Companies House has published further guidance on its new identity verification requirements. From 18th November 2025, directors and people with significant control (PSCs) are legally required to verify their identity. Companies House will be phasing this in over 12 months and is contacting companies with guidance on what to do and when.
Identity verification will help make sure that the people setting up, running and controlling companies are who they say they are. There are two ways to verify your identity:
- directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login; and
- through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
The blog contains guidance on using the ‘Verify your identity for Companies House’ service, sets out suggestions for help with the process, and contains tips to prepare for identity verification.
Companies House has also updated its guidance for Limited Companies, Partnerships and other company types to add details of its approach to non-compliance with mandatory identity verification under the ‘Enforcement’ section of the guidance. For those who do not comply with identity verification requirements, Companies House will take action in line with the following approach and more broadly with its general compliance framework.
The approach to enforcement includes 4 broad categories:
- informing people of their obligations;
- nudging and guiding;
- dealing with non-compliance (including prosecution through court, referral to The Insolvency Service, and financial penalties); and
- addressing fraud and criminal activity.
Companies House has also updated the following web pages:
- Verify your identity for Companies House (adding a reminder that, from 18th November 2025, identity verification becomes a legal requirement. This date is not a deadline. It marks the start of a 12-month transition period, giving your company time to make sure all directors and people with significant control (PSCs) have verified their identity by their due dates.
- Verifying your identity for Companies House (added a link to the ‘Provide identity verification details for a PSC’ service, and added guidance to ‘What happens if you do not verify’).
- When you need to verify your identity for Companies House (added a link to the ‘Provide identity verification details for a PSC’ service).
- Companies House personal codes for identity verification (guidance added to ‘Where to find your personal code’).