Companies House Identity Verification: Your Real Deadline, Explained (2026 Guide)

Written by: Huzaifa Aziz

If you have been searching for your Companies House identity verification deadline, you have almost certainly encountered the same figure repeated across dozens of articles, accountancy blogs, and formation agent websites: 18 November 2026. That date is not wrong, but it is dangerously misleading. For the vast majority of UK directors, PSCs, and LLP designated members, the real, legally operative deadline by which they must have their identity verified is determined by a company-specific event that will arrive months before the November 2026 backstop.

This guide breaks down the actual mechanics of the identity verification regime introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA), explains exactly how your deadline is determined by your role, your appointment date, and your company's confirmation statement cycle, and shows you how to use the calculator above to compute the date that matters to you.

1. Why There Isn't One Universal Deadline

The identity verification requirement was introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA), the most significant reform of UK company law in over a decade. The Act gave Companies House extensive new powers to verify the identity of every director, PSC, and other key individuals involved in UK company and LLP filings. The overarching purpose is to improve the accuracy and trustworthiness of the Companies House register, making it harder for bad actors to incorporate shell structures with fabricated identities.

18 November 2025 is the date the identity verification requirement officially started. It is not a deadline. From this date forward, Companies House began requiring identity verification for new appointments and incorporations. For people already in roles before this date, Parliament provided a 12-month transition period running from 18 November 2025 to 18 November 2026. This transition period exists to allow Companies House to absorb millions of verification requests in a phased, manageable way, rather than creating a single-day bottleneck.

The 18 November 2026 date that most articles reference is the backstop at the end of this transition period. It is the date by which absolutely everyone must have verified their identity, regardless of other circumstances. However, the legislation does not say you may wait until 18 November 2026. Instead, for most directors and PSCs, the requirement attaches to a company-level event that will almost certainly occur before that backstop: the filing of a confirmation statement.

2. The Full Deadline Matrix by Role

The identity verification deadline depends on three variables: your role, whether you were already in that role before 18 November 2025, and your company's confirmation statement date.

New Directors (appointed on or after 18 November 2025)

If you are appointed as a director on or after 18 November 2025, you must verify your identity before your appointment can be registered at Companies House. There is no grace period, no countdown, and no confirmation-statement dependency. Identity verification is a prerequisite for the appointment itself. The same applies to new LLP designated members and PSCs from this date onward.

Worked example: Your company appoints you as a director on 15 January 2026. Before the company can file the AP01 appointment form with Companies House, you must have completed identity verification through either GOV.UK One Login or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) and received your personal code.

Existing Directors (appointed before 18 November 2025)

If you were already a director before 18 November 2025, your verification deadline is tied to your company's next confirmation statement filed during or after the transition period. You must have your identity verified, and your personal code entered against the company, by the time that confirmation statement is filed. Since most companies file their confirmation statement annually on the anniversary of incorporation, this creates a rolling, company-specific deadline that is almost always earlier than the 18 November 2026 backstop.

Worked example: You have been a director since 2019. Your company's confirmation statement date is 15 March 2026. Under the new rules, your identity must be verified and your personal code filed before that March 2026 statement is submitted - a full eight months before the widely cited November 2026 backstop.

New PSCs (registered on or after 18 November 2025)

A Person with Significant Control registered on or after 18 November 2025 must complete verification within 14 days of their registration date. Like new directors, this is effectively an immediate requirement. If the PSC fails to verify within 14 days, they are committing a criminal offence under the ECCTA provisions.

Existing PSCs (already a PSC before 18 November 2025)

For PSCs who were already registered before 18 November 2025, the 14-day verification window is triggered by the company's confirmation statement date. Once the confirmation statement date arrives, the PSC has exactly 14 calendar days from that date to verify their identity and ensure the personal code is filed.

Worked example: You have been a PSC since 2021. Your company's confirmation statement date is 1 June 2026. Your 14-day window runs from 1 June to 15 June 2026. If you have not verified by 15 June 2026, you are in breach.

Director Who Is Also a PSC of the Same Company

This is straightforwardly the most aggressive scenario. Both the director deadline (confirmation statement date) and the PSC deadline (confirmation statement date + 14 days) run in parallel. Since the director deadline is the confirmation statement date itself, and the PSC deadline is 14 days after that same date, the director deadline will always be the earlier, governing deadline. A single personal code satisfies both roles, but you must meet the earlier of the two trigger dates.

LLP Designated Members

LLP designated members are treated identically to directors under the ECCTA framework. Their verification deadline is tied to the LLP's next confirmation statement date, and the same transition-period rules apply.

3. Step-by-Step: GOV.UK One Login vs Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)

There are two routes to verify your identity with Companies House. Choosing the right route depends on your circumstances, particularly your residency status and what identity documents you hold.

