New Companies House Identity Verification Requirements

Are You Ready and Are Your Company Records Up to Date?

In a push to address the misuse of UK companies and corporate structures, from November, Companies House has introduced new legal requirements for individuals involved in companies to verify their identity.

The reforms to reduce fraudulent activity are driven by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. Initially, the new rules will apply to limited liability companies and individual persons of significant control (‘PSCs’) only. However, they will be rolled out to cover other corporate entities, including Limited Liability Partnerships and officers of corporate PSCs in the future.

The new rules oblige all directors and PSCs to provide certain information to confirm their identity.

Directors

A transitional period of one year from 18th November 2025 will allow companies to register their director’s identity verification before their next Confirmation Statement is due. If these checks have not been completed for all directors by that time, the Confirmation Statement will not be submissible, which can lead to fines and have other negative ramifications.

Any person who is a director of multiple companies is required to verify their identity for each one.

Shareholders

Currently, the identification requirements capture those shareholders who are classed as PSCs. There will be a fourteen-day window in which to register their personal code online with the required verification documents and statement.

As with directors, PSCs involved in more than one company will need to register separately for each.

Persons of Significant Control

PSCs are ‘persons of significant control’ who must be registered with Companies House and detailed in the company’s internal PSC register. This will usually include any shareholders who hold 25% or more of the voting rights but also expands to people with the ability to appoint or remove directors and where the shares in a company are held by another corporate entity, the officers or shareholders behind that company who make decisions.  Indeed, any person who can influence the actions of the company (whether a shareholder or not) can be determined to be a PSC.

For purposes of transparency, all PSCs must be noted with Companies House and updated when changes occur. The new requirements coming into force are an excellent prompt to check your PSC register. If you are unsure whether any person who is part of the company, or a connected entity should be listed as a PSC, we can provide advice on who is or isn’t based on your Company structure.

What to do next?

All UK registered Companies should have received an official email sent to their Company’s registered email address with relevant links. However, if this has not arrived, visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house to follow the process to comply with personal identity verification.

Verification is a two-step process which involves confirmation of personal identity at Companies House. A unique personal code will then be provided, which is linked to each role held.

No need to wait!

Although the legal requirements and transition period kicks in on 18th November 2025, any director or shareholder can go ahead and begin the process now through Companies House online to get ahead of the legislation.

Is your Company information up to date?

The additional transparency changes coming into force are an excellent time to review the information held on your company by Companies House, both publicly and privately available. Ensuring that the latest confirmation statement includes details of any changes to share and/or shareholders, and that the directors and PSCs are all accounted for, is essential to prevent falling foul of statutory duties.

Registered addresses, emails and correspondence addresses also need to be kept up to date, as the latest method of correspondence from Companies House by email shows.

As well as keeping filings at Companies House up to date, all companies are obliged to maintain statutory registers, which include details of all past and present directors, shareholders, and PSCs – alongside other records of board meetings, resolutions, charges or debentures and such like.

Neves can help with any queries and checks to ensure that your company filings and books/registers are up to date and compliant with the relevant legislation. If you are uncertain about whether any individual (or corporate entity) should be listed as a PSC, we can also review the structure of your Company to advise on this.

Here are Neves, our expert Commercial Team also provides a wide range of services relating to other Company and Corporate matters. Get in touch with our Commercial Law team by calling 0330 0945 500, emailing info@neves.co.uk or completing our contact form and we'll get back to you.