As part of the changes to Companies House brought in through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCT), anyone filing statutory documents to Companies House (‘presenters’) will also be required to have their identity verified or be registered as an Authorised Corporate Services Provider (ACSP).

Companies House originally planned this requirement to come in by Spring 2026, but has now announced that the requirement has been postponed until November 2026.

Companies House has said that this postponement will give the organisation more time to complete the identity verification (IDV) period for directors and persons of significant control (PSCs) – any new directors and PSCs have had to verify their identities since November 2025. It will also use the time to address stakeholder feedback.

Firms can register to become an ACSP at any time. Once the presenter requirements come into effect in November 2026, firms will not be able to file on behalf of clients if they are not an ACSP. Some firms have already registered as ACSPs for the purposes of IDV checks.

In a statement from its Stakeholder Engagement Team, Companies House said: “We're keen to strike the right balance between enhancing the transparency and accuracy of the register and ensuring that any additional requirements do not place undue burdens on businesses. 

“We’ll continue to listen and work closely with customers and stakeholders to make sure this measure is implemented as smoothly as possible. As part of this, we’ll consider if any exemptions or amendments should be made to the legislation to address stakeholder feedback. ”

Timeline for changes in 2026

According to the ECCT Act transition plan, there now won’t be any major new requirements for agents until November 2026, when the ACSP rules come into effect. From then, Companies House will be able to:

• make identity verification of the presenters a compulsory part of filing any document, and
• require third-party agents filing on behalf of companies to be registered as an ACSP.

By the end of 2026, Companies House will also introduce the following requirements:

• All limited partnerships to submit more information, providing greater transparency for users of the register.
• All individuals on the register to go through identity verification, with compliance activity against those who have failed to verify their identity.
• Greater cross-checking of information and data between Companies House and other public and private sector bodies.
• Documents delivered by disqualified directors to be rejected, as they will be prohibited from doing so, unless they are delivered by an ACSP for specified filings permitted by law.

Get ahead of the deadline

Firms can verify or register as an ACSP before the November deadline. Firms can apply online through gov.uk and can find ICAEW guidance on the process on the page 'authorised corporate service providers and ID verification'.

Those registering a business as an authorised agent must hold a director, general partner or partner role, or be a governing member of a corporate body.

Once the business is registered, other people can be added to the agent account. Registering individuals will need to verify their identity.