Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), all company directors and people with significant control (PSCs) must verify their identity with Companies House. This will improve transparency about who runs, owns and controls UK companies and support efforts to tackle economic crime.
Here are our top 10 tips to help you verify your identity and stay compliant.
1. Understand the 2-step process
The most important thing to understand is that identity verification for Companies House happens in two stages.
Step 1:
Verify your identity using GOV.UK One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). Once complete, you’ll receive your Companies House personal code.
Step 2:
Link your personal code to each of your company roles.
If you’re a director and a PSC, or involved in multiple companies, you’ll need to complete step 2 for each role you hold. Verification deadlines vary, so check the Companies House register to confirm when you need to provide your code.
2. Check your Companies House details first
Before you start, check the information Companies House holds for you matches your ID documents. Data mismatches, such as a date of birth that doesn’t match with your ID, will prevent you from being able to complete step 2.
If anything is incorrect, you’ll need to update your details and wait for the changes to be processed, before you provide your personal code. Specific guidance is available for correcting your date of birth with Companies House.
3. Choose a route to verify
You can verify your identity in one of two ways:
- Using the ‘Verify your identity for Companies House’ service.
This free online service uses GOV.UK One Login to verify your identity.
ACSPs are third-party individuals or organisations that undertake Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervised activity, such as an account or solicitor.
If you have an existing accountant or solicitor (or any other AML-supervised professional), you can ask them if they are registered with Companies House as an ACSP. If not, you can find one using the list of Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs).
4. Set up your GOV.UK OneLogin account
To verify online, you’ll need a GOV.UK One Login account. Only one email address can be linked to a GOV.UK One Login.
Even if you verify through an ACSP, setting up a GOV.UK OneLogin account makes it easier to access your personal code later, but it is not a requirement. Make sure the email address you use is the same as the address provided by the ACSP when verifying your identity.
5. Use your personal details to verify
Verification confirms your identity as an individual, not your company role.
When completing the process, always enter your personal information rather than company details.
6. UK One Login decides the best way to verify you
GOV.UK One Login asks a few simple questions and uses your answers to decide the best way for you to verify. This depends on the device you’re using and the ID you have.
You may be guided to one of these options:
- Verify using the GOV.UK One Login app – you’ll need a UK photo card driving licence, UK passport or a non-UK biometric passport and access to a compatible smartphone. This is the quickest way to verify your identity.
- Verify by answering security questions online – you’ll have to answer some security questions about things like your mobile phone contract, bank accounts, credit cards, loans or mortgages you may have. It’s important not to guess this information. You’ll also need to enter details from either a UK passport, UK photocard driving licence or a current account with a UK bank or building society.
To verify at a Post Office – you’ll need to enter details from your photo ID on GOV.UK first and then go to a Post Office that offers ‘in branch verification’, where they’ll scan your photo ID and take a photo of you. You’ll get an email about the result of your identity check – usually within a day of going to the Post Office.
7. Check your device is compatible
If you’re using the GOV.UK One Login app, check your device meets the minimum requirements:
- iPhone: iOS 14 or later
- iPhone 6s or higher if using a driving license to verify
- iPhone 7 or newer for other ID types
- Android: version 10 or later
Doing this ahead of time helps avoid last-minute technical issues.
8. Know where to find your personal code
After you have verified your identity, you’ll receive a personal code.
If you verified using GOV.UK OneLogin, your code will appear on the final screen of the process. Make sure you click continue until it’s shown. You will also be able to view your personal code at any time in the ‘manage account’ section of your Companies House account.
If you verified using an ACSP, your personal code will be emailed to the email address they provided. If you can’t find the email, they can contact us to request it be re-sent.
9. Check when you need to provide your personal code
When you need to provide your personal code depends on your role:
- If you are a director or equivalent – provide your personal code as part of your company’s next confirmation statement, or as part of the registration filing for new companies.
- If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company – as a PSC, provide your code using a separate servicewithin 14 days of your company’s confirmation statement date.
- If you are a PSC but not a director of the same company – provide your personal code within the first 14 days of your birth month.
- New PSCs – provide your code when you’re added to the Companies House register, or within a 14 days.
Remember, most company directors are also PSCs. If that’s you, you’ll need to provide your Companies House personal code twice – once as a director and once as a PSC. As a PSC, the code must be provided within the 14-day period allocated to you, it can’t be done earlier.
10. Ask for help if you need it
If you’re not confident using GOV.UK OneLogin or don’t have access to a suitable device, you can ask someone to help you by:
- Letting you use their phone or computer
- Helping you download and use the app
- Assisting with scanning your ID and taking photos
Find out more about how someone can help you use GO.UK OneLogin.
You can also read AbilityNet’s advice on making your device easier to use. For example, learn how to change the background colour or text size.
For more information and detailed guidance on verifying your identity, go to Identity verification for Companies House – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
