From 18 November 2025, sweeping changes to UK company law will come into effect, requiring all company directors and persons with significant control (known as “PSCs” which is usually anyone holding more than 25% of the shares and/or voting rights in a company) to verify their identity with Companies House. These changes, introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, aim to improve transparency, reduce fraud, and enhance trust in the UK as a legitimate place to do business.
Whether you’re a seasoned director, newly appointed or considering becoming a director, it’s essential to understand what’s changing, when it’s happening, and how to stay compliant. Crucially, you don’t have to navigate this alone, Gorvins Solicitors is now officially recognised as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) and can help guide you through the new changes and if needs be help verify your identity.
What’s Changing at Companies House?
From 18 November 2025, Companies House will begin enforcing mandatory identity verification for:
- New directors, who must verify their identity before incorporation or appointment;
- Existing directors, who must verify their identity before filing their company’s next confirmation statement;
- Persons with Significant Control, who must verify their identity within 14 days of registration as a PSC or, if already registered, within a timeframe linked to either their birth month (where you are a PSC only) or the relevant company’s confirmation statement date (where the PSC is both a PSC and a director of the company concerned); or
- Members of LLPs, who must verify their identity before appointment as a member of an LLP or the confirmation statement filing date for any LLP of which they are already a member.
The idea is that by November 2026, every company will have had to go through the process of filing a Confirmation Statement which means every director, PSC and LLP member should have completed verification by this point. Companies House estimates that this will involve somewhere between 6 and 7 million individuals who will therefore need to complete verification by November 2026.
Why Is Identity Verification Being Introduced?
The new rules are designed to:
- Prevent fraudulent use of company structures
- Improve the accuracy of the Companies House register (here at Gorvins we frequently see documents filed at Companies House which don’t accurately reflect the actual position), and
- Increase public and investor confidence in UK businesses.
By ensuring that every company has real, verified individuals behind it, Companies House aims to make it harder for criminals to misuse corporate entities.
How Can Directors Verify Their Identity?
There are two approved methods:
- Direct Verification via GOV.UK One Login
This free online service allows individuals to link their GOV.UK One Login with their Companies House e-mail account they use for filing documents with Companies House and to then verify their identity using approved photo ID, such as:
- UK passport or driving licence
- Biometric residence permit, and/or
- EU/EEA ID card.
Once verified, individuals receive a personal code from Companies House, which must be used when filing documents or incorporating companies. If you are both a director and a PSC you will use the same code but will have to use this once in respect of your role as a director and a second time in respect of your role as a PSC.
- Verification via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
An ACSP is a regulated professional — such as a solicitor or accountant — authorised to verify identities on behalf of clients. This route is ideal for:
- Non-UK residents
- Directors with complex documentation (for example if you don’t have a passport or photocard driving licence), or
- Businesses with multiple individuals to verify.
ACSPs must be supervised under UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and meet strict verification standards. They can handle the entire process, from document checks to submission to Companies House, although they may well ask you to go through some form of virtual ID check service provided by a third party which may involve you having to upload photos of your ID and using the camera on your phone to verify a likeness with the photo ID uploaded.
If you don’t have ID documents such as a passport or photocard driving licence then there may be other ways for the ACSP to verify your ID but this may be more complex and involved.
Gorvins Solicitors: Your Trusted ACSP Partner
We’re proud to announce that Gorvins Solicitors has achieved Authorised Corporate Service Provider status. This means we are officially recognised by Companies House to carry out identity verification checks on behalf of directors, PSCs, and LLP members.
As one of the North West’s leading law firms, Gorvins offers:
- Expert guidance through the verification process
- Secure handling of sensitive identity documents
- Compliance assurance with AML regulations, and
- End-to-end support for individuals and businesses.
Our experienced team ensures your verification is completed accurately, efficiently, and in full compliance with the law.
Key Deadlines to Remember
- New directors (appointed after 18 Nov 2025) must verify their identity before appointment.
- Existing directors must verify identity before filing their company’s next confirmation statement.
- New PSCs must verify their identity within 14 days of registration as a PSC.
- Existing PSCs:
- If the PSC is also a director, they will need to verify their identity before 14 days elapse from the date of their company’s confirmation statement date. However, in practice this can be done at the same time as filing the confirmation statement.
- If the PSC is purely a PSC and not also a director, they must verify their identity within the first 14 days of their birth month (i.e. if you were born in February — irrespective of when in February you were born — you will need to complete ID verification by February 14th 2026).
What Happens If You Don’t Comply?
Failure to verify your identity on time will be a criminal offence which can be applied against the person failing to verify their identification and, in certain circumstances, also against the Company linked to the individual and that company’s other directors. Consequences may include:
- Financial penalties (which can be unlimited and include a daily default fine)
- Disqualification from acting as a director; and
- Inability to incorporate or file documents for your company.
What Should You Do Now?
- Check your confirmation statement date to determine your deadline.
- Gather your identity documents (passport, driving licence, etc.).
- Decide whether to verify directly or via an ACSP such as Gorvins Solicitors.
- Contact our team with any queries you may have.
Get in Touch
If you’re a director, PSC, or LLP member and want peace of mind that your identity verification is handled professionally and securely, Gorvins Solicitors is here to help.
For a confidential discussion, contact our corporate team today by calling us at 0161 930 5151, emailing us at enquiries@gorvins.com or by filling in the online form.