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From 18 November 2025, all company directors, company secretaries, People with Significant Control (PSCs), and LLP members must complete Companies House ID verification to generate a personal code. From this date, this code will need to be provided to allow the submission of various filings to Companies House.
This change is driven by the need to reduce the risk of fraud. Companies House wants to ensure individuals are who they claim to be, and to deter illegal company formations and filings.
The verification process requires you to prove your identity by using a government-issued photo ID (e.g. passport or driving licence) and answering security questions. Once successfully verified, Companies House will provide you with a unique identifier known as a personal code. This should be retained for future use.
What you need to do
The Companies House notifications service has already started directly sending out communications to registered email addresses about the process.
If you have not received one of these, see the ‘Verify your identity for Companies House’ service via GOV.UK One Login to identify the most appropriate way for you to verify your identity. A link can be found below:
Verifying your identity for Companies House – GOV.UK
Depending on your answers, you’ll be guided to verify:
- With an app
- By answering security questions online
- By entering your government-issued photo ID details on GOV.UK One Login, then visiting a participating Post Office
This process is free of charge. Please watch out for spoof websites, which may try to charge you for completing this process.
Please note that each individual has one personal code only. For example, if you are a director in more than one company, it will be the same code required for both business filings. Similarly, if you’re a director and PSC, the same code will be used for both roles.
For security purposes, only one verified identity can be connected to an email address used to sign in with Companies House. If email addresses are currently being shared by individuals, additional steps will be required to set up each individual with a unique email address first.
When you need your code
The point at which you’ll need your code depends on your role:
Directors/members: You must provide the code for purposes of completing any confirmation statements on or after 18 November 2025. If you become a director/member after this date, you’ll need to provide your code as part of your appointment filing or when you incorporate a company.
For PSCs who are also Directors/members: As well as giving the code at the time the confirmation statement is completed, as a PSC, you will be required to give your code via a separate service within 14 days of the confirmation statement date.
PSCs only: If you are a PSC on 18 November 2025, you must provide your personal code within the first 14 days of your birth month via a separate service. (For example, if your date of birth is 22 January, your 14-day period will begin on 1 January.)
Please note, if you become a PSC after 18 November 2025, you will need to obtain a code within 14 days of becoming a PSC.
Once you have your code
Once you have your personal code, keep a note of it for future use and send a record of it to your accountant.
As the scheme becomes established, it is likely that the use of personal codes will become more of a mandatory requirement when completing Companies House filings.
Failure to verify
If you fail to verify your identity, the company will not be able to make any filings from 18 November 2025. Similarly, you will not be able to start up a new company. From 18 November 2025, you may be committing an offence should you continue to act as a director, PSC or LLP member without having verified your identity within the required timescales noted above. As this is a legal requirement, directors/members could be disqualified.