When does Companies House require Director Identity Verification?

Director Identity Verification became mandatory for newly-appointed UK company directors from 18 November 2025 under the Economic Crime + Corporate Transparency Act 2023. Existing directors and Persons with Significant Control have a 12-month transition window to verify; the deadline for the first wave of existing directors falls in November 2026. Companies House is publishing a verification status against every officer record on the public register.

Verification runs through GOV.UK One Login (free) or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (typically £25-£60 retail through accountants and company-formation agents). The check requires a passport or driving licence plus a biometric selfie, with the same documentary standards as the bank-grade IDV products. Once verified, the individual carries the verified status across all the companies they direct without re-verifying per-company.

For accountants, conveyancers, and letting agents running KYB, the practical impact is twofold. First, the IDV status field is now part of every Companies House officer record and surfaces via the API — flagged as `unverified` for any officer who has not completed the check. Second, an `unverified` flag at any point during the 12-month transition is not yet a hard fail, but post-transition (November 2026 onwards) an unverified director on a company you are onboarding should be treated as an enhanced-due-diligence trigger. Failure to verify by the deadline is a criminal offence for the director and a basis for the Registrar to reject filings.

Source: Companies House — Identity Verification

Last updated 2026-05-09.