In October 2023, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency bill received Royal Assent, enshrining it in the statute books and making it an Act of Parliament. Brought in as an attempt to help reduce the amount of fraudulent information already on the Companies House register, and to prevent fraudulent information from being registered, the Act promised sweeping changes to UK company law, and the processes that align with this. Many of these changes are already in force including:
- registered email addresses for companies
- lawful purposes statements for the confirmation statement
- changes to registered office address requirements
- voluntary identity verification for directors and PSCs
The identity verification checks will become compulsory from 18th November 2025 with a transitional period of 12 months for existing company officers to verify their identity.
Companies House is emailing the registered email addresses for all companies detailing the new identity verification requirements to ensure compliance. Note, emails will come from companies.house@notifications.service.gov.uk. You should take care to ensure that any emails received are legitimate as scammers often pretend to be Companies House. No Companies House emails will ask for payment.
Ways To Verify Your Identity Yourself
1. Via the Gov.UK One Login App
Download the Gov.UK One Login app and register or sign in to your account. Once the app is downloaded, there will be guidance in the app on how to verify your identity which will require one of the following documents:
- a biometric passport from any country
- UK photo driving licence (full or provisional)
- Non-UK passport with biometric chip
- UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
- UK biometric residence card (BRC)
- UK frontier worker permit (FWP)
Any UK passport issued after 2006 will have biometrics.
Using an iPhone?
It must be running iOS 15 or higher, and must be an iPhone 6 or newer to use a driving licence and an iPhone 7 or newer to use any other photo ID.
Using an Android?
Android 10 or higher is required.
2. By Answering Security Questions
Using your Gov.UK One Login account, this method requires you to have a UK passport, UK photocard driving licence or a current account with a bank or building society and answer personal security questions based on contracts, bank accounts, credit cards, loans or mortgages.
3. At a Post Office
Using your Gov.UK One Login account, details from your photo ID of choice will need to be entered. Once completed, you will need to visit a post office branch that offers the ‘in branch verification’ service, where they will scan your ID and take a photo of you. You will then get an email with the result of your identity check, and this is usually sent within a day of verifying with the post office.
For any of the methods listed above, you should make note of your personal code, as this will not be emailed to you. Once completed, your verified identity will be connected to your Gov.UK One Login, and your personal code will be stored in your account. For more information on the methods listed above, read more here.
Verify Your Identity with an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
If you cannot verify your identity yourself, or you are struggling with any of the methods above, you can use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, or ACSP for short. An ACSP is a business (or an individual) who is supervised by a UK Anti-Money laundering supervisory body, and has been approved to be registered as an ACSP. This usually includes accountants, solicitors, or company formation agents such as 1st Choice Incorporations. Each ACSP will have their own method of verification, and there is no comprehensive list online to show who is registered.
As a registered ACSP, we would be happy to assist you and the officers in your company to verify your identities. To get started, contact us today to discuss your requirements and the verification process.
For more information on who needs to verify their identity and what to do once verified, see our Companies House identity verification blog here.
