Companies House Identity Verification: The Complete Guide for Directors and PSCs
Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. If you're a company director or a person with significant control, here's exactly what you need to do, by when, and what your personal code is for.
Last updated: 1 September 2026
Don't Ignore That Letter
If you've received an "OVERDUE" notice from Companies House about identity verification, it means your verification (or your personal code) is outstanding and action is required. Failing to verify is a criminal offence and can lead to financial penalties, rejected filings and an annotation on the public register. The good news: for most people the process takes about 15 minutes online and costs nothing.
The short answer
- Verify your identity once via GOV.UK One Login (free) or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider such as your accountant.
- You are issued an 11-character Companies House personal code — it belongs to you, not to a company.
- Directors provide that code on the company's next confirmation statement.
- PSCs provide it through the 'Provide identity verification details for a PSC' service within their 14-day window.
- If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, you must provide the code separately for each role.
Who Needs to Verify Their Identity?
Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, you must verify your identity with Companies House if you are:
- A company director
- The equivalent of a director — including LLP members, general partners and managing officers
- A director of an overseas company registered in the UK
- A person with significant control (PSC)
- An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), also known as a Companies House authorised agent
Identity verification will be extended later to people who file at Companies House, limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members and officers of corporate PSCs.
What Is a PSC?
A Person with Significant Control (PSC) is an individual who meets one or more of the following conditions in relation to a UK company:
- Holds more than 25% of the company's shares
- Holds more than 25% of the company's voting rights
- Has the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors
- Otherwise exercises significant influence or control over the company
For most small limited companies the PSC is simply the main shareholder — often the director themselves. If you own and run your own limited company, there's a very good chance you are both the director and the PSC, and you'll need to provide your personal code twice: once on the confirmation statement, once through the PSC service.
Key Dates and Deadlines
18 November 2025
Mandatory identity verification began. New directors must verify before incorporation or appointment.
Your next confirmation statement
Existing directors must provide their personal code with the company's next confirmation statement filed during the 12-month transition period. One code per director, per company filing.
Your PSC 14-day window
Existing PSCs must provide verification details during a 14-day period tied to an appointed day. Check the exact dates against your company on the Companies House register.
Overseas companies
Must confirm all directors have verified by the anniversary of their UK establishment's registration.
The PSC 14-Day Window Explained
Unlike directors — who supply their personal code on the company's next confirmation statement — people with significant control have their own separate deadline. Each existing PSC is given an appointed day inside the 12-month transition period that began on 18 November 2025, and must provide their verification details within 14 days of it.
- 1Find your appointed day by searching your company on the Companies House register and opening the PSC record.
- 2Verify your identity first — you cannot submit anything without your 11-character personal code.
- 3Submit through the free 'Provide identity verification details for a PSC' service (or form VS01 if you cannot file online).
- 4If you are both a director and a PSC, the confirmation statement does not cover your PSC duty — you must do both.
Miss the window and it is an offence: Companies House can issue a financial penalty and annotate the public register to show the PSC is unverified. If you are already late, verify and file straight away — a late submission is treated far more favourably than none.
What Is the VS01 Form?
VS01 is the Companies House paper form for providing a PSC's identity verification details — sometimes called a verification statement. It does the same job as the online PSC service, just on paper.
For almost everyone, the online service is the better route: it is free, immediate, and there is no postal delay eating into your 14-day window. VS01 is mainly for people who genuinely cannot file online. Either way, the form asks for your 11-character personal code, so you must complete identity verification through GOV.UK One Login, the Post Office or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider before you can submit it.
If you are unsure which route applies to you, or you have received a letter and don't know what it's asking for, send us the letter and we'll tell you exactly what needs filing.
How to Verify Your Identity with Companies House
The process is free, is usually completed in around 15 minutes, and only needs doing once. Here's what to do:
Start on the GOV.UK verification page
Go to gov.uk/guidance/verifying-your-identity-for-companies-house and press Start now. Verification is free.
Sign in with GOV.UK One Login
Create a GOV.UK One Login account (or sign in to an existing one) using an email address you control. Use the same email each time.
Prove who you are
Verify using the GOV.UK One Login app with a biometric passport, by answering security questions online, or in person at a Post Office. Alternatively, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) such as your accountant can verify you.
