Companies House identity verification is now part of the basic compliance framework for UK companies. From 18 November 2025, identity verification became a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control, with existing companies moving through a 12-month transition period.
The transition point is important. November 2025 was not a single deadline requiring every existing director and PSC to complete verification on the same day. Companies House guidance instead ties compliance to the relevant filing and appointment timetable.
Who needs to verify
The reforms are aimed at people setting up, running, owning or controlling UK companies. Directors and PSCs are central to the regime, while authorised agents also operate under a separate registration and supervision framework.
New appointments and incorporations are increasingly built around verification at the point the person enters the register. Existing office holders need to understand their own due date rather than assuming their company secretary or accountant has automatically completed the process for them.
How verification works
Individuals can verify directly using GOV.UK One Login if they have an accepted form of identity evidence, including qualifying passports and UK photo driving licences. Another route is verification through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider where the provider offers the service and completes the required checks.
After verification, Companies House uses a personal code to connect the verified identity with company roles and filings. Businesses should treat that code as part of their corporate administration process rather than as a one-off login credential to be forgotten.
What companies should put in place
Boards should maintain a simple register of directors and PSCs, whether they have verified, the route used and any filing date that triggers the next compliance step. That is particularly useful for groups with multiple entities or directors serving across several companies.
The broader policy goal is to make the corporate register harder to misuse and to improve confidence in who is behind UK companies. For legitimate businesses, the main risk is less about the policy itself than missing an administrative deadline because responsibility was unclear.