Companies House ID checks: what limited company trades must do

Since 18 November 2025, anyone who is a director of a UK company has had to verify their identity with Companies House. It is part of a crackdown on fake directors and companies set up for fraud.

New directors have to verify before they can act. Existing directors were given a 12-month transition period, which ends in November 2026.

If your van says "Ltd", this is for you. If you trade as a sole trader, it is not.

• Every director of a limited company must verify their identity once.
• Existing directors had to confirm it with the company's first confirmation statement after 18 November 2025. For most, that date has passed.
• Verifying yourself online through GOV.UK is free.
• You get a personal code, which is needed when the company files.
• If you also own or control the company, there is a second, separate step.

• Every director of a UK limited company, including a one-person company where you are the only director.
• People with significant control of the company, usually anyone who owns more than 25% of the shares or controls it. For most one-person trade companies, that is you as well.
• Not sole traders or ordinary partnerships, because they are not registered at Companies House.

• New directors: before they act as a director.
• Existing directors: with the company's first confirmation statement after 18 November 2025. That is the yearly filing that confirms the company's details are up to date.
• Because the statement is yearly, every company's falls somewhere in the 12 months from 18 November 2025, and for most companies it has already passed. If yours has passed and you have not verified, you are already late, so verify today. If yours is still to come, it falls before the transition ends in November 2026.
• You can see the due dates for each of your roles on the Companies House register. Search for your company with the "get information about a company" service on GOV.UK.

Do not leave it until the day the statement is due. If your ID needs extra checks, it can take longer than a few minutes.

• Online through GOV.UK One Login. You need photo ID, such as a passport or a UK photo driving licence, your current address and the year you moved in. It is free.
• If that route does not work for you, there are others, including using your bank or building society details or going to a Post Office. GOV.UK lists what each one needs.
• Or through an authorised agent, such as your accountant. They will still need your ID, and they may charge for it.

Once you are verified, Companies House gives you a personal code. Keep it safe. You, or whoever files for you, will need it for the confirmation statement.

If you are also a person with significant control, you give the code again for that role, in a 14-day window that starts the day after the confirmation statement date.

Plenty of trades leave the confirmation statement to their accountant. That still works, but the accountant cannot file it until every director has verified and they have each director's personal code.

Ask them now when your statement is due and what they need from you.

Companies House can refuse the company's filings, and acting as a director without verifying is a criminal offence.

The first prosecutions have already happened. In September 2026, three directors of two small companies were convicted at magistrates' court. Two had acted as directors while unverified, one had failed to stop a fellow director doing so, and all three were convicted over a late confirmation statement.

Each paid between about £200 and £500 in fines, costs and surcharges. A criminal conviction is a big price for a job that takes minutes.

Expect emails and texts about "Companies House verification" with a link and a fee. Verifying yourself through GOV.UK costs nothing.

Go to GOV.UK yourself rather than following a link, and never give your personal code or ID to anyone you have not chosen to file for you.

• Look up your company on the Companies House register and check the due date for each of your roles.
• Verify through GOV.UK if you have not already.
• Save your personal code somewhere safe.
• Give your code to your accountant if they file for you.
• Put the separate 14-day window in your diary if you also own or control the company.

To your accountant:

Hi [name], can you tell me when my company's confirmation statement is due, and what you need from me for the Companies House identity check? I have verified through GOV.UK and have my personal code ready.