How to Appoint or Remove a Company Director in the UK: AP01, TM01 and Identity Verification

BRITVEX PRACTICAL GUIDE · COMPANIES HOUSE · REVIEWED 29 OCTOBER 2026

Replacing a director is not simply a form-filling exercise. The board or shareholders must have authority for the change, the outgoing director’s appointment must actually have ended, the incoming director must satisfy appointment and identity-verification requirements, and Companies House must be told on time. A director can also be a shareholder or a person with significant control (PSC), but these are separate legal roles and separate reporting tasks.

Quick answer: A private limited company normally reports an individual director’s appointment using AP01, the end of a director’s appointment using TM01, and changes to an existing individual’s name or address using CH01. Most director changes must be notified to Companies House within 14 days. A newly appointed director must have completed mandatory Companies House identity verification, with their personal code supplied as part of the appointment filing. The company must still satisfy its constitution and any legal removal process before making the filing.

AP01, TM01 and CH01: choose the correct form

Companies House provides the current AP01, TM01 and CH01 services. A different form may apply to a corporate director or certain overseas-company arrangements. Online filing is ordinarily faster, but the underlying legal event and authority must be correct.

First confirm who has the power to appoint or remove directors

A UK company has its own constitution, articles and any relevant shareholder agreements. In many typical private companies the articles allow existing directors or members to make certain appointments, but there is no safe universal statement that “any director can appoint anyone” or “one shareholder can remove another person whenever they like.” Check the precise articles, board quorum, conflicts, any required resolutions, share rights and any contractual conditions.

For a voluntary resignation, obtain a dated resignation letter or other defensible record of cessation, and keep board minutes acknowledging the change. For removal against a director’s wishes, section 168 of the Companies Act 2006 provides a statutory route by an ordinary resolution at a meeting with special notice, with rights for the director to be informed and make representations. A routine TM01 filing is the reporting consequence, not a way of bypassing that procedure. Employee/director service contracts can create separate compensation or employment consequences even when corporate office ends.

For a single-director company, appoint and verify a suitable replacement in the correct order where necessary. A private company must have at least one director, and companies must have at least one director who is a natural person. Allowing the only director to leave before a replacement is lawfully in office creates a compliance problem rather than simplifying it.

How to appoint a new company director: step by step

1. Check eligibility. A director generally must be at least 16, must not be disqualified (unless appropriate permission exists), and need not live in the UK. Review competence, conflicts of interest and whether the candidate has agreed to act.
2. Read the articles. Establish whether the board or shareholders can approve the appointment, and identify the appropriate resolution and quorum.
3. Collect consent and accurate details. Prepare the appointee’s full legal name, relevant former names, date of birth, nationality, country of residence, service address and usual residential address, along with the appointment date. Keep the non-public information secure.
4. Complete identity verification. New directors must verify identity with Companies House, either through the applicable direct route or a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), before the appointment filing.
5. Obtain the personal code securely. The code links the verified person to their appointment. It is not a code that the accounting firm invents; Companies House issues it after successful verification.
6. Make a valid appointment. Approve and document the appointment under the company’s articles and relevant corporate procedure.
7. File AP01. Submit the required information and personal code to Companies House within the applicable 14-day notification period, using the authorized filing channel.
8. Complete internal handover. Update governance records, bank mandates, access permissions, payroll/expenses where applicable, and any required PSC information separately.

Important: Do not publish the incoming director’s usual residential address on a website or use it unnecessarily as the public service address. Companies House receives both but normally publishes only the service address and limited date-of-birth information. The business can use an eligible service address consistent with its registered-office and address-services arrangements.

Mandatory identity verification: what directors need to know

The Companies House identity-verification regime began for new director appointments on 18 November 2025. As at this article’s 29 October 2026 review, a new director must verify identity and supply their Companies House personal code with the appointment. Existing directors have transitional requirements tied to their company’s confirmation statement; there is no sensible one-date shortcut that fits every existing director and PSC. The same individual uses a personal code across multiple directorships, but the code must be correctly associated with each relevant company and role.

A PSC may also need identity verification and a separate role-specific code submission. Being a director and PSC at the same company does not mean one submission necessarily covers both. Check Companies House personal-code guidance and when to verify identity rather than relying on a blog’s simple countdown.