Route 1: GOV.UK One Login (Free, Self-Service)

This is the default, recommended route for most UK-resident directors. It is entirely free and can be completed online in approximately 15 minutes. You will need a UK passport, UK driving licence, or biometric residence permit (BRP) that matches the details held on the Companies House register. The system uses facial recognition and document scanning to verify your identity. Upon successful verification, you receive a Companies House personal code, which you then file against each company where you hold a relevant role.

Common failure point: The personal details on your Companies House record must exactly match the details on your identity document. The most frequent cause of verification failure is a mismatch in the month of birth format. If your Companies House record shows "Jan" but GOV.UK One Login reads "January" from your passport, the system may reject the match. Before verifying, log in to your Companies House WebFiling account and confirm that your name, date of birth, and nationality are recorded exactly as they appear on your ID.

Route 2: Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)

If you are a non-UK resident, or if you do not hold a UK passport, driving licence, or BRP, you will need to verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. An ACSP is a regulated professional, typically an accountant, solicitor, or company formation agent, who has been approved by Companies House to carry out identity checks on their behalf. ACSPs can accept a wider range of identity documents, including foreign passports and national identity cards.

The cost varies by provider and typically ranges from GBP 30 to GBP 100. Processing times are usually 1-5 working days. The ACSP route is essential for overseas directors of UK companies who cannot use GOV.UK One Login because they do not have a UK-issued identity document.

The Personal Code

Whichever route you use, the output is a Companies House personal code. This code is unique to you as an individual and can be reused across multiple companies. However, the code must be filed individually against each company or LLP where you hold a relevant role. Filing the code against Company A does not automatically satisfy the requirement for Company B. Each company filing is a separate action.

4. The Multi-Directorship Rule, Explained Properly

This is the single most misunderstood aspect of the identity verification regime, and the primary reason we built the multi-company feature into the calculator above.

Verification happens once. You go through the identity verification process (GOV.UK One Login or ACSP) a single time. You receive one personal code. That code is yours for life, in the same way a National Insurance number is.

But the code must be filed against each company individually, by that company's own deadline. This means a person with three directorships has three separate deadlines, one per company, each determined by that company's confirmation statement date. The person's real, binding deadline is the earliest of the three.

Worked multi-company example: Sarah is a director of three companies. Company A has a confirmation statement date of 20 February 2026. Company B's is 15 July 2026. Company C's is 1 October 2026. Sarah's governing deadline is 20 February 2026 - the earliest date. She must have her identity verified and personal code filed against Company A by that date. She can then file the same code against Companies B and C any time before their respective deadlines. If Sarah waits until July thinking she has time, she will have already missed her real deadline by five months.

5. What Happens If You Miss Your Deadline

The consequences differ depending on your role, but they are universally serious.

PSCs: Criminal Offence

A Person with Significant Control who fails to verify their identity within the applicable 14-day window commits a criminal offence under the ECCTA. This is not a civil penalty or a late-filing fee. It is a criminal offence that can result in prosecution. The legislation is deliberately structured to impose the harshest consequence on PSCs because the PSC register is one of the UK's primary anti-money-laundering tools.

Directors and LLP Members: Filing Rejection Cascade

For directors and LLP designated members, the immediate consequence is that Companies House will reject the confirmation statement and any other filings until the director's identity has been verified. This creates a domino effect: the confirmation statement cannot be filed, annual accounts may be delayed, and the company risks falling into a compliance backlog that triggers late-filing penalties and, eventually, strike-off proceedings.

What to Do If You Are Already Past Your Window

If you have already missed your deadline, the priority is to verify immediately. Complete the GOV.UK One Login process or contact an ACSP without delay. Once verified, file your personal code against the company and submit the outstanding confirmation statement. Companies House has indicated that it will adopt a proportionate enforcement approach during the early transition period, but this leniency is not guaranteed and should not be relied upon as a long-term strategy.

6. Frequently Overlooked Edge Cases

Dormant or Non-Trading Companies

Directors and PSCs of dormant or non-trading companies are fully in scope. The identity verification requirement is tied to the register, not to trading activity. If your company exists on the Companies House register and you are listed as a director or PSC, you must verify your identity by your company's confirmation statement date, regardless of whether the company has ever traded, has zero revenue, or is being held as a shell for future use.

Multiple Companies with Clustered Confirmation Statements

If you hold directorships at several companies whose confirmation statement dates fall close together, you effectively have a single, tight window to verify and file your code across all of them. Unlike payroll or accounting deadlines, there is no staggering mechanism. The calculator above handles this by computing all deadlines and surfacing the earliest one.

Third-Party Filing Agents and Future ECCTA Phases

People who present documents to Companies House on behalf of others, such as accountants and company secretaries acting as filing agents, will also need to verify their identity in future phases of ECCTA implementation. However, this requirement is not expected to come into force before November 2026 and does not affect the current transition period for directors and PSCs.

7. The "Birth Month Rule": The Hidden Deadline for Non-Director PSCs

While much of the ECCTA 2023 guidance focuses on Confirmation Statement dates, there is a massive, widely misunderstood exception for Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) who are NOT also directors of the company.

