Six months into Companies House identity verification process

Today (18 May 2026) marks six months since identity verification provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) came into force and became mandatory at Companies House. Kerry Southworth, senior associate solicitor in our corporate team, takes a look at the response so far.

The numbers so far

We are now at the midpoint of the 12-month transition period, which runs to 17 November 2026.

When verification became mandatory, Companies House estimated that six to seven million individuals must undertake verification. It has been reported that, at the halfway mark, roughly only a third of those individuals have completed the process.

Our team tested multiple ways to verify and, overall, the process is relatively pain-free. The most common method to verify is via the GOV.UK Identity Document Checking App, and the average completion time is roughly 2.4 minutes.

Even for those needing to use the Post Office or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, reports suggest that the earlier issues have been resolved, and these verifiers are streamlining their service, making the process quicker for the individuals.

As a reminder of the process, individuals will only ever need to verify one time. Once they have done that, they will receive a personal code and that code can be used across all their directorships and PSC registrations.

Frequent issues

Despite the process to verify becoming more streamlined, a range of recurring issues have caused significant frustration for individuals when they go to notify Companies House of their code.

These are the problems we are seeing most frequently.

1. The verification system checks for an exact match between the name on the individual’s identity document and their name as recorded at Companies House. Passports typically show a full legal name (for example, “William George Jones”), whereas Companies House records often show a preferred or shortened name (“Bill Jones”). This mismatch causes rejections and correcting this requires updated filings to Companies House to correctly update the name.
2. If the date of birth on the Companies House register does not match the identity document, the personal code cannot be linked to the appointment. Correcting this requires updated filings to Companies House to correctly update the date of birth.
3. The automated system struggles where names have changed through marriage or deed poll, particularly where the individual has not yet obtained an updated identity document. Until the name on the identity document and the register align, verification will fail.
4. A slightly comical result of the varied deadlines is that the system does not allow early submission of verification codes, even where all information is ready. As such, individuals will need to hold onto their code and upload it at the right time.

Practical steps

During the 12-month transition period, Companies House has confirmed it will not prosecute for failure to complete verification. The emphasis is on education and engagement, not punishment.

With six months remaining before enforcement powers take full effect, the following steps are essential:

1. Before attempting verification, ensure the name and date of birth on the register match your identity document exactly. Correcting discrepancies requires paper filings and can take weeks.
2. Verify your identity now and obtain your personal code. You can verify at any time; the submission window merely governs when you provide the code to Companies House against specific appointments.
3. Your company’s next confirmation statement filing after 18 November 2025 is when the personal code must be included. This is the trigger for existing director deadlines.
4. For PSCs who are not directors, the 14-day period starts from the first day of their month of birth. For example, if date of birth is recorded as August 1992, the window opens on 1 August 2026.
5. Individuals need only verify once but must submit the same personal code separately for each company where they hold a directorship or PSC position.

If you need any advice on the identity verification process, get in touch with our corporate team on 01772 258 321.