The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCT) introduced mandatory identity verification for directors, People with Significant Control (PSCs), and certain other registered roles at Companies House. The verification regime is now in force for new appointments and is being rolled out to existing officers on a staged basis.
For most directors this is genuinely a 30-minute task — provided you prepare. Here is the practical guide.
What ECCT verification actually requires
Companies House needs to verify, to the relevant identity-checking standard, that the person filing or being appointed is who they say they are. There are two routes:
- Direct verification with Companies House via the GOV.UK One Login service.
- Verification via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) — essentially a regulated professional firm that performs the verification on Companies House's behalf and registers the result.
The ACSP route is what most directors use because the regulated firm already does customer due diligence for AML purposes — the verification overlaps almost entirely.
What you need to prepare (the 30-minute version)
- One government-issued photo ID. Passport is easiest. UK driving licence works. Some other documents are accepted — confirm with your ACSP if you do not have either.
- One proof of address dated within the last three months. Bank statement, utility bill, council tax letter, HMRC correspondence. Mobile phone bills are usually accepted; mobile-only digital banks sometimes need a paper statement specifically.
- Your full legal name as it appears at Companies House. Mismatches between Companies House records and your ID are the single most common reason verifications stall.
- Companies House authentication code (the 6-character code from the original incorporation pack or available via WebFiling).
If you are an overseas director, the same documents apply but verification often involves a video call and a certified copy chain. Build in extra time.
The PushDigits ACSP process
We are an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. The typical flow for a UK-resident director:
- You receive a secure link to upload your ID and proof of address.
- We run electronic verification through our regulated identity-check provider (typically a soft-footprint check that does not affect your credit file).
- If electronic verification clears, no further action is needed.
- If electronic verification does not clear (common for recently-moved or thin-file individuals), we book a 10-minute video call where we visually verify the ID against you and certify the copy.
- We register the verified status against your Companies House record.
End-to-end most cases complete the same business day.
Common stumbling blocks
- Name mismatches. "Jonathan" on the passport, "Jon" at Companies House. Update Companies House first.
- Address mismatches. The verification address is your residential address — not the registered office. People conflate the two.
- Expired ID. Verification documents must be current. An expired passport will not work even if you have a renewal in progress.
- Multiple appointments at different companies. Verification is once per person, not once per company — once verified, the status follows the individual. Many directors do not realise this and try to verify twice.
Deadlines and consequences
New appointments require verification at or before the appointment. Existing directors are being phased in — Companies House will write to you with a specific deadline window. Missing the deadline is a criminal offence under the Act and triggers a discrepancy notice that can block subsequent filings. In practice, you do not want to find out that your annual confirmation statement is blocked because verification was overlooked.
For overseas directors
If you direct a UK company but live abroad, the verification still applies. The ACSP route remains available and is usually the easiest path — most overseas verifications are completed via secure video call within a week. We handle these routinely.
How to get started
Send us a message via our director verification page and we will issue the secure upload link the same day. For directors who use us for other services — UK formations, ongoing compliance — the verification is usually included in onboarding at no additional charge.
If you have a deadline letter from Companies House sitting on your desk and you are not sure what to do with it, send it through. We will tell you exactly what is required and by when.