Britvex is an approved Companies House Authorised Corporate Service Provider and can conduct prescribed identity checks within its agreed service and eligibility. You can request ACSP identity verification through Britvex’s portal. Verification does not guarantee a company appointment will be accepted; Companies House filing requirements, company authorization and personal-code rules still apply. GOV.UK’s own verification route is also available free of charge for eligible applicants.

How to remove or resign as a director

There are several materially different situations. Resignation is generally initiated by the director in accordance with contract and articles; confirm the effective date and evidence of receipt. Retirement or cessation may arise under the articles or a legal event. Shareholder removal may involve the statutory section 168 process, including a meeting, special notice and the director’s right to make representations. Disqualification raises different legal consequences and should not be treated as an ordinary resignation.

Before submitting TM01, establish exactly when and how the appointment ended. Obtain the resignation notice, meeting minutes, passed resolution, relevant correspondence or applicable legal instrument. If the director disputes removal, insolvency is involved, or ownership is contested, obtain appropriate legal advice; an accountant can help with the Companies House reporting but should not pretend that a filing resolves corporate litigation.

After the event, submit TM01 promptly and within the usual 14-day reporting period. Retrieve the updated public register and check that the cessation date is correct. Where an outgoing director was the only person with bank-authority privileges or essential account access, organize a documented transition. Do not assume that a former director automatically stops owning shares or ceases to be a PSC just because the director appointment has ended.

Worked handover example: a company replaces its only director

Suppose a UK private company has one director, who intends to resign, and its shareholders have selected a replacement based overseas. A sensible sequence is: confirm the incoming candidate is eligible; complete Companies House identity verification; hold the required approval and appointment process; submit AP01 with the personal code; confirm the new director is in office; then document and report the outgoing director’s cessation using TM01. The bank signatory, service address, payroll authority and business systems must be reviewed. The exact order under the company’s articles and effective dates should be checked so the company is not left with no legally appointed natural-person director.

The overseas director’s location is not itself a prohibition on holding office. But residency, control and management, employment and cross-border tax can require separate assessment. For a UK business with overseas owners, our business and company compliance service can coordinate its UK filing requirements with broader accounting support.

What details appear publicly when AP01 is filed?

Companies House publicly displays a director’s name, service address, nationality, occupation where required by the form or register, and month and year of birth. The full birth date and usual residential address are generally supplied privately to Companies House and are not displayed as ordinary public register data. Inappropriate use of a home address as a service or registered address can make it publicly visible. Before filing, ask whether the company has arranged a valid and manageable service address; review the Britvex virtual office and address services where relevant.

Your company’s appointed registered office is not necessarily the director’s place of residence, and a director can serve multiple companies. Keep the service address functioning for legal and official correspondence. If the director later changes their name or relevant address, report the change using CH01 rather than creating a new appointment.

Director versus shareholder versus PSC: avoid a common mistake

A director manages the company’s affairs and has statutory duties. A shareholder owns shares. A PSC is a person meeting relevant control tests, including commonly holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board, or otherwise exercising significant influence or control. A person may hold one, two or all three roles—but changing one role does not automatically change the others.

Relevant PSC changes are reported through their own Companies House process, generally within 14 days of confirmation of the relevant change. Newly registrable PSCs have their own identity-verification timing and code-submission requirements. For complex structures, a company’s shareholder register, beneficial ownership records and public filings should all tell a consistent story.

Is there a 14-day deadline to notify Companies House?

Yes. GOV.UK states that changes involving directors and their personal details generally need to be reported within 14 days. That clock is connected to the legal change, not the time the accounting team gets around to reviewing it and not the next annual confirmation statement. A company may need extra filings for PSCs, registered office or share structure changes at different times; do not assume every company event uses the same deadline.

For example, a director resigns effective 5 November. The company should document the resignation and aim to send TM01 promptly, rather than hold the update until its next confirmation statement months later. Track filing acceptance and the public register change; an email acknowledging receipt is not identical to a confirmed registration.

What if the director’s personal details change?

