Companies House ID verification: what directors must do
Companies House ID verification has been a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control (PSCs) since 18 November 2025. For people already on the register, that date was the start of a 12-month phase-in, not a single deadline.
Your own date depends on your role. A director gives their personal code with the company's next confirmation statement. A PSC who is not a director gives it in the first 14 days of their birth month. Details are in the table below.
This page was checked against GOV.UK on 13 October 2026. The rules have moved a few times since 2025, so the dates below are given as GOV.UK states them.
Who needs to verify, and when
| Your situation | What you do | When |
|---|---|---|
| Director of an existing company | Give your Companies House personal code | "As part of your company's next confirmation statement", for each company you direct |
| Newly appointed director | Verify as part of the appointment | Identity verification is a compulsory part of incorporation and new appointments |
| Director of a new company | Give your personal code | As part of the registration filing |
| Director of an overseas company registered in the UK | The company confirms all directors have verified | By the anniversary of the UK establishment's registration |
| Director and PSC of the same company | Give the code once for each role | As a PSC, within a 14-day period starting the day after the confirmation statement date. Filing the statement early does not change those dates |
| PSC who is not a director | Give your personal code | Within the first 14 days of your birth month. For a birth date of 22 January, the period begins on 1 January |
| Became a PSC after 18 November 2025 | Give your personal code | When first added to the register, or within 14 days of being added |
A PSC who has died does not need to verify.
GOV.UK does not describe 18 November as a deadline for existing directors or PSCs. In August 2025 it said Companies House estimated that 6 to 7 million individuals would need to verify their identity by mid-November 2026.
The August 2026 update of the Companies House transition plan speaks of more than 7 million existing directors and PSCs. It says Companies House should complete the transition period for all individuals no earlier than the end of 2026, and plans compliance activity against people who have not verified.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Voluntary verification opened on 8 April 2025.
- It became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025.
- Since 1 June 2026, GOV.UK no longer lists "someone who files for a company" among the people who need to verify.
- If you verified after 8 July 2026 with GOV.UK One Login, Companies House sent your personal code to your email address.
- People who file documents at Companies House, and third-party agents, are planned for no earlier than November 2027. The plan says timelines depend on Parliamentary time.
How to verify
GOV.UK lists four routes.
- Online with GOV.UK One Login, using a photo ID such as a biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence, or a UK biometric residence permit.
- With bank or building society details, plus your National Insurance number. GOV.UK frames this route for people who live in the UK, and the service tells you whether you can use it.
- In person at the Post Office, after entering your photo ID details on GOV.UK first.
- Through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an accountant or solicitor. An ACSP may charge a fee.
Verifying through GOV.UK One Login is free of charge.
You cannot use an expired passport with the One Login app. The bank or building society route and the Post Office route do not accept expired documents.
An email address can only be used once to verify an identity.
The personal code
The personal code is an 11-character code given to a person once they have verified their identity. It is personal to you, not your company.
If you verified with GOV.UK One Login, sign in to Companies House and open Manage account to view it. If an ACSP verified you and the code did not arrive, contact the ACSP and check which email address they gave.
You use the same personal code each time you need to confirm you are verified. GOV.UK does not say whether it expires.
It is not the same as the company authentication code, which belongs to the company. See Companies House authentication code: where to find it.
What happens if you do not verify
A company cannot file its confirmation statement unless all its directors are verified.
GOV.UK also says that if you do not comply with all identity verification requirements on time, you may be committing an offence, and may face prosecution and a fine through the courts, or a financial penalty. It gives no amount.
GOV.UK also lists things that are still to come, with no start date given. It says that in the future Companies House will publish a note against your name on the public register. It says you will also be unable to be appointed as a new director to an existing company, register a new company or entity, or register as an ACSP.
Finding your date
Check your own dates on the Companies House register. For a director, the date that matters is the company's next confirmation statement. See Confirmation statement due date: how to find yours.
Related: the free company deadlines checker lists a company's dates once you type it in.
What Kofolio does here
Kofolio does not verify anyone's identity, and it has no personal-code field.
What it does is count down the dates that decide when you need to act. Each company card shows the confirmation statement date from Companies House, and the Register view lists the company's directors and owners in plain words. More on the deadlines page.
Kofolio is an organiser, not an adviser. You stay responsible for verifying yourself and for your filings, and Kofolio files nothing for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is 18 November 2026 my deadline?
Not necessarily. GOV.UK describes 18 November 2025 as the start of a 12-month phase-in and ties a director's date to the company's next confirmation statement. Check your dates on the Companies House register.
Do I have to verify if I am a director of more than one company?
You verify once, but you give your personal code for each company you direct.
Is it free?
Verifying through GOV.UK One Login is free. An ACSP may charge.
Does a PSC need to verify too?
Yes. PSCs must verify and give their personal code. Timing depends on whether you are also a director of the company.
What if I forget my personal code?
Sign in to Companies House and open Manage account if you verified with GOV.UK One Login.
Do I need to verify to file a confirmation statement?
Yes. Your company will be unable to file its confirmation statement unless all its directors are verified.
Keep the dates in one place
Add your company to Kofolio and see its confirmation statement date counted down in days. Kofolio is free. Find your company