Start of Companies House new ID rules to start from 18 November 2025

New ID rules for directors and significant shareholders

From 13 October 2025, companies will have to use GOV.UK One Login to sign in to their Companies House WebFiling account.

Companies House will begin enforcing identity verification requirements from 18 November 2025. From this date, companies will not be able to file their company’s confirmation statement unless all directors have verified their identity.

It is claimed that identity verification will help to deter people intending to use companies for illegal purposes. It should therefore improve transparency, trust and accuracy of information filed on the Companies House register.

Verification can be done online, through GOV.UK One Login, or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. According to Companies House, most users will only need to verify themselves once. They’ll then receive by email a unique personal identifier known as a Companies House personal code. The code is personal to each person and not to any specific company.

For more details on how to get verified, see our blog article on Verify identity for Companies House.

From 18 November 2025, all newly appointed company directors and persons with significant control (PSC) will have to verify their identity before incorporation or appointment.

PSC are generally those who hold:

• more than 25% of shares in the company

• more than 25% of voting rights in the company

• the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors

Existing directors must do so when filing their next confirmation statement. Existing PSC must also complete the process within 14 days of the company’s confirmation statement date.

It will be a criminal offence to act as a director without a verified identity once these rules are active.

Who needs to verify themselves?

People will need to verify their identity if they are:

• a director (or the equivalent e.g. members, partners and managing officers)

• a person with significant control (PSC)

• anyone who files for a company e.g. a company secretary

Over the 12-month transition period, starting from 18 November 2025, the identity verification rules will apply to an estimated 6 to 7 million individuals.

Directors

Directors will need to provide their personal code in the company’s first confirmation statement filed after 18 November 2025. Updating Companies House with each of the directors' personal code is performed at the time of filing the confirmation statement.

If a person becomes a director after 18 November 2025, they’ll have to provide the personal code as part of their appointment filing or when they are appointed during the incorporation of a company.

If a person is a director of more than one company, they will need to provide their personal code for each company, either when they are appointed or on the next Confirmation Statement of each company, whichever comes first after 18 November 2025.

When registering a new company, each director will be asked to provide their Companies House personal code as part of the registration process.

People with significant control (PSCs)

PSC will also need to provide their personal code to Companies House. There will be a new online service to do this when the requirement comes into effect on 18 November 2025. PSCs will also be able to use the new Companies House service to check their individual 14-day verification due date.

Every PSC will have a 14 -day period during which they must provide their personal code.

The date of their 14-day period depends on whether:

• they are registered with Companies House before 18 November 2025, or

• whether they are also a director of the company.

Both a director and a PSC of the same company

If a person is both a director and a PSC of the same company, they’ll need to provide their personal code separately for each role.  As a director, they must provide their code in the company’s confirmation statement.  As a PSC, they must also provide their code using a separate service within 14 days of the company’s confirmation statement date.

A PSC but not a director of the same company

People who are a PSC on 18 November 2025, but not a director of the company where they are a PSC, will have to provide their personal code within the first 14 days of their birth month. e.g. if their date of birth is 22 January, their 14-day period begins on 1 January.

If they become a PSC after 18 November 2025, they must provide their personal code within 14 days of being added to the Companies House register as a PSC.

Continued use of the personal code

If an individual has already verified their identity for Companies House, they do not need to do it again, even if they are appointed as a new director or PSC. However, they will need to provide Companies House with their personal code and a verification statement for each role they hold.