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Companies House identity checks: who verifies and when

Reviewed by Lee Jones, Founder · Updated 17 July 2026
The short answer

Since 18 November 2025, every company director has to prove their identity to Companies House. The check is free if you do it yourself through GOV.UK One Login, and the deadline depends on who you are: new directors verify when the company is registered, and existing directors verify by the time their company's next confirmation statement is due.

Official source. This guide is a plain-English summary of official GOV.UK guidance, not advice. The authoritative source is Verifying your identity for Companies House on gov.uk. Always rely on that over our summary.

What is this new identity check?

Companies House used to take your word for it that you were who you said you were. Under new company law, directors and the people who own or control companies now have to prove their identity with real ID. When you pass the check, Companies House gives you a personal code. That code is yours, not the company's, and you use it to tell Companies House "this verified person is me" when it is asked for.

One thing it is not: it is not your company's authentication code, the six-character code you use to file things online. That is a different code doing a different job. Our guide to the Companies House authentication code covers that one.

Who has to verify, and by when?

The rule became law on 18 November 2025, and Companies House is rolling it out over the 12 months that follow rather than making everyone verify on day one. Your deadline depends on your role:

  • New directors. You verify up front. A new company cannot be registered, and you cannot be appointed as a director, until the identity check is done and your personal code goes in with the paperwork.
  • Existing directors. You verify on a rolling basis, tied to your company's confirmation statement (the once-a-year check-up filing). You give your personal code as part of the company's next confirmation statement. So your personal deadline is whenever that statement next falls due.
  • People with significant control (PSCs). These are the people who own or control the company, and most small company directors are their own PSC. New PSCs verify when they are added to the register or within 14 days of being added. If you were already a PSC and are also a director of the same company, you provide your code separately within the 14 days starting the day after your company's confirmation statement date. A PSC who is not a director gets the first 14 days of their birth month.

Members of LLPs are covered too, and more groups will follow, including people who file on behalf of companies from no earlier than November 2026. Dormant companies are not excused: a dormant company still has a director, and that director still verifies.

How do I actually do it?

There are two routes, and for most directors the free one is the obvious choice:

  1. Verify yourself through GOV.UK One Login. This is free. You prove who you are with ID, using the app, by answering security questions, or in person at a Post Office.
  2. Get your personal code. Once you have passed, Companies House gives you your personal code. Keep it safe, like you would a password.
  3. Hand the code over at the right moment. For an existing director that means giving it as part of your company's next confirmation statement. PSCs give theirs through a separate Companies House service within their 14 day window.

The other route is to have an authorised agent verify you instead: firms such as accountants, solicitors and company formation agents that are registered with Companies House. They can charge a fee and will ask for documents from an approved list. If you already have an accountant they may offer this; if not, the free GOV.UK route does the same job.

What happens if I do not verify?

Companies House is blunt about this. Miss your deadline and you may be committing an offence, which can mean prosecution and a fine through the courts, or a financial penalty. On the practical side, an unverified person cannot be appointed as a director, cannot register a new company, and an unverified director cannot file the company's confirmation statement, which quickly puts the company itself behind. Companies House also warns that people who do not comply can be blocked from making filings for their company, and carrying on as a director past your deadline without verifying is itself an offence. This is not a nag letter you can ignore.

Where do we fit in?

Honestly: nowhere in the identity check itself. Verification is strictly between you and Companies House, and no software can do it for you, ours included. What we do is the other end of your company's paperwork: your annual accounts and your Company Tax Return, filed to Companies House and HMRC for £99 covering both, free to start. Whether you verified yesterday or a year ago makes no difference to how that filing works, as long as you are compliant and stay that way. If you are still untangling which body wants what, our guide to Companies House vs HMRC draws the map, and if your company is not trading, dormant company filing explains the lighter routine.

Common questions

Do I have to verify my identity with Companies House?

Yes. Since 18 November 2025, directors and the people who own or control companies have to prove their identity with real ID. When you pass the check, Companies House gives you a personal code that is yours, not the company's.

When is my deadline as an existing director?

You give your personal code as part of your company's next confirmation statement, so your personal deadline is whenever that statement next falls due.

Is the identity check free?

Yes, if you verify yourself through GOV.UK One Login: you prove who you are with ID, using the app, by answering security questions, or in person at a Post Office. An authorised agent such as an accountant can verify you instead, and they can charge a fee.

Is this the same as the company authentication code?

No. The six-character authentication code is the company's code for filing things online. The personal code from identity verification is yours and proves who you are. They are different codes doing different jobs.

What happens if I do not verify?

You may be committing an offence, which can mean prosecution and a fine through the courts, or a financial penalty. An unverified person cannot be appointed as a director, cannot register a new company, and an unverified director cannot file the company's confirmation statement.

The filings are ours, the ID check is yours

Verification is strictly between you and Companies House, and no software can do it for you, ours included. What we do is the other end of your company's paperwork: your annual accounts and your Company Tax Return, filed to Companies House and HMRC for £99 covering both, free to start.

Start your return

The identity check stays your job, ten free minutes on GOV.UK; the accounts and tax return can be ours.

General guidance, not advice. This guide explains how the rules generally work for small UK limited companies. It isn't tax advice for your specific situation, if you're unsure, check with us or an accountant.