If you are an existing PSC but do not sit on the board of directors, your identity verification deadline is not tied to the company's Confirmation Statement. Instead, Companies House has implemented the "Birth Month Rule".

How the 14-Day Birth Month Window Works

For non-director PSCs, your mandatory 14-day window to submit your verification statement and Companies House Personal Code opens on the first day of your month of birth occurring after 18 November 2025.

• Example A (January Birthday): If you were born on January 15th, your 14-day compliance window opens on 1 January 2026. You must submit your verified personal code by 14 January 2026.
• Example B (December Birthday): If you were born on December 3rd, your 14-day window opens on 1 December 2025 and closes exactly two weeks later on 14 December 2025.

8. Overseas Directors & The GOV.UK One Login Barrier

Companies House pushes the GOV.UK One Login app as the primary, free method for identity verification. However, this self-service route has a strict technological limitation that freezes out thousands of international stakeholders.

The Biometric Passport Limitation

To use the free GOV.UK One Login route, you must possess a valid UK biometric passport, a UK biometric residence permit (BRP), or a frontier worker permit.

If you are an overseas director (e.g., a US, EU, or UAE resident acting as a director for a UK subsidiary) and you do not hold a UK-issued biometric ID, the GOV.UK app will reject your application.

The ACSP Solution (Authorised Corporate Service Providers)

If you cannot use the One Login app, you are legally required to verify your identity through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).

• What is an ACSP? An ACSP is a UK-regulated professional (such as a chartered accountant, solicitor, or company formation agent) who is registered with Companies House and supervised under UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations.
• How it works: The ACSP will conduct a manual or third-party digital check of your international passport, national ID card, and proof of address. Once they verify you, the ACSP securely transmits confirmation to Companies House on your behalf, generating your Personal Code.
• Cost: Unlike the free GOV.UK route, ACSPs charge a professional fee (typically ranging from GBP 25 to GBP 150 per director) for taking on the legal liability of verifying your identity.

9. The "One Code, Multiple Filings" Trap for Serial Entrepreneurs

A frequent point of confusion for individuals holding multiple corporate appointments is whether they need to verify their identity multiple times.

The Rule: You only verify your identity once. Upon successful verification, Companies House issues you a unique, permanent Personal Code.

The Filing Nightmare

While you only verify once, you must submit that exact same Personal Code on every single company filing associated with your name, according to each individual company's unique deadline.

Scenario: The Serial Director

Imagine you are a director of three separate UK Limited Companies:

1. Company A: Next Confirmation Statement due on 5 February 2026.
2. Company B: Next Confirmation Statement due on 12 May 2026.
3. Company C: Next Confirmation Statement due on 30 September 2026.

Your Action Plan: You must verify your identity via GOV.UK One Login before 5 February 2026 to satisfy Company A's deadline. You will receive your Personal Code.

• In February, you (or your accountant) must input that code onto Company A's Confirmation Statement.
• In May, you must provide that same code for Company B's filing.
• In September, you must provide the same code again for Company C.

10. Form PSCV01: How PSCs Actually Submit Their Code

Directors submit their personal codes simply by attaching them to the company's standard Confirmation Statement (Form CS01). However, PSCs have a completely different filing mechanism.

To legally satisfy the identity verification requirement, a PSC (or the company acting on their behalf) must file a specific verification statement with Companies House using the newly designated PSC forms (such as Form PSCV01).

The Disconnect Between Verification and Notification

1. Step 1 (Verification): The PSC verifies their identity via the GOV.UK app and receives their Personal Code.
2. Step 2 (Notification - The Missing Link): The PSC must actively notify Companies House of this code using the PSCV01 portal within their 14-day window.

Simply receiving the email from GOV.UK that your identity is "verified" does not mean you have complied with the law. You have not complied until the code is formally attached to your PSC record on the public register.

11. Discrepancies and Rejections: When Your Code Doesn't Match

One of the most common reasons Confirmation Statements will be rejected in 2026 is due to historical data discrepancies.

When you submit your Personal Code, Companies House's automated system cross-references the verified data from your biometric passport (via One Login) against the historical data currently sitting on the public register for your directorship.

Common Mismatch Triggers

• Middle Names: Your passport includes your middle name (e.g., "James Robert Smith"), but you were registered at Companies House ten years ago simply as "James Smith".
• Date of Birth Errors: A typo was made during incorporation, and your birth month on the public register is off by one digit compared to your passport.
• Maiden Names: You changed your surname after marriage, updated your passport, but never updated your director record at Companies House.

The Fix: If the system detects a mismatch, it will reject the verification attachment. You must log into your Companies House WebFiling account and submit an official "Change of Director's Details" form (CH01) to update the public register so it perfectly matches your biometric ID before you can successfully file your Confirmation Statement.

Disclaimer: This tool and guide are for general information only, are not a substitute for legal advice, and the reader should confirm their specific position against current GOV.UK guidance before relying on any computed date. Companies House rules and systems are subject to change. Last verified: August 2026.