Companies House ID verification: the 17 November 2026 checklist for directors
If you are a director or person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company and you haven't verified your identity with Companies House, you have about six weeks left. The 12-month transition period under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 closes on 17 November 2026, and Companies House has signalled it will move to enforcement.
The numbers suggest many businesses are behind. Companies House data published in July 2026 showed that by the end of June only 55% of directors, 50% of LLP members and 42% of PSCs had told Companies House they were verified (Law Debenture).
Who has to verify
Every existing director, LLP member and PSC on the register — roughly 6 to 7 million people. New directors and PSCs have had to verify at the point of appointment since 18 November 2025. Verification is personal: your accountant can help, but they cannot simply tick it off for you.
What happens if you miss it
Unverified individuals face restrictions on Companies House filings, financial penalties, difficulty making appointments or changes, and a public mark on the register. For a growing company, the practical risk is a blocked confirmation statement or a delayed director change in the middle of a fundraise or acquisition.
Two things that have not changed the deadline
Neither delay moves the 17 November date for existing directors and PSCs.
- Presenter verification — the separate requirement for anyone filing documents to be verified — has slipped to no earlier than November 2026 (Irwin Mitchell).
- Software-only accounts filing, which removes abridged and filleted accounts for small companies, is now expected around April 2028 (Learnsignal).
The six-step checklist
- 1.List every person on every entity. Pull the register for each UK company and LLP in your group, including dormant and holding companies.
- 2.Check names against passports. Mismatches between the register and ID documents are the most common cause of records still showing "unverified". Correct the register first.
- 3.Choose a route. Verify free through GOV.UK One Login, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) such as an accountant or law firm.
- 4.Collect personal codes. Each verified person receives a Companies House personal code. Store them centrally; you'll need them at filings.
- 5.Align with your confirmation statement date. Existing directors provide their code when the company files its next confirmation statement — know which entity's date falls first.
- 6.Confirm on the register. Check the public record shows each person as verified, not just that the email arrived.
Overseas directors: start now
UK subsidiaries of Indian and US groups often have directors who live abroad and rarely log in to UK systems. They can verify remotely, but name formats, document types and time zones add days. If your UK entity has a director in Gurugram, Bengaluru or New York, treat this as this week's task, not November's.
How Step 1 Advisors helps
Our Strategic Remote Accounting team already runs the statutory calendar for UK entities of cross-border groups. We map every director and PSC across your group, flag register mismatches, and line verification up with your confirmation statement dates — so a compliance deadline never becomes a deal delay. Book a 45-minute diagnostic call.