Companies House identity verification comes into force

Companies House identity verification rules are coming into force in November 2025. Failure to comply means company directors face the risk of financial penalties, potential disqualification, and businesses being struck off.

In this insight, Accounts and Advisory Associate Director Martin Kerr covers the new rules and how they will apply to company directors.

• What are the new Companies House identity verification rules?
• How will the ID verification rules be applied?
• What happens if company directors don’t comply?

What are the new Companies House identity verification rules?

Companies House is introducing mandatory identity verification for directors and people with significant control (PSCs) of UK companies.

A PSC is anyone who:

• owns more than 25% of the shares in a company
• has more than 25% of the voting rights in a company, and
• has the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors.

Identity verification is currently voluntary, but will become compulsory from 18 November 2025.

How will the Companies House identity verification rules be applied?

To improve transparency and reduce fraud, from 18 November 2025, anyone appointed as a director or PSC must verify their identity. Existing directors and PSCs must do so by November 2026.

This is how the rules will apply:

• New directors/LLP members: must verify before appointment/admission
• New PSCs: must verify within 14 days of being notified to Companies House
• Existing directors/LLP members: must verify before the next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025
• Existing PSCs who are also directors: same timeline, but must submit code within 14 days of filing
• Existing PSCs (not directors): must verify by the 14th of the month of their birth month (e.g. if born in March, by 14 March 2026)

If you are a director or PSC of more than one company, you are only required to verify your ID once. The Companies House Personal code generated through the verification process will be used for all directorships and PSC involvements you have.

What happens if company directors don’t comply with Companies House identity verification rules?

Any company director who fails to comply with the new Companies House identification verification checks risks:

• Being unable to file confirmation statements, which is a criminal offence
• Fines of up to £5,000
• Potential disqualification from being a director
• Their company being struck off the register, and
• Companies House rejecting new company filings and appointments.

Fully-compliant ID checks from Consilium

Consilium is supporting existing clients by taking care of the entire process. Through our Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) licence, we are minimising the hassle and time spent by clients to ensure their businesses are compliant.  

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