Companies House ID Verification: What Boards Need to Do

Whatever your board calls you (director, non-executive, trustee or governor), if you sit on the board of a UK company, including a charitable company, you now have to verify your identity with Companies House.

Existing office holders were given a 12-month transition period that started on 18 November 2025, and it ends in mid-November 2026. Missing it is an offence, so the board needs to know who has verified, who hasn’t and when each person’s date falls.

This isn’t just a one-off deadline either. Anyone joining the board from now on has to verify too, so it belongs in your board onboarding and induction process going forwards as well.

This guide covers who is affected, how the timings work for each role, how to verify, and what happens if someone misses their date.

The short version

• Identity verification is a legal requirement for directors and PSCs, and for LLP members.
• It is usually a one-off task. Verification through GOV.UK One Login is free, and it can usually be completed in minutes.
• After verifying, each person receives a Companies House personal code, and must connect it to each role they hold.
• Not complying on time is an offence. The consequences can include financial penalties, referral to the Insolvency Service and prosecution.
• Each person's due date varies, so check the dates shown on the Companies House register.

Who is affected

Directors

Directors (or the equivalent) must verify, whatever their title or how often they attend. That covers executive and non-executive directors, chairs and the people on a board who may be called governors, board members or trustees. Companies House's guidance lists directors, PSCs and LLP members, and the press release says anyone who becomes a company director or PSC must verify.

People with significant control (PSCs)

PSCs have their own process. They must provide a statement and their personal code within a 14-day period, using the PSC verification service. When the period falls depends on the person's circumstances (see the table below).

Not yet covered

Companies House says identity verification will start later for limited partnerships, corporate directors of companies, corporate members of LLPs and officers of corporate PSCs.

Charities and other organisations that are companies

Charity trustees are affected only where the charity is a company. In a charitable company the trustees are also directors for company law purposes, and the Charity Finance Group's guidance says directors and PSCs of charitable companies must verify when filing with Companies House.

The Department for Business and Trade has said that only trustees who are company directors must verify, because some companies limited by guarantee call their directors "trustees".

If your organisation is registered as a company, check how it is registered and who its directors are, whatever name your board uses. Our guide to the charity trustee duties checklist covers where this sits among the other trustee obligations.

When each person needs to verify

Source: Companies House

Companies House says dates vary, that it is contacting companies directly, and that directors and PSCs can check the register to see the due dates for all their roles. That is the reliable source for any individual date.

On the end of the transition: most advisers give 18 November 2026, so treat mid-November as the outer limit and use the date on the register for each role.

How to verify with Companies House

There are two routes, according to Companies House:

1. Directly through GOV.UK One Login. It is free, and the verification service asks for photo ID (a passport or driving licence, for example), your current address and the year you moved in. If you cannot verify online and live in the UK, you may be able to verify in person at a Post Office.
2. Through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). This is also known as a Companies House authorised agent, such as an accountant or solicitor, who can verify your identity on your behalf. Fees may apply.

After a successful check you receive a personal code. In most cases you only need to verify once. You then use the code to link your verified identity to each role you hold. A person who is both a director and a PSC of the same company verifies once but provides the code separately for each role.

Directors provide the code with the confirmation statement. PSCs use the PSC service, which Companies House says can take up to 10 minutes.

What happens if someone does not verify

Companies House's press release says not complying on time is an offence. The consequences it lists are:

• financial penalties
• referral to the Insolvency Service
• prosecution through the courts

Its published approach to non-compliance describes a staged response.

According to a Norton Rose Fulbright summary, that includes default letters, the option to make representations that can pause enforcement for a limited time, and a view of non-compliance as more serious where someone has committed three or more offences over five years. Check the framework itself for the current position.

A checklist for boards and company secretaries

1. List every director and PSC, with each role and its due date from the register.
2. Mark who has verified, and who has provided their personal code for each role.
3. Remind each person that the code is personal to them and should be kept secure.
4. Plan for the confirmation statement date, because existing directors' statements go in with it.
5. Make verification a step before any new appointment is accepted.
6. Record the position in the board minutes, and review it until every role is complete.

Your board induction checklist is a good place to add the verification step for new appointments.

You can also check out our guide to the responsibilities of a non-executive director which covers what new board members should expect from the role.

Companies House ID verification: FAQs

Do I have to verify for every company I am a director of?

In most cases you verify once and receive one personal code. You then use the code to link your verified identity to each role.

Is it free?

Verification through GOV.UK One Login is free of charge. An ACSP may charge a fee.

Can my accountant do it for me?

You can ask an ACSP to verify your identity on your behalf, as long as you give them suitable identity documents.

Do charity trustees need to verify?

Only where the charity is a company and the trustee is a director. See the section above.

I am a director and a PSC. Do I verify twice?

No. Verify once, then provide the code separately for each role.