Deadline-driven · Companies House · Updated 24 Sep 2026
Direct answer: if you're a director or person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company, you need to verify your identity with Companies House before 18 November 2026, or risk rejected filings and blocked appointments after that date.
Identity verification became mandatory for new director and PSC appointments on 18 November 2025. Existing directors and PSCs — anyone already appointed before that date — have a one-year transition window to verify, which closes on 18 November 2026. This isn't a proposal or a future consultation; it's a live legal requirement under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, and the transition window is genuinely ending.
Every director and PSC of a UK limited company who hasn't yet completed verification — which, this close to the deadline, is likely to include a meaningful number of small business directors who registered their company some years ago and haven't had a reason to interact with Companies House's new identity system yet.
After the transition window closes, Companies House can reject filings and block new appointments for anyone who hasn't verified. In practice, that can mean a routine confirmation statement or set of annual accounts getting held up — not just a hypothetical edge case, but a real risk for a business that simply hasn't got round to it.
Anyone filing on a company's behalf — including an accountant handling Companies House filings as part of an ongoing engagement — now needs ACSP status themselves, which is worth confirming with whoever currently handles your filings.
Sources: GOV.UK — verify your identity for Companies House, ICAEW — Companies House ID verification changes.
Yes, if you're a director or person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company. Identity verification has been mandatory for new director and PSC appointments since 18 November 2025, and existing directors and PSCs have a transition window that closes on 18 November 2026.
After the transition window closes, Companies House filings can be rejected and new appointments blocked for anyone who hasn't verified — which can hold up routine filings like a confirmation statement or annual accounts, not just new appointments.
Verification can be done directly via GOV.UK using GOV.UK One Login, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) — such as an accountant registered as an ACSP — acting on your behalf.
An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) is a business, such as an accountancy practice, authorised to carry out identity verification and file on a company's behalf. Anyone filing on a company's behalf now needs ACSP status.
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