Get your Companies House personal code
Once verified you are issued an 11-character personal code. Find it by signing in to Companies House and going to 'Manage account'. Verifications completed after 8 July 2026 are also emailed.
Give the code to Companies House in the right place
As a director, provide your personal code on your company's next confirmation statement. As a PSC, provide it using the 'Provide identity verification details for a PSC' service within your 14-day window. If you are both, you must do both.
Your Companies House Personal Code
When your identity check passes, Companies House issues an 11-character personal code. It is personal to you — not to your company — and you reuse the same code for every company where you're a director or PSC. Keep it safe and don't share it publicly.
- Verified with GOV.UK One Login: sign in to Companies House and go to 'Manage account' to view your code. Use the same email address you verified with.
- Verified after 8 July 2026: your code was also sent to your email address.
- Verified at a Post Office: you'll normally get the result by email within a day, then find the code under 'Manage account'.
- Verified through an ACSP: the code was sent to the email address the agent provided.
Your personal code is not the same as your company authentication code — see our guide on where to find your company authentication code.
What Happens If You Don't Verify
Verification is a legal duty, not a suggestion. If you miss your deadline, Companies House can:
- Issue a financial penalty
- Annotate the public register to show you have not verified
- Reject filings — including your confirmation statement, which then becomes overdue
- Pursue prosecution in serious or persistent cases
Because a director's personal code is required on the confirmation statement, one unverified officer can hold up the whole company's annual filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to verify their identity at Companies House?
Directors and equivalents (including LLP members, general partners and managing officers), directors of overseas companies registered in the UK, people with significant control (PSCs), and Authorised Corporate Service Providers. In most cases you only verify once, and the same personal code covers every company you are involved with.
When did Companies House identity verification become compulsory?
Mandatory identity verification began on 18 November 2025. From that date new directors must verify before appointment or incorporation, existing directors confirm verification with their next confirmation statement during a 12-month transition, and existing PSCs verify in line with an appointed day within that same 12-month period.
What is a Companies House personal code?
It is an 11-character code issued once you have verified your identity. It belongs to you, not to a company, and you reuse it for every company where you are a director or PSC. Find it under 'Manage account' after signing in to Companies House.
What is the PSC 14-day period?
PSCs have a 14-day window in which to provide their verification details. The window runs from your 'appointed day' — for existing PSCs this is normally tied to the month of your birthday within the 12-month transition period. The exact dates are shown against your company on the Companies House register.
What is the VS01 form?
VS01 is the Companies House paper form used to provide a PSC's identity verification details (a 'verification statement'). Most people should use the free online 'Provide identity verification details for a PSC' service instead — VS01 exists mainly for those who cannot file online. The form still requires an 11-character personal code, so you must verify your identity first.
What happens if I miss my PSC 14-day deadline?
Missing the 14-day window is an offence by the PSC (and potentially the company). Companies House can issue a financial penalty and annotate the public register to show the PSC is unverified. You should still verify and submit your details as soon as possible — filing late is far better than not filing.
How do I find out when my PSC 14-day window is?
Search your company on the Companies House register and open the PSC's record — the appointed day and verification status are shown there. Companies House also writes to the company's registered office. If you are unsure, ask your accountant to check the register for you.
What happens if I ignore the Companies House identity verification letter?
Failing to verify is a criminal offence. Companies House can issue financial penalties, annotate the public register, reject filings, and in serious cases prosecute. An unverified director or PSC can also block the company's confirmation statement from being accepted.
How do I verify my identity if I do not have a passport?
You can still verify through GOV.UK One Login using other documents and security questions, verify in person at a Post Office, or use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (an accountant or company formation agent registered with Companies House) who can check your documents for you.
How much does Companies House identity verification cost?
Verifying directly through GOV.UK One Login is free. If you choose to verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, that agent may charge a fee for the check.
I am both a director and a PSC — do I verify twice?
You only verify your identity once and receive one personal code, but you must supply that code separately for each role: on the confirmation statement as a director, and through the PSC service as a PSC.
Not Sure If This Applies to You?
If you're unsure whether you're a PSC, or you're stuck part-way through verification, we're here to help. As your accountants in Brentwood, Essex, we can:
- Confirm whether you're classified as a director, PSC, or both
- Walk you through GOV.UK One Login verification step by step
- Make sure your personal code reaches Companies House in the right place, on time
- Handle Companies House correspondence and filings on your behalf
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