UK Company Directors Must Verify Their Identity from November 2025 | Companies House Update

In just a short time, running a UK company is getting a digital security upgrade.

Companies House, the UK’s registrar of companies is rolling out mandatory digital ID verification for company directors and certain shareholders. Starting 18 November 2025, every company director and Person with Significant Control (PSC) will have to prove their identity before they can act in those roles.

Here’s what you need to know about these new rules, why they’re happening, and how to prepare.

What’s Changing on 18 November 2025?

On this date, Companies House will begin enforcing new digital identity verification procedures. In plain terms, directors and certain major owners must verify who they are. Key points include:

New directors (from 18 Nov 2025 onward): Must verify their identity before they can register a new company or be added as a director of an existing company. gov.uk

Existing directors: Will get a grace period (up to 12 months) to complete verification. You’ll need to confirm you’ve verified your ID when filing your next annual Confirmation Statement during the coming year.

Importantly, a company’s confirmation statement cannot be filed unless all its directors and PSCs are verified in that period.

PSCs (Persons of Significant Control): These are individuals who own or control a significant share of the company. They also must verify their identity within the 12-month transition window starting 18 November 2025.

Specific deadlines will be set for each PSC (for example, tied to their confirmation statement date or birth month), but the bottom line is that all existing PSCs need to be verified by late 2026. New PSCs added after the rule kicks in will have to verify upon registering, similar to new directors. (Note: Similar identity requirements for other roles, like partners in limited partnerships, corporate directors, and others will follow later on, but the initial wave from Nov 2025 focuses on human directors and PSCs.)

Companies House estimates around 6 to 7 million people will be required to verify their identities by late 2026. Fortunately, for most people it’s a simple, one-time task that “can be done in a few minutes”.

Why the New Identity Verification Rules?

These changes are happening to crack down on fraud and improve trust in the UK’s companies register. Historically, there were almost no ID checks when creating companies, which meant anyone could register a company director. (Yes, even obviously fake names and even deceased individuals have made it onto the register in the past.) This loophole has been a boon for pranksters and criminals alike. The new law, part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 aims to put an end to that. This makes sure that the people running companies are who they claim to be.

Verifying directors’ identities will:

• Improve data accuracy: The Companies House register will contain more reliable information about who is behind each company.

• Strengthen fraud protections: It becomes much harder for bad actors to create fake companies or hide behind false names, helping to prevent fraud and money laundering.

• Increase transparency and trust: A more trustworthy register means investors, customers, and partners can have greater confidence that a company is legitimate and accountable.

In short, this move should clean up the “wild west” aspect of company registrations. It will prevent anonymous or fictitious figures from controlling companies, thereby boosting overall confidence in UK businesses.

How to Verify Your Identity

The identity checks are designed to be straightforward and digital for most people. There are two main ways you can verify your ID with Companies House:

GOV.UK One Login (DIY approach): This is the UK government’s new online identity service. It’s a free process and usually takes just a few minutes online. You’ll be guided to confirm your identity by scanning an official photo ID and a live selfie for face matching. This one-time verification creates a verified account for you.

Through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP): These are agents such as accountants, solicitors or company formation firms who are authorised to handle identity verification on your behalf. If you prefer help, you can go to an ACSP and they will check your ID and send a confirmation to Companies House for you.

Whichever method you choose, you generally only need to verify once. After you successfully verify your identity, Companies House issues you a personal verification code as proof.

Going forward, whenever you take on a new company role or file certain forms, you’ll simply provide that code (plus a short statement confirming you’re verified) to show you’ve done the ID check.

What If You Don’t Verify?

Ignoring these new rules is not a viable option. Once the November 18th start date hits, it actually becomes unlawful to act as a director without a verified identity.

Companies House can impose financial penalties, mark your company’s public record to show you’re unverified, reject your filings, and even move to disqualify you as a director if you persistently fail to comply.

In extreme cases, a company could even be struck off the register for failing to comply with the new verification law. The bottom line for every UK company director (and major shareholder) is this: don’t procrastinate. This identity check is now a normal part of doing business. The process is quick, free, and ultimately protective for you and your company’s reputation.

Contact Us today