How Existing UK Directors’ Identity Checks Tie to the Next Confirmation Statement

UK law now requires directors and people with significant control (PSCs) to verify their identity with Companies House. The requirement took effect on 18 November 2025, and government guidance treats that date as the start of a 12-month transition period rather than a deadline.

For existing directors, the due date is tied to the company’s next confirmation statement. Law Debenture gives 17 November 2026 as the end of the transition period. The rules for each role and each company are set out below, along with the figures reported so far and the consequences of missing the requirement.

Who Must Verify and What Sets Each Due Date

The requirement covers new and existing company directors and PSCs. Hill Dickinson says LLP members follow the same rules as directors.

For existing directors, the personal code must be provided as part of the company’s next confirmation statement. A director of more than one company provides the code for each company, according to the government guidance.

A PSC who is not also a director must provide the code within the first 14 days of their birth month. A PSC who is also a director of the same company provides the code separately for each role: as a director in the confirmation statement, and as a PSC through the ‘Provide identity verification details for a PSC’ service within 14 days starting the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.

Because timing depends on the role, one person can hold several obligations with different dates. The government guidance says verification timing depends on the role a person holds, so a director who is also a PSC has to track both.

Companies House said it would contact companies directly with individual dates. It also said that from 18 November 2025, directors and PSCs could check the register to see the due dates for all of their roles.

One Code per Company
Under the government guidance, a director of more than one company must provide their Companies House personal code for each company, as part of that company’s next confirmation statement.

How Identity Verification Is Completed

The main route is online through GOV.UK One Login. That route requires a photo ID: a biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence, a UK biometric residence permit or residence card, or a UK Frontier Worker permit.

A person without one of those documents can verify with bank or building society details, which requires a National Insurance number and answers to security questions. The other option is an in-person check at a Post Office. Expired documents cannot be used for either route.

The Post Office route begins online. Photo ID details must be entered through the service first, so even a person who will attend a branch starts the process on GOV.UK One Login.

Verification can also be completed through an authorised corporate service provider (ACSP), such as an accountant or solicitor, who verifies the person on their behalf.

Companies House said verification can usually be completed in minutes. The person then receives a personal code, and must provide it with a verification statement for each company role they hold.

Progress Toward the Transition Deadline

Companies House estimates that roughly 6 to 7 million existing individuals, covering directors, PSCs and LLP members, must verify before the transition period ends, Law Debenture reports.

According to Law Debenture, Companies House management information published on 30 July 2026, covering April to June 2026, shows that 55 percent of directors had informed Companies House of their verified identity by the end of June. Law Debenture also says that, on current figures, approximately three in ten directors still need to complete the process.

The director figure and the wider estimate measure different groups. The 6 to 7 million estimate includes PSCs and LLP members as well as directors.

In its 3 November 2025 announcement, the government said more than 1 million individuals had verified since the voluntary rollout started in April.

What Happens if Verification Is Missed

Hill Dickinson summarises the rules that apply from 18 November 2025. A person cannot act as a director or LLP member unless verified before the company submits its confirmation statement. If that person keeps acting and the company or LLP allows it, both commit a criminal offence. Companies House may also impose civil penalties.

Acts taken by an unverified director or LLP member remain valid, Hill Dickinson says.

Law Debenture says acting as a director without verified identity is an offence under ECCTA. Once the transition period closes, Companies House plans to move from a supportive approach to enforcement. Its 2026-27 business plan sets a target that all companies will have met identity verification requirements linked to their confirmation statement, or be on an appropriate pathway to compliance or enforcement action, by the end of the financial year.

Possible consequences listed by Law Debenture include restrictions on Companies House filings, financial penalties, difficulty making appointments or changes, a public marking on the register and, in serious cases, disqualification or further legal action. Law Debenture reports no indication of a significant grace period after the deadline.

Once the transition period closes, Companies House plans to move from a supportive approach to enforcement.

Checking Due Dates on the Public Register

The government guidance says the transition period gives companies time to make sure every director and PSC has verified by their due dates. It sets 18 November 2025 as the start of a 12-month transition period.

Law Debenture gives 17 November 2026 as the end. The register shows each person’s own due dates for their roles.

Verification is needed for every company role a person holds. A director of several companies therefore has more than one filing to track, one for each company.

Corporate LLP Members and Rules Still to Come

The government guidance says corporate members of LLPs will be brought into identity verification at a later date. It does not give a date for that step.

Companies House chief executive Andy King said in November 2025 that one million identities verified ‘is an important milestone, but it’s only the beginning.’