Companies House Identity Verification Part 2

There is a new legal requirement for a company’s people with significant control (PSC’s) to verify their identity for Companies House, and to confirm that they have done so.

Why do PSC’s need to verify their identity?

This is a new legal requirement under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. All company directors and PSC’s must verify their identity to prove that they are who they say they are. This has been introduced to help prevent people using companies for illegal purposes.

Who needs to do this, and when

All PSC’s will need to do this.

There is a 14 day period during which each PSC must confirm their identity is verified. For PSC’s that are also directors of this company, it’s based on the company’s confirmation statement date. For PSC’s that are not directors of a company, it’s the first 14 days of their birth month.

How to meet identity verification requirements

There are two things each PSC needs to do to comply.

1. Verify their identity for Companies House, if they haven’t already. After verifying they will be given a Companies House personal code. If they already have one, they do not need to verify again. 

2. Provide their Companies House personal code. This is so Companies House can connect their identity to the PSC name on their records. They will also ask you to tick a statement confirming you have verified your identity. 

For information on how to do this, please read the below guidance on verifying your identity for Companies House or contact us for further information.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/verifying-your-identity-for-companies-house