In short: identity verification has been a legal requirement for every new director and person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company since 18 November 2025. Existing directors and PSCs have a 12-month transition period that ends in November 2026: each existing director must provide a Companies House personal code with the company’s next confirmation statement, and each PSC within their own 14-day window. Overseas directors are not exempt and can verify from any country through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) such as TaxDigit.
Who has to verify
Companies House guidance lists the roles that must verify now: directors (and their equivalents, such as LLP members and general partners), directors of overseas companies registered in the UK, people with significant control, and anyone applying to be an ACSP. Verification for people who merely file at Companies House, and for corporate directors, limited partnerships and officers of corporate PSCs, is being introduced later, with at least six months’ notice.
The dates that matter
- 18 November 2025: verification became mandatory for new directors and PSCs, and the 12-month transition period for existing ones began.
- Existing directors: provide your personal code in the company’s next confirmation statement. A confirmation statement is due at least every 12 months, so every existing director’s due date falls inside the transition period.
- Overseas companies with a UK establishment: confirm that all directors have verified by the anniversary of the UK establishment’s registration.
- PSCs: 14 days starting the day after the confirmation statement date if you are also a director of that company; otherwise the first 14 days of your birth month. If you became a PSC after 18 November 2025, within 14 days of being added to the register.
- New companies: every director’s personal code is required as part of the incorporation filing.
Two ways to verify, one of them from any country
You can verify directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login, using the app, security questions or photo ID details followed by a visit to a participating Post Office. Or you can ask an ACSP to verify you. Companies House says of the ACSP route: “You can do this from any country.” The agent must be registered with a UK anti-money laundering supervisory body and must meet the same level of assurance as Companies House itself.
TaxDigit is a registered ACSP (AP019483) and carries out the check in-house through its own verification platform, so an overseas director does not need a UK address, a UK phone number or a Post Office visit. Once you have verified, you receive your personal code and we request it from Companies House for use in the company’s filings.
What happens if you miss it
Companies House states that failing to comply on time may be an offence, punishable by a financial penalty or prosecution, and that continuing to act as a director without complying is a further offence for the director, the company and its other directors. In practice the first thing that breaks is the confirmation statement: it cannot be filed until every director is verified, and a missed confirmation statement carries a fine of up to £5,000 and the risk of strike-off. Companies House has also said that an unverified person will in future be unable to be appointed as a director, register a new company or register as an ACSP, and that a note will be published against their name on the register.
What overseas owners of UK companies should do this month
- Check your company’s confirmation statement date on the Companies House register.
- List every director and PSC, including those living abroad, and confirm who has already verified.
- Have anyone still unverified complete the check now, through GOV.UK One Login or through an ACSP, rather than in the week the confirmation statement is due.
- Keep each personal code securely and give it only to the person preparing your filings.
Two other UK dates fall in the same window: HMRC must receive paper Self Assessment returns for 2025/26 by 11:59pm on 31 October 2026 (online returns by 31 January 2027), and the Chancellor has confirmed the Budget for Wednesday 28 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to verify my identity with Companies House if I live outside the UK?
Yes. The requirement applies to every director and PSC of a UK company and to the directors of overseas companies with a UK establishment, wherever they live. You can verify through GOV.UK One Login, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) from any country.
When is the deadline for existing directors?
Existing directors must provide their Companies House personal code as part of the company’s next confirmation statement. Because every company must file a confirmation statement at least every 12 months, every existing director’s due date falls within the 12-month transition period that began on 18 November 2025. Check your company’s confirmation statement date on the Companies House register and verify before it.
When is the deadline for PSCs?
A PSC who is also a director of the same company provides the code within 14 days starting the day after the company’s confirmation statement date. A PSC who is not a director provides it within the first 14 days of their birth month. Someone who became a PSC after 18 November 2025 provides it when added to the register or within 14 days of being added.
What is a Companies House personal code?
It is the unique identifier you receive once your identity has been verified. It belongs to you, not to any company, and you need it for confirmation statements, director appointments and PSC filings. You only verify once, and you should share the code only with people you trust, such as your accountant.
What happens if a director does not verify in time?
Failing to comply on time may be an offence leading to a financial penalty or prosecution, and continuing to act as a director after the deadline without complying is itself an offence. The company cannot file its confirmation statement until all of its directors are verified, which in turn risks a fine and strike-off. Companies House has also said a note will be published against the person’s name on the public register.
Can TaxDigit verify my identity remotely?
Yes. TaxDigit is a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider (AP019483) and carries out Companies House identity checks in-house for UK and overseas directors and PSCs, remotely, in English. We then request the personal code from Companies House and handle the confirmation statement filing where we act for the company.
How TaxDigit can help
We verify directors and PSCs as a Companies House authorised agent, provide a UK registered office and act as the company’s agent with Companies House and HMRC, so an overseas-owned UK company stays compliant without anyone being resident in the UK. See our company formation and ID verification service, the guide to setting up a UK company from abroad, and our page for UK accountants for non-residents. Sources: Companies House guidance “Verifying your identity for Companies House” and “When you need to verify your identity for Companies House” (updated 30 July 2026), and the GOV.UK changes to UK company law campaign page.