New company obligation requirement from November
Wednesday 30th July 2025
Directors and shareholders may have received communications recently from Companies House asking to verify their identity.
Due to upcoming legal changes, all company directors and ‘persons with significant control’ (PSCs) are required to provide their ID to be verified by Companies House and receive a personal code that will be used on company confirmation statements going forward.
Companies House have confirmed this requirement will be effective from 18 November 2025.
- This is a new requirement, you will not be able to file your company’s confirmation statement unless all directors have verified their identity and have referenced their personal codes.
- Identity verification only needs to be completed once. When successfully verified, the individual will receive a unique identifier known as a Companies House personal code.
- If a director or PSC continues to act without identity verification after it becomes a legal requirement, this will be an offence resulting in a fine or disqualification. The company and all other directors may also be committing an offence for non-compliance by an individual director or PSC of the same company.
18 November 2025 marks the start of the transition year where directors and PSCs will be required to have their ID verified and provide their personal codes. The requirements vary slightly depending on your position.
They must be completed:
- For all directors – before filing their company’s next confirmation statement due for filing from 18 November 2025.
- For PSCs who are also directors – within 14 days of the company’s confirmation statement with a filing date on or after 18 November 2025.
- For PSCs who are not directors – within the first 14 days of your birth month falling after 18 November 2025.
Companies can voluntarily complete the new verification checks before this date.
The ID verification requirement will also apply to any new director or PSC appointments or company incorporations from 18 November 2025.
How to comply
The business or the individual can submit the documents required or, as with other company secretarial tasks, your legal provider can complete this on your behalf.
Our fees for dealing with the new ID verification checks will be:
- £170 plus VAT for each UK resident requiring verification; and
- £185 plus VAT for each non-UK resident requiring verification.
Our ID verification service will include:
- carrying out the appropriate ID verification check required by Companies House and the new regulations;
- notifying Companies House that an individual’s ID has been successfully verified by completing an online notification form with Companies House. After a notification form has been submitted, the verified individual will receive their personal code from Companies House; and retaining a record of the individual’s ID verification check and personal code in accordance with the new regulations.
If you would like us to deal with Companies House ID verification on your behalf, please get in touch with your usual contact.
