Directors and people with significant control of UK companies now have to verify their identity with Companies House and quote a personal code. This guide sets out who is affected, the dates, the routes, the code, and what changes (and what does not) when you run KYB on a UK counterparty. Every rule below comes from GOV.UK and the Companies House guidance, listed at the end.
Since 18 November 2025 identity verification is a legal requirement for directors and people with significant control (PSCs) of UK companies. GOV.UK says that date is not a deadline: it marks the start of a 12-month transition period. A person verifies once, free of charge through GOV.UK One Login or through an authorised corporate service provider (ACSP), and receives a Companies House personal code, which they then provide for each role they hold.
There are two routes. In the first you verify directly with Companies House, using GOV.UK One Login, which is free of charge. The service offers verification online with eligible photo ID, with bank or building society details and a National Insurance number, or in person at the Post Office after entering your photo ID details. Accepted photo ID includes a biometric passport from any country, a UK photo driving licence (full or provisional) and a UK biometric residence permit, biometric residence card or Frontier Worker permit. An expired passport cannot be used; an expired driving licence can be used if it expired in the last 90 days, and an expired BRP, BRC or Frontier Worker permit if it expired in the last 18 months.
In the second you ask an authorised corporate service provider (an accountant, solicitor, company formation agent or chartered secretary that is registered with Companies House as an authorised agent) to verify you on your behalf. ACSPs may charge fees.
When you have verified, you receive a unique identifier called a Companies House personal code. GOV.UK states that the code is personal to you, not to your company or to a company you work for. A director gives it when filing a confirmation statement; a PSC gives it through the “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service (gov.uk/guidance/provide-psc-verification), together with a tick to confirm the identity is verified. GOV.UK adds that you may need to share the code with people you trust to file on your behalf or for your company, and that you should keep it secure.
GOV.UK says that failing to comply may be an offence and can lead to a financial penalty or fine. The campaign guidance adds that you will not be able to make any filings for your company or start a new company, and the Companies House guidance lists possible prosecution and being unable to become a director or an ACSP.
Identity verification is about the people behind a company, not about the company record. What a KYB check on a UK counterparty can establish is the same as before: the company’s status and incorporation date, its registered office, its officers and PSCs as filed, its accounts and confirmation-statement due dates, and any insolvency notice. Four practical points follow.
accounts_overdue and strike_off_proposed. Filings are made by the people who hold the roles, and GOV.UK says someone who has not verified may be unable to make filings, so a company that stops filing deserves a closer look. That is a prompt for questions, not proof of a cause.is_beneficial_owner. A change of directors or PSCs between two checks is worth reading, whatever the reason.Scope of the UK data in the API: company record, officers and UK persons with significant control, corporate events, the strike-off and overdue-accounts signal, and corporate insolvency notices (the UK is one of twelve insolvency markets: FR, DE, GB, AT, CH, NO, FI, US, NL, DK, HR, SE). There is no monitoring for the UK and no credit score. Searching officers by name and reading corporate events need a Starter plan or above; a free key has 25 trial calls a month on each.
Who has to verify their identity for Companies House?
Directors and people with significant control of UK companies. New directors verify before they can be appointed or incorporate a company, existing directors confirm it with their next confirmation statement, and PSCs provide their personal code within a 14-day period. Members of LLPs and people who file at Companies House are covered at a later date or by separate guidance; check GOV.UK for the current position.
Is identity verification free?
Verifying directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login is free of charge. An authorised corporate service provider such as an accountant or solicitor can verify you on your behalf and may charge a fee.
What is the Companies House personal code?
A unique identifier you receive after you verify. It is personal to you rather than to a company, and you provide it for each role you hold: a director in the confirmation statement, a PSC through the “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service.
How do I provide PSC verification?
A PSC, or someone providing the details for them, uses the GOV.UK service for PSC verification and enters the personal code and a statement that the identity is verified, within the 14-day period. The period starts when the PSC is added to the register, or at the start of their birthday month if they were already on it before 18 November 2025. An extension of 14 days can be requested before the deadline has passed.
Does the Prometiam API show whether a director has verified?
No. The API returns the company record, officers and PSCs as filed, corporate events, registry-compliance flags and insolvency notices for the UK. It does not return a verification status or a personal code.
Free UK company check · UK company data API · What is Companies House? · Strike-off risk · What is KYB? · KYB API · Beneficial ownership verification · API docs