Companies House Mandatory ID Verification

Mandatory ID verification is soon to be implemented by Companies House for Officers and some Shareholders of UK Companies.

This is a major change to company law, the aim being to prevent fraud and improve the accuracy of company records. This means that before certain filings or appointments can be made, the identity of those listed will need to be confirmed.

If you are a Company Director, Company Secretary or a Person with Significant Control (PSCs), you are in scope for ID verification and you may have already received notification from Companies House either by email or letter.

Verification becomes mandatory from the 18 Nov 2025. Ultimate timings vary depending on role and circumstance. Failure to verify may result in enforcement action by Companies House.

Who is in scope for your Company

If you are uncertain about who may be required to verify their identity for your Company, you can use the link below to search for your Company name, and click on the ‘People’ tab of your Company listing.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/

Online verification

If you fall into one of the categories in scope for ID verification, you can now complete this process yourself — no need to wait for an email invitation or to use an accountant.

Here is a link to the process as it stands. Be advised, this rollout is in it’s infancy and can be subject to change.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/verify-your-identity-for-companies-house

Once you’ve successfully verified your identity, you will be emailed a personal code.

If you are a client of this Practice, you will need to share this code with me by Fri 19^th Dec 2025 in order for me to be able to file on behalf of your Company without interruption.

If you’re having difficulty using this service

If you do not have appropriate documents available, or are having trouble with this service, you can verify your identity in person at any UK post office. Further details can be found below:

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/identity/govuk-one-login

Using this Practice to verify your identity

This Practice has successfully cleared the approval process to become an authorised agent of Companies House Identity Verification. This status is known as Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).

If you would prefer me to provide ID verification on your behalf, I can do so.

This service will be open for existing clients until Fri 19^th Dec 2025 to ensure that filing deliverables in 2026 and beyond are not interrupted. Beyond this date your Company filings may not be possible.

For new clients, this process will be administered during the onboarding / incorporation phase.

For readers who are not representatives of Companies of this Practice, who need assistance with ID verification, please contact me via the contacts page of the website: https://www.kingstonandco.org/contact, as more information will need to be collected.

Due to the costs involved in maintaining the accreditation, and the time it takes to perform the process, a small admin fee would apply per individual.

If you would like to enquire about this service, I invite you to email me at james@kingstonandco.org

Final points to note

I appreciate this is another job to do, and a bit of a faff. But I urge you not to ignore this as I fear Companies House will be quick to dish out repercussions.

There is a transition period however and if you follow the process and stick to the timescales above you will stay on the right side of the rollout.

If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.