Companies House has confirmed that from 18 November 2025 directors and people with significant control (PSCs) of UK companies will have to legally verify their identities.
Companies House is phasing in identification verification over a 12-month period, and has estimated six to seven million individuals will need to prove their identity by mid-November 2026.
It said for most people this will be a on-off process that can be done in a few minutes. Companies House will contact companies to tell them what their directors and PSCs need to do to meet identity verification requirements. Early verification is being encouraged.
So, from 18 November 2025:
- New directors will need to verify their identity to incorporate a company or be appointed to an existing company.
- Existing directors will need to confirm they have verified their identity at the same time as they file their next annual confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period.
- Existing PSCs will need to verify their identity in line with an appointed day within 12 months of the commencement of mandatory identity verification on 18 November.
Individuals can verify their identity with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