Use CH01 for an existing individual director’s name or address changes, as applicable. Company name changes, shareholder changes and registered office updates have their own routes. A service address is the public correspondence address; the residential address is generally held privately. If one person uses the company’s registered-office address as their service address and the office later changes, review both records and the mechanism by which the director’s record is shown.

Do not confuse a new director’s appointment with a change of an existing director’s appointment details. Filing AP01 again is not the right way to update an address. Equally, TM01 is not required simply because a director moves overseas or adopts a new surname.

Director appointment examples across four business situations

Family business: A founder appoints an adult child as an additional director. Verify the incoming director’s identity, check the articles and board procedure, file AP01, and document what decision-making authority the new director will have. Their shareholding does not change without a separate lawful transfer or allotment.

Two-founder startup: One director leaves but keeps a 50% equity stake. Submit TM01 after the effective end of the appointment, and separately analyze the shareholder agreement, PSC entries and transfer restrictions. A directorship ending does not erase obligations under an employment or consulting agreement.

Overseas owner: A UK company appoints a director resident in Dubai. UK residency is not required for a director, but identity verification, UK registered-office requirements, governance and potential tax management questions remain relevant. Do not suggest that a UAE address automatically determines the UK company’s tax residence.

Disputed removal: A majority shareholder wishes to remove a director who refuses to resign. Do not file TM01 based only on an informal message. Check the articles and statutory section 168 route, including meeting and special-notice requirements, and obtain legal advice where needed. The filing records a lawfully effected change; it does not itself create that change.

After AP01 or TM01: the 10-point company records checklist

1. Save signed appointment or resignation documents and board/shareholder minutes.
2. Verify that filing acceptance and public-register data match the approved effective date.
3. Review whether director identity codes have been provided for every required role.
4. Reconcile shareholder and PSC information separately from directorship.
5. Update internal statutory and governance documents where required.
6. Change bank mandates, online banking, payment authorization and signing limits.
7. Update accounting software, payroll, expenses, pensions and employee status if relevant.
8. Update the director service address and any related virtual-office instructions.
9. Revoke or grant access to documents, email, Companies House accounts and client systems securely.
10. Update the company’s compliance calendar: accounts, Corporation Tax, confirmation statement and related filings.

Some changes involve a solicitor, company-secretarial support, employment adviser or cross-border specialist. Britvex’s role is to organize the UK filing and accounting work appropriately within the confirmed engagement scope.

The mistakes Britvex sees clients worry about

• Filing TM01 without legal authority. A disputed resignation or contested removal must be addressed under governance and company law, not papered over by Companies House notification.
• Forgetting identity verification before AP01. New-director filings need the verified person’s personal code, with role requirements kept distinct.
• Using the wrong address. A private residence can become public if used as the service address.
• Assuming director removal transfers shares. Shareholding and control are separate legal facts.
• Waiting until the confirmation statement. Director changes normally carry their own 14-day notification period.
• Leaving a company with no director. Check minimum-director and natural-person requirements before arranging a sole-director handover.
• Failing to update banks and authority lists. The public filing is only one part of a secure handover.
• Using a filing receipt as proof of the new public record. Confirm acceptance and the eventual register entry.

How Britvex can support director and company changes

Britvex Advisory provides connected UK company compliance and accounting services. If your business needs to appoint, resign, replace or change details for a director, start with Company Compliance, explore Business Services, or request Companies House identity verification where needed. You can start a company through the Britvex portal or contact our client team about an existing company change.

For a helpful first response, provide the company number, the nature of the proposed change, the proposed effective date, whether the departing director has agreed to leave, and whether any shareholder/PSC change is also planned. Do not send personal verification codes or sensitive identification files by ordinary public contact form text; use an agreed secure process.

Official references and editorial review

• GOV.UK — Company changes that must be reported.
• Companies House — AP01 appointment, TM01 termination, CH01 change of details.
• Companies House — Personal codes and when to verify.
• Companies House — PSC guidance.
• Companies Act 2006 — section 168 director removal.
• GOV.UK — Personal information on Companies House.

This article was reviewed against official sources on 29 October 2026. It is general UK company-compliance information; removal disputes, unusual constitutions and employment issues may need independent legal advice.