Companies House identity verification — handled with professional care.
Directors, people with significant control (PSCs) and certain other company officers must meet Companies House identity verification requirements. As an approved Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), Britvex can carry out the required checks, report successful verification and help you understand how the resulting personal code fits your company obligations.
Verification is about the individual. Company compliance is the next connection.
Companies House introduced mandatory identity verification from 18 November 2025 under the changes associated with the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. The requirement is intended to strengthen trust in information about the people who establish, own and direct UK companies. Your due date depends on your role and when you joined the company—not on a single blanket deadline for everyone.
Prove who is behind the appointment
Directors must verify their identity and provide a personal code when the relevant Companies House filing requires it. An existing director generally supplies it with the company’s next confirmation statement.
Verify the individual who has control
PSCs must meet a separate verification and code-submission requirement. Their 14-day submission window depends on whether they are also a director and when they became a PSC.
Include verified directors in formation
For a new company, the required personal code for each proposed director is provided as part of the incorporation application. Shareholder or PSC reporting follows the applicable rules.
Verification is not restricted to UK residents
People living outside the UK can use an ACSP. The same Companies House standard applies, with approved documents, suitable remote checks and additional evidence where needed.
Verification itself is not a company-formation service, a confirmation statement, a bank-account approval or an HMRC tax-agent authorisation. Those are distinct processes. If you also need filings or company changes, Britvex can discuss the relevant service scope separately through company formation, confirmation statements and company compliance.
One person may need to connect the same identity to more than one role.
You usually need to verify your identity only once. The resulting personal code is personal to you, rather than to an individual company. But you may still have to provide it separately for each relevant company appointment and PSC role.
Director of an existing company
Check the company’s next confirmation statement date. Each existing director will need their personal code for that filing.
Director and PSC of the same company
The director’s code goes in the confirmation statement; the PSC role requires a separate code submission within the applicable 14-day period.
PSC who is not a director
For an existing PSC in this category, the period is normally the first 14 days of their birth month. New PSCs follow the appointment-related rule.
A six-stage identity verification process. No assumed approvals.
Each verification must be supported by sufficient evidence. Our workflow begins by identifying the person and suitable documents; it ends only when we are satisfied that the Companies House identity verification standard has been met.
Tell us who needs verifying.
Submit the enquiry for one or more people, identify the company where available and tell us whether there are time-sensitive filings. We confirm the scope and fee before starting paid work.
Provide your details and documents.
Following our instructions, supply full and former names, date of birth, residential and recent address history, an accessible email and the qualifying identification evidence through a secure channel.
Check the evidence is genuine.
Britvex evaluates the documents under the applicable verification route. For person-led document checking, this includes the prescribed document combinations and checks for signs of alteration or inconsistency.
Confirm the documents belong to you.
We compare identity details and the person to their photograph, using an appropriate remote video interaction or in-person assessment where necessary. Further evidence may be needed.
Determine whether the standard is met.
We document the checks, resolve discrepancies where possible and decide whether verification can be confirmed. We cannot guarantee success where evidence is insufficient.
Report a successful check.
When the standard is satisfied, Britvex reports the verification to Companies House. Companies House then sends the individual their personal code to use for each required role or filing.
The manual checking route normally needs two qualifying documents.
Under the Companies House Option 2 standard for documents checked by a person, the applicant must provide two documents in an approved combination. It is not enough to assume that sending one ordinary passport photograph completes a compliant check.
Examples include certain passports, approved photocard driving licences and other prescribed photographic ID. Whether a particular document qualifies depends on the issuing authority and current official list.
Examples include certain bank statements, utility bills, council tax statements or other permitted non-photographic records. Some must evidence your current residential address.
For person-led Option 2 checks, provide either two Group A photographic documents, or one Group A and one Group B document. We will specify the appropriate set.
If you live outside the UK, at least one document must be government-issued. We may need supporting documentation for changed names or address history.
Information Britvex may request
- Full name and former names, where relevant
- Date of birth and current home address
- Addresses covering the previous 12 months
- Contact email that you can access directly
- Qualifying documents and a clear identity match
- Further explanation or evidence where inconsistencies arise
Some limited expired-document exceptions apply under the official rules; cancelled or replaced documents are not acceptable. Do not email passport scans or other sensitive identity records to a general mailbox unless Britvex has expressly instructed you to use an approved secure method.
Your personal code comes from Companies House—not from an agent inventing one.
When Britvex submits a successful verification outcome, Companies House sends an 11-character personal code to the email address recorded for the individual. This code is not your company’s authentication code, and it does not replace your Companies House sign-in or your HMRC credentials.
You generally verify once and reuse the same personal code as required for different director appointments and PSC roles.
For an existing director, the code is normally supplied with the company’s next confirmation statement. A new director needs it as part of the appointment or incorporation filing.
PSCs use the separate Companies House PSC verification service and must supply their code within the relevant 14-day period.
Store your code safely and disclose it only when necessary for legitimate Companies House filings or an authorised service.
Do not confuse the transition period with your own due date.
Identity verification became mandatory from 18 November 2025, with a transition period for existing appointments. For many individuals, their personal role-specific deadline occurs before the end of that period. Always check current Companies House records and guidance.
Next confirmation statement
Check the confirmation statement date for each company you direct. Your personal code is required for the relevant filing.
