Director Verification

Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, identity verification at Companies House is now mandatory for company directors, People with Significant Control (PSCs), and anyone filing on a company behalf. Failing to verify your identity for Companies House is a criminal offence and can stop you filing or acting as a director.

As a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), PushDigits completes the Companies House identity verification for you, confirming your identity, keeping the records required under the anti-money laundering rules, and notifying Companies House. It is faster and safer than navigating GOV.UK One Login yourself.

Who has to verify their identity

The rules apply to all company directors, existing and new, People with Significant Control, members of LLPs, and anyone filing at Companies House on a company behalf, including agents and company secretaries. The requirement is being phased in and tied to your confirmation statement date, so the practical advice is to verify early rather than wait for a deadline you may misread.

It applies regardless of where you live. Overseas directors of UK companies are in scope exactly as UK residents are.

How ACSP verification works

As an ICAEW-regulated firm and registered ACSP, we verify your identity in minutes. We check a primary photo ID, a passport, UK driving licence or biometric residence permit, confirm your details against Companies House records, retain the evidence required under the money-laundering rules, and confirm the verification to Companies House.

The alternative is verifying yourself through GOV.UK One Login. That route is free and works well for some people, but it fails more often for overseas directors, for older documents, and where the name on your ID does not match the register exactly. Our step-by-step guide explains how to verify your identity for Companies House in full, including what to do when a check is rejected.

What you need to have ready

• A valid photo ID, in date and undamaged;
• Your name exactly as it appears at Companies House, mismatches are the most common cause of failure;
• Your date of birth and current address details;
• Your Companies House personal code, once issued, which links the verification to your director record.

What happens if you do not verify

Acting as a director without verifying, or filing without it, is a criminal offence that can lead to financial penalties, an annotation on the public register, rejected filings, and restrictions on acting as a director. An annotation is public and permanent-looking, which matters commercially as well as legally.

The wider Companies House reforms

Verification is one part of a broader change in what Companies House does. It has moved from a passive register to an active gatekeeper with powers to query and reject filings, and identity is the foundation of that. Our guides to the new Companies House powers under ECCTA, the ACSP regime and PSC registers and confirmation statements cover what else has changed.

Building it into formation

If you are forming a new company, verification is required from the outset, so we build it into the incorporation process and you start out fully compliant. For existing companies, we can verify all directors and PSCs together ahead of your confirmation statement, which is considerably less painful than doing it one rejected check at a time.