Audit1Important: Audit1 is a research and information tool. It is not a statutory audit, a regulated assurance engagement or a substitute for professional verification. Nothing in this article is advice.
Anyone who checks a UK company before doing business will sooner or later meet a change at Companies House: identity verification for the people who run and control companies. This article summarises what the government has said about the programme and offers some thoughts on reading it sensibly alongside other information.
What is changing
According to the government's announcement, Companies House confirmed that mandatory identity verification begins on 18 November 2025. Voluntary verification opened earlier, on 8 April 2025. The announcement describes the aim as giving more assurance about who is setting up, running and controlling companies in the UK, helping to protect against fraud and improving the accuracy of the register.
Who has to verify
- New directors need to verify their identity before they can incorporate a company or be appointed to an existing one.
- Existing directors confirm verification with their next annual confirmation statement, within a 12-month transition period.
- People with significant control (PSCs) who are already registered must verify within 12 months of the mandatory regime starting, with 14-day windows that vary depending on their circumstances.
- Later phases cover limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members and officers of corporate PSCs.
The announcement estimates that the 12-month rollout ends around mid-November 2026, by which time 6 to 7 million individuals are expected to have verified.
How verification works
Individuals can verify for free online through GOV.UK One Login, through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, or in person at a Post Office if they use One Login and have acceptable photo ID. Once verified, a person receives a personal code. From 18 November 2025, they must provide that code and a verification statement for each company role they hold. Once director duties commence, the announcement says, acting as a director without being verified will be an offence, though Companies House says it will take a proportionate approach to enforcement.
Reading the change sensibly
Our reading, which is editorial and not drawn from the announcement, is that identity verification is about who a person is, not about whether a company is sound. A verified director can still run a business that files late, carries heavy charges or is struggling. Equally, while the rollout is under way, some people on the register will have verified and some will not yet have had to. So the presence or absence of verification should be one data point among many.
When you look at a UK company, public-register information can help you ask better questions, including:
- What is the company's status, and when was it incorporated?
- Are accounts and confirmation statements filed on time?
- Who are the current officers and people with significant control, and have there been frequent changes?
- Are there insolvency notices or unsatisfied charges?
None of these questions gives a verdict. They are prompts for further enquiry, and for anything material you should take professional advice.
Where to go next
Read the government announcement and Companies House guidance for current details, since dates and requirements may change. Audit1 aims to turn public register data into a clear report, but any decision about a counterparty should rest on a wider set of checks and on professional verification where it matters.