Gary Gray

The identity verification requirements form part of a suite of strengthened corporate governance and transparency measures being implemented under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA).

Companies House said the identity verification regime, which it expects between six and seven million people to fall subject to, “will help to deter people intending to use companies for illegal purposes”, as well as “reduce the risk of fraud” and “improve transparency, trust and accuracy of information on the Companies House register”.

Large organisations could have hundreds or even thousands of individuals that could be in-scope of the new requirements and might benefit from support in identifying and then verifying those people.

In the long run, the new identity verification requirements will improve the veracity of the information available on Companies House about companies and the people that run them. In the short-term, however, there is a task ahead for businesses – particularly, large organisations – in terms of ensuring they identify all the relevant individuals subject to verification and then undertaking that verification process.

The identity verification requirements will apply from 18 November. Directors, and those equivalent of directors – such as LLP members – and people who own or control a company, known as “persons with significant control” or beneficial owners, are among the first wave of people in-scope of the requirements.

Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) which are Companies House authorised agents, as well as anyone who completes filings on behalf of a company, such as company secretaries, will also have to complete the identity verification requirements.

In the countdown to November, businesses should accelerate their identity verification plans and ACSPs, like Pinsent Masons, are well placed to support with this exercise.

The verification process entails providing a personal code and a verification statement. Companies House has published guidance that explains when the verification requirements will have to be met in individual cases.

“We are phasing in identity verification over 12 months to provide the best support to all companies and individuals in scope of this new requirement,” Companies House said in a statement. “We estimate that six to seven million individuals will need to verify their identity by mid-November 2026. For most people this will be a one-off process that can be done in a few minutes.

“We will contact companies to tell them what their directors and PSCs need to do to meet identity verification requirements. We encourage individuals to verify their identities as early as possible. From 18 November, directors and PSCs will also be able to check the Companies House register to see identity verification due dates for all their roles,” it added.

Identity verification obligations will be extended further “at a later date”, Companies House confirmed, adding that limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate members of limited liability partnerships, officers of corporate PSCs, and people who file at Companies House, will be brought in-scope at that stage.

Gary Gray is a legal director at Pinsent Masons