Verify your identity for Companies House

Who has to verify their identity for Companies House?

Every director, every person with significant control (PSC), and any agent who verifies on someone else's behalf. That includes a director of an overseas company registered in the UK, and anyone acting as the equivalent of a director, such as an LLP member or a general partner. Companies House plans to extend the requirement later to other roles, including people who file at Companies House and corporate directors (GOV.UK: verifying your identity for Companies House). In most cases you only verify once, however many companies you're involved with.

When do you need to verify, and was 18 November 2025 a deadline?

No — 18 November 2025 started a 12-month transition period, not a single cut-off date. Your own timing depends on your role:

• Directors of an existing company: give your personal code on the company's next confirmation statement. A confirmation statement can't be filed until every director is verified.
• New directors: give your personal code as part of the appointment filing, or when the company is incorporated.
• PSCs: you get a 14-day window to provide your code, and the dates depend on your own situation — check them on the company's page of the Companies House register.

Read Companies House's own breakdown of when you need to verify for the exact dates that apply to you.

How do you verify through GOV.UK One Login?

Answer a few questions on GOV.UK, then prove who you are with photo ID or another route it offers you. Before you start, have ready:

1. A biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence, or a UK biometric residence permit, residence card or Frontier Worker permit.
2. Your current address and the year you moved in, and a GOV.UK One Login (or the details to create one).
3. Depending on your answers, you're then guided to verify with the GOV.UK One Login app, by answering security questions online, or by entering your ID details online first and finishing at a participating Post Office.

If you don't have any of that photo ID, GOV.UK One Login can also check your identity from your bank or building society details plus your National Insurance number. Start at verify your identity for Companies House.

Can someone verify on your behalf?

Yes — through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), also called a Companies House authorised agent. This is usually an accountant or solicitor. They must be registered with Companies House as an ACSP and supervised by a UK anti-money-laundering body, and they may charge a fee for the service. If you already use an accountant or solicitor, ask whether they're a registered ACSP, or find one on the list of Authorised Corporate Service Providers.

What does a Companies House personal code look like, and where do you find it?

An 11-character code of letters and numbers, given to you once you've verified. The code belongs to you personally, not to any company. If you verified with GOV.UK One Login, sign in to Companies House and go to "Manage account" to view it (verifications after 8 July 2026 are also emailed to you). If an ACSP verified you, they'll have sent it to the email address they gave Companies House for you (GOV.UK: Companies House personal codes). Keep it as safe as you would your Corporation Tax UTR — anyone who has it can use it to connect a filing to your verified identity.

How does Taxley use your personal code?

Only to check that what you've typed has the right shape — 11 letters and numbers. When Taxley's confirmation statement service is live, a director's personal code goes into a field that's checked against that pattern before the filing is sent. Taxley cannot tell you whether Companies House will actually accept the code: that check happens at Companies House, when the filing arrives, using their own records of who verified and when. If Companies House rejects a filing over a personal code, the fix is between you and Companies House, not something Taxley's format check can catch in advance.

• verify anyone's identity — Taxley is software, not an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, and needs no anti-money-laundering supervision to say so;
• generate, guess or look up a personal code for you;
• confirm a personal code is accepted by Companies House — only Companies House's own systems can do that;
• replace GOV.UK's free route or an ACSP's paid one — Taxley simply reads the code once you have it.

Frequently asked questions

Is verifying your identity for Companies House free?

Yes, using the 'Verify your identity for Companies House' service, which runs on GOV.UK One Login. Asking an accountant, solicitor or other Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) to verify you instead is optional, and they may charge a fee for that service.

Do I have to verify again for every company I'm a director of?

No. You verify your identity once, and the same personal code confirms you're verified for every company where you're a director or PSC. You still give the code separately on each company's own filing.

Was 18 November 2025 a deadline?

No. That date started a 12-month transition period, not a single cut-off. Your own deadline depends on your role: your company's next confirmation statement if you're a director, or a 14-day window tied to your situation if you're a PSC.

Can Taxley verify my identity for me?

No. Taxley is software, not an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, and doesn't check identity documents. Verify free through GOV.UK One Login, or pay an AML-supervised ACSP such as your accountant.

What happens if a director doesn't verify in time?

Companies House says a company can't file its confirmation statement unless all its directors are verified, and acting as a director without complying may be an offence. Verify in good time before the statement is due.