Director ID

Director ID: what’s changing — and why

Concern that a lack of transparency in company information has been enabling fraud, corruption or other crime has led to new legislation requiring identity verification. From now on, Companies House will make sure that the people setting up, running and controlling companies are who they say they are. From 18 November 2025, identity verification with Companies House shifted from “nice to do” to a “must do” for most company office‑holders.

It sounds more burdensome than it is; for the vast majority of SME directors with access to a smartphone and a valid passport, it will be quick and easy. But failing to do it could result in both you and your company being fined, and you being disqualified as a director.

Who is affected and when?

• If you become a new director now, you must verify before your appointment is registered with Companies House.
• If you want to set up a new company, all the directors will need to have their identity verified before the company can be incorporated.
• If you are already a director, you will have to verify your identity and give your new personal code in the Company’s first confirmation statement filed after 18 November 2025.
• If you become a new PSC now, you will have to verify your identity and provide your new code to Companies House within 14 days of being added to the register as a PSC.
• If you are already a PSC and a director, you will have to verify your identity and provide your new code twice: (1) with the company’s first post‑18 Nov 2025 confirmation statement (as a director) and (2) through the separate PSC service at Companies House within 14 days of the company’s confirmation statement date.
• If you are already a PSC but not a director, you will have to provide your new code in the first 14 days of your birthday month after 18 Nov 2025. (For example, if your date of birth is 21 March, you will have to verify your identity and provide your new code between 1 – 14 March.)

How can you verify?

1. Directly with Companies House, using its “Verify your identity for Companies House” service. This uses your GOV.UK One Login account; if you don’t yet have one, you will need to create a login and password for GOV.UK One Login.  Once you have this set up, you can choose one of the 3 verification methods below:
   • Probably the easiest – through the GOV.UK One Login app; you will need a smartphone with a camera and photo ID (passport with biometric chip, UK photocard driving licence, UK biometric residence permit or card or UK frontier worker permit); or
   • By answering security questions online with gov.uk; you will need to answer some security questions from your mobile phone contract and any bank accounts, credit cards, loans or mortgages you may have, and give the details from your passport, photocard driving licence, or bank account with a UK bank backed up by a NI number; or
   • Through the Post Office. First, enter the details of your photo ID online in your gov.uk account and then take your photo ID in person to a Post Office that provides in-branch verification; within a day you should receive an email with your identity check result.

   Once you’ve completed your verification, you will get your new personal code which you can give to Companies House.  Keep this code safe!

2. Through a Companies House authorised agent (“ACSP”) (possibly your accountant/solicitor/company‑secretarial provider, if they have registered with Companies House to become authorised):
   • You give your agent your personal details and ID documents;
   • The ACSP carries out checks and sends a verification statement;
   • Companies House then emails you your new personal code and shows on the public register that you were verified by that ACSP.

What to do now?

Don’t put this off to the last minute.  Although you could diarise it to action when your company has to file its next confirmation statement, you cannot take a new directorship until you have verified your identity. And a new company cannot be incorporated unless all its proposed directors have verified their identity.

What happens if you do nothing?

The “consequences” part of the legislation is not yet in force, but once it is, it will be an offence, punishable by a fine:

• To act as a director without having verified your identity;
• For a company to allow you to act as a director unless your identity has been verified; and
• For a PSC not to have verified their identity.

If you’d like to know more about this topic, please feel free to get in touch