New directors and persons with significant control (PSCs), and members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are now required to verify their ID with Companies House. Existing directors have until November 2026 in which to complete the verification. 

What ID is viable?

Companies House is strongly encouraging directors, PSCs and LLP partners to use one of the following forms of identification to verify themselves through Companies House or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).

• A biometric passport from any country
• UK photo driving licence (full or provisional)
• UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
• UK biometric residence card (BRC)
• UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)

Along with this, they will need their current address, the year they moved in and a gov.uk One Login account. If you have any of the above identification documents, you should be able to verify your identity directly with Companies House. However, directors with older passports or driver’s licences may need assistance from an ACSP – or will at least need to provide more supplementary information.

Verifying through One Login

Each director, PSC or partner will need a One Login account associated with their email addresses. You can create a One Login account here. You will be asked to enter your email address and will be sent a six-digit security code. Once you’ve entered the code, you can set a password for your One Login account.

You can verify your identity through One Login in three ways.

1. The gov.uk One Login app

This is the fastest way to complete the verification service, but it requires a smartphone running either iOS 15 or higher on Apple devices, or Android 10 or higher on other phones. This is not to be confused with the gov.uk app, which also uses One Login. Your iPhone needs to be at least a 6s if you’re verifying using a UK driving licence, or 7 for any other permitted form of ID. You should start the verification process on your desktop. Select the kind of phone that you want to use for verification, and it will invite you to download the app, through which you can follow the instructions on how to verify.

2. The gov.uk website

This will require you to answer a few more questions about details such as your bank accounts, credit cards, loans, mortgages and phone contracts. You’ll need a current account with a UK bank or building society, along with your UK passport or driving licence to use this method.

3. Post Office verification

Alternatively, you can use a Post Office branch that offers in-branch verification. You will need to enter details from your photo ID on the gov.uk website first before going to the branch, where they will scan your ID and take a photo of you. You’ll be emailed the result of your identity check within about a day. This option is available for people with UK and non-UK passports, along with UK and EU photocard driving licences, or a national identity photocard from an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

Upon completion of the verification process, you will be given a Companies House personal code, which you need for some company filings, such as the confirmation statement, or any time you are appointed as a director, PSC or partner of an LLP. If you use an accounting firm to prepare and file your company accounts, you will need to share the code with them.

The ACSP ID verification process

If you decide to verify with an ACSP you will follow a rigid process to verify your identity. They will need:

• your full name and any former names;
• date of birth;
• home address;
• 12-month address history; and
• your email address.

If you have biometric or machine-readable identification documents, the ACSP can use ID document validation technology (IDVT) to validate their cryptographic features. If this isn’t available, the ACSP can check manually. For the latter case, the ACSP can either review two photographic ID documents, or one photographic and one non-photographic one, such as a birth or marriage certificate. Find more information on gov.uk.

Your documents will undergo check by a trained individual to determine if they are genuine, and you are the person you say you are. The ACSP will keep a copy of all ID documents and checks for seven years. You may be asked to provide additional evidence, such as bank statements, council tax bills or insurance documents that include your home address. 

What happens if you miss the verification deadline?

If you have not had your identity verified by the end of the transition period, you will not be able to operate as a Director or PSC, or file with Companies House, until your details have been verified. If you continue to operate as such while being unverified, you will have committed an offence and may be subject to fines and penalties.