From 18th November 2025, Companies House is introducing mandatory identity verification for ALL directors, LLP members, Company Secretaries and PSCs.
This is an attempt from Companies House to clamp down on fraud to improve the reliability of the data in their systems. This is a new legal requirement to be able to prove that you are who you say you are and will deter people attempting to use companies for illegal purposes.
Companies House have already been encouraging people to voluntarily register their identity with them and has been seen as a quick, easy and free of charge service. You may have already had emails from them regarding this.
Not all companies want to do this themselves though, and are instead looking to use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as their accountant. There are strict guidelines on how you can become an ACSP, such as the firm being supervised by a UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervisory body.The good news is that we expect to be registered as an ACSP shortly, at which point we’ll be able to assist.
What does this mean for you?
This means that you have several options for verifying your identity with Companies House.
Option 1: You can do this directly with Companies House yourself and will not incur a cost. There are clear guidelines and information on what you need to do / what you will need on Companies House here.
Option 2: As we will shortly be registered as an ACSP we can send you an invitation to complete an online identity check using a government-certified identity service provider (IDSP). This will enable us to ensure you have completed the sufficient checks for Companies House. There is a small fee of £40 plus VAT for this to be completed. The electronic identity check requires you uploading your ID documents and conducting a live “selfie”.
Option 3: We can complete the check in person with you if you visit one of our practices. The fee for this is £75 plus VAT.
Important: whichever method you choose, you must ensure that you provide us the code you are given. If we don’t have your code we will not be able to file documents at Companies House for you (such as annual accounts, annual confirmation statements etc).? If we are unable to file documents on your behalf, then the company will be liable to late filing penalties.
What do I need to do?
You need to choose one of the above-mentioned options to verify your identity. We suggest doing this as soon as you can. There is a grace period for existing companies and directors, however as detailed above – failure to be identified could result in delays and/or late filing penalties.
If you have any questions, please email your accountant or call us on 01524 580720.
