Check your own deadline
Companies House identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. That date started a 12-month transition for existing directors and people with significant control (PSCs). It was not a single deadline for everyone. As the transition progresses, check the dates that apply to your company and each role you hold rather than relying on a general reminder.
For an existing director, the requirement is linked to the company’s next confirmation statement. New directors need a verified identity for their appointment or incorporation filing. If you have already verified, the remaining step may be providing your personal code for the relevant role. Verification and linking the code are different actions.
Who needs to verify?
Individual directors and PSCs must meet the requirements. They also cover certain equivalent roles and directors of overseas companies registered in the UK. Companies House is introducing requirements for other categories separately. Holding shares does not by itself mean every shareholder is a PSC: check the role recorded for you.
If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, deal with both roles. Supplying your code in a confirmation statement as a director does not complete your separate PSC submission. Check the official deadline guidance and the dates shown on the register.
Use the free GOV.UK route
You can verify free through the GOV.UK One Login service. Start there and follow the questions about you personally. The service identifies the available route, which may involve an app, online questions or a participating Post Office. For the Post Office route, enter the required details online before attending.
The alternative is an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an authorised accountant or solicitor. An agent may charge. Carter Collins & Myer is registered with Companies House as an authorised agent (ACSP). For this purpose, we direct readers to the free GOV.UK One Login route; this address subscription is separate from Companies House verification.
Keep your personal code safely
After verification, Companies House issues an 11-character personal code. It identifies you, rather than a particular company. In most cases you verify once, then use that same code for the roles you hold. Keep a secure record so it is available when an appointment or confirmation statement needs it.
If you used One Login, sign in to Companies House using the same email address and check “Manage account”. The official personal code guidance explains where to find it and what to do if details do not match. Share the code only with trusted people who need it for filings, such as your accountant.
Connect it to each company and role
A director of several companies needs to provide the code for each company’s confirmation statement. Make sure every director is ready before the statement is filed. Completing your own identity check does not confirm that your fellow directors have completed theirs.
PSCs use a separate service and have a 14-day submission window. For an existing PSC who is also a director, that window starts the day after the company’s confirmation statement date. Other PSC deadlines differ. Filing a statement early does not move that window. Use the official guidance for your circumstances.
Review your public addresses at the same time
While checking the company record, review its registered office and your director service address. Either may still show your home. Identity verification proves who you are; it does not replace either address or automatically remove home details from earlier filings.
Our registered office service offers a choice of Rochdale, Lancashire or Stockport, Cheshire, including one director service address. Review both public entries when arranging a move. For older documents, read our home address removal guide. A current address change and a historical removal application solve different problems.
Official background: Companies House identity verification guidance and rollout announcement. Checked 22 October 2026.