Mandatory identity verification at Companies House has been a legal requirement since 18 November 2025. Existing directors and people with significant control (PSCs) were given a 12-month transition period to comply, which ends in mid-November 2026.
The official figures show that a large proportion of people have still not done it, and the first directors have now been prosecuted. If you run a company, or hold shares in one, it is worth checking today that everyone linked to your business has verified.
Who Needs to Verify?
Identity verification applies to:
- existing and new company directors;
- people with significant control of a company (PSCs); and
- members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs).
Anyone who wants to become a Companies House authorised agent (an ACSP), such as an accountant or formation agent, must also verify. Verification for people who simply file documents on a company’s behalf will be introduced later; Companies House currently says no earlier than November 2027, with at least six months’ notice.
How Many People Are Still Unverified?
Companies House estimated that 6 to 7 million individuals would need to verify their identity by the end of the transition period. Its latest published figures, covering the position at 30 June 2026, show that only around half of the appointments on the register had been verified:
| Role | Appointments verified | Share verified |
|---|---|---|
| Directors | 4.71 million | 55% |
| LLP members | 82,686 | 49% |
| PSCs | 2.57 million | 42% |
| All appointments | 7.36 million | 50% |
In other words, at the end of June almost half of all director appointments and close to six in ten PSC appointments had not been verified. Companies House separately reported that nearly 4 million individuals had verified and linked their appointments by 11 June 2026.
There were just over 5.5 million companies on the register at that time. Because one unverified director can stop a company from filing its confirmation statement, the practical impact reaches far beyond the individuals concerned.
The First Prosecutions
On 16 September 2026, the Insolvency Service secured its first convictions for identity verification offences at City of London Magistrates’ Court. Three directors of two small companies were fined, with fines ranging from £80 to £307 plus costs and a victim surcharge.
The cases are a useful warning for every board:
- Two directors had carried on acting without verifying. One took part in board decisions and signed the company’s accounts while unverified, and only completed verification around nine months after her deadline, shortly before the court hearing.
- One director was convicted even though he had verified. He was prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps to stop his unverified co-director from acting.
- All three were also convicted of filing their confirmation statements late.
The fines were modest, but a criminal conviction can have consequences well beyond the penalty itself, including for future directorships. The lesson is that verification is a board-level responsibility, not just a personal one.
Non-Compliance Is a Criminal Offence
If you do not verify your identity by your deadline, you commit an offence. Consequences can include a financial penalty, referral to the Insolvency Service and prosecution. You will also be unable to make filings for your company or to incorporate a new one until you verify.
The company itself, and every other officer, can also commit an offence if an unverified person is allowed to act as a director. It pays to make sure everyone linked to your company has complied.
When Is Your Deadline?
The end of the transition period in mid-November 2026 is the final backstop, but many people’s personal deadline is earlier, and for some it has already passed.
- Existing directors: you must provide your Companies House personal code as part of your company’s next confirmation statement. If you are a director of several companies, you must do this for each one.
- PSCs who are also directors of the same company: you must provide your code separately for your PSC role, within 14 days starting the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.
- PSCs who are not directors: you must provide your code within the first 14 days of your birth month.
- New directors and PSCs: you must verify before you are appointed or added to the register.
You can check each person’s due date on the Companies House register. An officer who has not verified will show “identity verification due” with a date. If that date has passed, the deadline has been missed.
How to Verify
Verifying directly with Companies House is free. If you have a smartphone and a biometric passport or UK photo driving licence, the GOV.UK One Login service will guide you through the GOV.UK ID Check app. The app photographs your ID, reads the chip in your passport and scans your face. You can also verify in person at selected Post Offices, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
Once verified, you receive an 11-character Companies House personal code. You only verify once, but you then need to link that code to each role you hold.
A Quick Checklist for Directors
- Check the register for every director and PSC of your company and note their due dates.
- Chase anyone unverified, including co-founders, investors who hold more than 25% and directors based overseas.
- Make sure your details match. Names and dates of birth on the register should match your ID so verification links without a mismatch.
- Diarise your confirmation statement date, as that is the trigger for most directors’ deadlines.
- Build verification into onboarding, so new directors and PSCs verify before they are appointed.
- Record the steps you have taken. If a co-director refuses to verify, take advice promptly, as you may be liable if you do nothing.
Contact Us for Support
If you have questions about identity verification, a co-director who has not complied, or any other legal matter, we offer a complimentary consultation to directors and founders, which can be booked via our online booking system.
