Companies House has confirmed that new identity verification requirements will be rolled out from 18 November 2025. 

The new requirements are a feature of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) and state that directors and people with significant control (PSCs) of companies will be required to verify their identities. 

According to the announcement from Companies House, from 18 November 2025: 

• new directors will need to verify their identity to incorporate a company or be appointed to an existing company; 

• existing directors will need to confirm they have verified their identity at the same time as they file their next annual confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period; 

• new PSCs will have a 14-day period after they have registered with Companies House to submit a statement confirming they have verified their identity. and

• existing PSCs who are not directors will have to submit a statement confirming that they have verified their identity within a 14-day period starting from the first day of their month of birth.   

Verification can take place through Companies House or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). 

The announcement by Companies House is part of wider plans to implement the ECCTA in full. In addition to introducing the verification rules, Companies House states that by Spring 2026 it will require third party agents filing on behalf of companies to be registered as an ACSP, and will reject documents delivered by disqualified directors unless they are delivered by an ACSP for specified filings permitted by law.  

Looking further ahead, by the end of 2026 it expects to be able to “require all limited partnerships to submit more information, providing greater transparency for users of the register” and “facilitate greater cross-checking of information and data between Companies House and other public and private sector bodies”. 

To read more on Companies House’s plans for the implementation of the ECCTA, click here.