to individuals. Companies House provides separate guidance on when directors and PSCs need to verify their identities.

There is no single identity verification deadline. The relevant date depends on the person's role, when that role began, and for an existing director, the timing of the company's next confirmation statement. Assuming everyone can wait until 18 November 2026 is a common and avoidable mistake — your company's relevant date may arrive considerably earlier.

Each existing director must provide their personal code through the company's next confirmation statement filed during the transition period. If someone holds directorships in several companies, their identity is normally verified once, but the personal code must still be linked to each appointment separately through each company's confirmation statement.

A person who is both a director and a PSC of the same company verifies their identity once but must provide the personal code separately for each role. The director code goes through the confirmation statement. The PSC code is submitted separately through the PSC service during a 14-day compliance period that begins the day after the confirmation statement date shown on the register. Filing the statement early does not move that window.

An existing PSC who is not also a director must provide their personal code during the first 14 days of their birth month. Companies House displays the relevant compliance dates on the public register, so individuals should check those dates directly rather than rely on a general calendar reminder.

New directors must verify before they are appointed. Their personal code must be included in the appointment filing or incorporation application. New PSCs added after 18 November 2025 can provide their code when first added to the register or within 14 days of being added.

You can verify your identity directly through GOV.UK One Login or through a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Once the checks are complete, Companies House issues an 11-character personal code that connects your verified identity to the relevant company roles. The code belongs to the individual, not to any one company, and can be reused across multiple director and PSC roles — though it must be submitted separately for each.

Depending on the documents and information available, direct verification through GOV.UK One Login may involve using the GOV.UK One Login app, answering online security questions, or visiting a participating Post Office. A Post Office check must be started online first; the process cannot be initiated by walking into a branch.

Documents that may be required include a biometric passport, a UK photocard driving licence, a UK biometric residence permit, a biometric residence card, or a Frontier Worker permit, depending on the route offered and the validity of the document. Overseas directors are subject to the same requirements and may find that using an ACSP is the more practical route where standard GOV.UK One Login verification is not straightforward.

Direct verification through GOV.UK One Login carries no charge. An ACSP may charge for completing identity checks and coordinating the connected company filings. Companies House explains how identity verification works for directors and PSCs, including how personal codes are issued and used.

Each director must control their own verification. Another person can provide limited practical help — assisting with a device or scanning a document — but the director must manage their own account, provide their own information, complete any required face scan, and answer their own security questions. A trusted adviser can then use the personal code to file on the director's behalf.

Missing an identity verification deadline can block a statutory filing and expose both the individual and the company to enforcement. Companies House will not accept a confirmation statement until all current directors have verified their identities and the required personal codes have been supplied. One outstanding director can delay the entire company's filing, even if every other aspect of the statement is complete and correct.

A director who continues to act after their applicable deadline without completing identity verification is committing an offence. The company and its other directors may also be committing offences if the position is not corrected. Companies House can apply financial penalties, pursue prosecution, annotate the register, bring civil action, or seek director disqualification.

The practical costs go beyond enforcement. Non-compliance can mean urgent professional fees, rejected filing work, and management time spent correcting records under pressure. An overdue or inaccurate Companies House record can also raise questions during lending applications, investment discussions, tender processes, or due diligence. This will not happen in every case, but accurate public records tend to matter when third parties are forming a view of a company.

Identity verification does not replace the separate legal rules covering director eligibility, age, bankruptcy restrictions, disqualification, statutory duties, or conduct. It confirms that a person is who they claim to be. The other rules remain unchanged.

Identity verification should be treated as part of your wider confirmation statement review, not as a separate one-off task. The purpose of the statement is to confirm that the information held by Companies House is accurate. That means checking both the company's records and the verification status of everyone involved before you file.

You should review directors, PSCs, registered office address, registered email address, shareholders, and Standard Industrial Classification codes. Changes to directors, secretaries, PSCs, the registered office, or the registered email address generally need to be reported separately before the confirmation statement is submitted.

Before using a personal code, compare each person's name, date of birth, and appointment details with the information held by Companies House. An incorrect date of birth, a wrongly entered code, or inaccurate details supplied during the original verification process can prevent the code from connecting properly to the person's company record.

Where one person holds roles across several companies, a company-by-company schedule covering every directorship, PSC role, confirmation statement date, and verification status is the most reliable way to stay on top of it. Verifying the person once does not automatically complete every appointment — the code still needs to be submitted separately for each relevant company and role.

Responsibility for tracking these dates should be assigned clearly to a director, company secretary, or professional adviser. Identity verification dates sit alongside annual accounts, Corporation Tax, confirmation statements, and other statutory filing deadlines — they belong in the same calendar, not a separate process.

OD Accountants is an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Our confirmation statement filing service brings together the register review, identity verification requirements, and confirmation statement submission. Where several year-end obligations are approaching together, the year-end accounts service can coordinate statutory accounts, Corporation Tax, and related Companies House filings at the same time.