Companies House identity verification: what directors must do before the November deadline

If you run a limited company, there is a date in mid-November 2026 that matters: the end of the 12-month transition period for Companies House identity verification. This post explains who it affects, how to do it, and why it is worth ticking off now rather than in the last week.

What has changed

Since 18 November 2025, identity verification has been a legal requirement for company directors and people with significant control (PSCs). New directors must verify before they act. Existing directors were given a 12-month transition period, and are expected to verify when the company files its next confirmation statement. Mishcon de Reya puts the end of that transition period at 17 November 2026.

In practice this means every director of a UK company, including a one-person company run from a spare room, needs a verified identity on record.

How to verify

GOV.UK explains the main routes:

• Online with GOV.UK One Login: you need a photo ID such as a biometric passport, a UK photo driving licence, a biometric residence permit or card, or a Frontier Worker permit.
• Bank or building society route: using your National Insurance number and security questions.
• Post Office: you enter your photo ID details online first.
• An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP): an accountant, solicitor or other professional registered with Companies House can verify you on your behalf.

The Insolvency Service says verifying directly with Companies House online is free of charge. Have your current address ready, along with the year you moved in.

Why not leave it

In September 2026 the Insolvency Service secured its first convictions for identity verification offences at City of London Magistrates' Court. Two of the cases are worth a small business owner's attention.

• One director acted as a director without verifying their identity. They took part in board-level decisions and signed the company accounts, and only completed verification in early September 2026.
• Another director had verified their own identity, but was prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent a co-director from continuing to act without verifying.

Mishcon de Reya describes the fines as relatively modest, and notes that the stigma of a criminal conviction is likely the bigger deterrent. The practical lesson is that this is not only about you. If you share a company with a partner, a family member or a business associate, check that they have done it too.

A simple plan for owners

• List everyone: directors, and PSCs, for each company you run or co-own.
• Check ID in advance: an out-of-date passport or a licence with an old address will slow you down.
• Verify now: do not wait for the confirmation statement if the transition period is about to close.
• Tell your accountant: they may be registered as an ACSP, and will want to know who has been verified.
• Keep a note: record the date each person completed it, so you can show it if asked.

Be careful with scams and look-alike sites

Any time a government deadline appears, look-alike emails and websites follow. Start from the GOV.UK pages, not from a link in an unexpected message, and remember the online route costs nothing. If you want help tightening up the security around your company accounts and email, our cloud and security team can help.

The short version

Identity verification is quick for most people, free online, and now backed by real enforcement. Spend ten minutes this week making sure every director and PSC in your business is covered, and put a reminder in the diary for mid-November.