Before appointment or incorporation
Verification and the applicable personal code are required as part of the new appointment or company incorporation process.
Separate PSC 14-day window
After the company’s confirmation statement date, the separate PSC requirement usually runs for 14 days starting the following day, even if a statement is filed early.
Typically the first 14 days of birth month
For an existing PSC not also directing that company, the submission period is generally the first 14 days of their birth month; new PSCs follow the new-registration rule.
Use the free government route or appoint an ACSP.
Companies House permits individuals to verify themselves using GOV.UK One Login, subject to eligibility and the available identification methods. An ACSP is an alternative for people who prefer professional assistance, face document obstacles or need coordinated support with company filing requirements.
GOV.UK One Login
Government identity verification is free. If you can use the government’s supported documents and verification steps, this may be the most direct route.
Britvex is not involved in the government’s own identity check and does not charge for it.
Britvex ACSP verification
For an agreed fee, Britvex collects the prescribed evidence, completes the required checks and reports a successful verification decision to Companies House.
We confirm the service scope and total before proceeding. Approval is conditional on meeting the statutory standard.
Identity verification is often the start of a wider company-compliance journey.
Some clients need only verification. Others need help with incorporation, a confirmation statement, a change of directors or continued company accounts. Each engagement is scoped separately to avoid confusing what has been verified with what has been filed.
Your personal information needs careful handling.
Identity checking involves sensitive documents and personal details. As an ACSP, Britvex must apply Companies House’s verification standard, keep evidence of the checks—including unsuccessful attempts—for seven years from the completed checks and be able to explain the basis of a verification decision.
Customer due diligence for anti-money laundering and identity verification for Companies House are related but not interchangeable obligations. One does not automatically fulfil the other. We explain when additional checks and consents are needed and handle information under our published privacy arrangements.
Questions before you verify your identity.
These answers reflect the Companies House rules reviewed in October 2026. Always check the individual’s actual Companies House deadline and the current requirements.
Is Companies House identity verification mandatory?
Yes, for the roles covered by the mandatory regime, including company directors and people with significant control (PSCs). Requirements began on 18 November 2025, with different deadlines depending on the person’s role and appointment date.
Is Britvex an authorised Companies House identity verification provider?
Yes. BRITVEX ADVISORY LTD is an approved Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), supervised by HMRC for anti-money laundering. An ACSP may carry out checks to the prescribed Companies House identity verification standard and report successful outcomes.
Can I verify myself without paying Britvex?
Yes. The GOV.UK One Login identity-verification route is free if you can complete its supported process. Britvex provides an optional professional ACSP service for an agreed fee.
What documents will Britvex need?
For manual document checks under Companies House Option 2, you normally need two eligible documents: either two Group A photographic identity documents, or one Group A and one Group B document. We confirm the acceptable documents for your circumstances before you send them.
Can someone outside the UK be verified?
Yes. An ACSP can verify someone living overseas, subject to the official evidence and identity-matching requirements. Under the manual Option 2 route, at least one qualifying document must be government-issued for a person who does not live in the UK.
Will I receive my personal code from Britvex?
No. After an ACSP successfully reports the identity check, Companies House sends the personal code to the individual’s email address. Britvex performs the checks and reports the result; Companies House issues the code.
How many times do I need to verify if I own several companies?
A person generally verifies once and receives one personal code. The same code is then provided separately for each required directorship, PSC role or Companies House filing. You do not receive a separate personal code for each company.
Does an existing director use the personal code on the confirmation statement?
Yes. Existing directors generally provide their personal code as part of each company’s next confirmation statement. Companies House may reject the statement if its directors have not met the verification requirement.
Do PSCs use the same process as directors?
No. PSCs must also verify, but providing the code for the PSC role is a separate step. For a person who is both director and PSC of the same company, the PSC submission generally falls in a 14-day window starting the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.
What happens if my identity documents cannot be verified?
Britvex cannot confirm a successful verification without sufficient evidence. We may ask for an alternative approved document or further checks. If the standard is not met, the verification cannot be reported as successful, and relevant record-retention rules still apply.
Does the Companies House personal code replace the company authentication code?
No. The 11-character personal code identifies a verified individual. The company authentication code is separate and relates to company filing access. Neither is an HMRC Government Gateway password.
Can I order identity verification without becoming a full accountancy client?
Yes. Britvex can assess a standalone identity verification request. Company formation, filings, accounting and other professional services are separately scoped if required.
How much does identity verification cost, and when will I pay?
Britvex confirms the applicable service fee and total before paid work begins. The online enquiry form does not itself charge you. Government self-verification through GOV.UK One Login is free.
Can Britvex guarantee the code before my deadline?
No. Timing depends on receiving adequate evidence, completion of the required checks, whether discrepancies need investigation and Companies House processing. Contact us early and check your legal deadline; sending an enquiry does not extend it.
Ready to verify your identity for Companies House?
Tell Britvex how many people need verification, whether they are directors or PSCs and any impending company filing dates. We will explain the secure evidence process, confirm the fee and assess the next steps. You do not need to be an existing Britvex accountancy client.
Official guidance: Who must verify and when · Using an ACSP · Identity verification standard · Personal codes · Free government route. Information reviewed October 2026. This page is general guidance, not an individual compliance or filing assessment.