Companies House 2026: Identity Verification for Directors and PSCs
Companies House has just introduced its biggest reform since 1844. If you run a small limited company in the UK, you now have a legal obligation to verify your identity. This is not optional, and it applies to every director and every Person with Significant Control (PSC) on the register.
Many directors are confused about what they need to do and when. Some have verified their identity but have not linked it to their company. Others are not sure whether they need to do anything at all. This article cuts through the confusion and gives you a clear, simple checklist.
What Is This All About?
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has given Companies House new powers to act as a gatekeeper for the UK company register. The aim is simple: to stop fraud, prevent false registrations, and make it harder for criminals to hide behind shell companies.
As part of this, identity verification became mandatory from 18 November 2025. New directors and PSCs must verify their identity straight away. Existing directors and PSCs have a 12-month transition period, which means everyone should be verified by the end of 2026.
Who Needs to Verify?
The following people must verify their identity with Companies House:
•All company directors (including directors of overseas companies registered in the UK)
•People with Significant Control (PSCs). In plain English, a PSC is someone who owns 25% or more of the company's shares, controls 25% or more of the voting rights, or has the power to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors.
•LLP members (treated the same as directors)
•Anyone filing on behalf of a company (from spring 2026 onwards)
If you are both the director and the PSC of your company (which is very common for small LTD owners), you appear in two places on the register. You may need to take separate steps for each role, so do not assume that verifying once covers everything automatically.
What Is the Personal Code?
When you complete identity verification, Companies House issues you an 11-character personal code. This code belongs to you as an individual, not to your company. If you are a director of several companies, you only need to verify your identity once. You will get one personal code that works across all of them.
However, getting the code is only the first step. You must then submit your personal code to Companies House for each company and for each role. If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, you need to submit it separately for each role.
Think of it as a two-stage process:
1.Verify your identity and receive your personal code.
2.Link your personal code to each role by including it in your company's confirmation statement (the annual filing that confirms your company's details are up to date with Companies House).
How to Verify Your Identity
There are two routes to verify your identity:
Route 1: GOV.UK One Login. You can verify online through the GOV.UK One Login service. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes and you will need either a biometric passport (one with a chip) or a UK driving licence (photocard). The process involves taking a photo of your document and a short selfie video.
Route 2: Through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). An ACSP is a professional firm, such as an accountant or solicitor, that has been registered and approved by Companies House to carry out identity verification on your behalf. This is a good option if you do not have the right documents for the online route, or if you simply want someone to handle it for you.
Ollen Services can help you with this process. We can verify your identity, guide you through the steps, and make sure everything is correctly linked to your company record.
When Do You Need to Do It? (Deadlines)
The deadlines depend on your situation. Here is a clear breakdown:
•New directors (appointed after 18 November 2025): must verify before the appointment is filed with Companies House.
•Existing directors: must verify before the company's next confirmation statement is due.
•PSCs who are also directors: have a 14-day window after the confirmation statement date to submit their personal code for the PSC role.
•PSCs who are not directors: must verify within 14 days of their birth month, or within 14 days of receiving a direction letter from Companies House.
•End of 2026: the transition period ends and Companies House begins enforcement activity against individuals who have not verified. This could mean financial penalties, fines, or a note added to your name on the public register.
The bottom line: do not leave it until the last minute. If your confirmation statement is due soon, now is the time to act.
Your Simple Checklist
Follow these steps to make sure you are fully compliant:
1.Check your Companies House record. Look up your company and confirm whether you appear as a director, a PSC, or both.
2.Gather your ID documents. You will need a biometric passport or a UK photocard driving licence.
3.Create a GOV.UK One Login account (or sign into your existing one).
4.Complete identity verification online. This takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
5.Note your 11-character personal code. Keep it safe. You will need it for the next steps.
6.Submit your personal code via your next confirmation statement (for your director role).
7.Submit your personal code for your PSC role within the 14-day window after the confirmation statement date.
8.If you are a director of multiple companies, submit your personal code for each company separately.
9.Check name consistency. Make sure your name appears identically in both your director record and your PSC record. Small differences (such as a middle name or initial) can cause problems when Companies House tries to match your verification across both roles.
How Ollen Services Can Help
We know this process can feel confusing, especially when you are busy running your business. Many small business owners have verified their identity but are unsure whether it is correctly linked to their company and to each role. Others are not sure where to start.
Ollen Services can take the stress out of this for you. We can:
•Review your Companies House records to check what needs to be done
•Guide you through the identity verification process step by step
•Make sure your personal code is correctly submitted for each role and each company
•File your confirmation statement with everything properly in place