Taking Company Director Identity Verification Seriously
With the enactment of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act in 2023 (ECCTA), Companies House has been given the responsibility to verify the identity of company directors (and equivalent roles like managing officers and general partners) and people with significant control (PSCs and relevant legal entities). This is a huge undertaking when you consider that Companies House reports that there are more than 7 million individuals in the UK who will need to be identity verified by the end of 2026.
As a registered ACSP, MSP Company Secretarial can help you satisfy your identity verification obligations.
What is an Authorised Corporate Service Provider?
An Authorised Corporate Service Provider or ACSP is an agent authorised by Companies House that can validate director and officer identities with Companies House on behalf of directors and companies.
ECCTA – Who needs to verify their identity?
In time, all directors, people with significant control, and anyone acting on behalf of a company (e.g. people who file with Companies House) will need to verify their identity. Identity verification will be required for LLPs, too.
Individuals can verify their identity voluntarily from 8 April 2025, either directly via an online portal at Companies House, or via an ACSP like MSP Company Secretarial. As an authorised corporate service provider, we are required to perform strict identity checks in the manner prescribed by Companies House.
Contact us to find out more about identity verification.
Once your identity has been verified, you will be given a unique identifier code, and this code needs to be applied to all your director/officer positions.
Why is company director identity verification now required?
Verifying company director identities, or any PSCs involved with a corporate entity was introduced by the ECCTA in 2023. Identity verification is designed to increase the safeguards against corporate fraud, money laundering and hiding illicit assets.
Prior to the enactment of ECCTA, Companies House were not required to check or validation the details being filed, which meant there were opportunities for false information to be filed unchecked. The ECCTA has removed this weakness and now requires Companies House to provide a robust identity verification process to support filed corporate information.
Corporate identity verification also increases organisational transparency and increases accountability for company directors and PSCs. There is a stronger ethical obligation on corporate boards of directors for shareholders, employees and customers, and verification is an important step in enforcing this.
Is company director identity verification compulsory?
From Autumn 2025: Yes in the words of Companies House if “you do not comply with identity verification requirements on time, you will be committing an offence and may have to pay a financial penalty or fine”, and directors could be disqualified. However, from 8th April 2025 until the implementation in the Autumn by Companies House, compliance is voluntary.
Working with an ACSP such as MSP Company Secretarial ensures that the verification process is quick and easy, that documents are appropriate and properly presented reducing the risk of getting this wrong and facing penalties. We can liaise directly with your PSCs and company directors, collate key documents and complete verification on your behalf. If your organisation has non-UK residents or complex compliance structures, working with an ACSP such as MSP Company Secretarial should be your first choice, for peace of mind and minimal risk.
Contact MSP Company Secretarial for ACSP verification support.
What is the verification timeline?
Companies House expect that by the end of 2026 all directors and officers will have verified their identity.
From autumn 2025, Companies House intends that:
- Identity verification will be required for all new director appointments and PSCs, and
- The 12-month programme of director verification will begin – this process will become part of the company’s annual confirmation statement filing process.
By spring 2026, anyone filing for a company will also be identity verified.
How MSP Company Secretarial can help
MSP Company Secretarial provides company secretarial, board support, and corporate governance services, and as an ACSP, MSP Company Secretarial can help:
- prepare your organisation to ensure that it can satisfy the requirements for identity verification,
- prepare and submit the verification details to Companies House and maintain records thereafter,
- complete your 2025/26 confirmation statement filings on time, and
- prepare and make all your company’s statutory filings which can include combining identity verification with new incorporations and new director appointments and for companies’ PSCs, too.
Contact MSP Company Secretarial to find out more.
Authorised Corporate Service Providers Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ECCTA?
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) is UK legislation designed to improve corporate governance, transparency and compliance while combatting economic crimes.
For more information on the ECCTA and an organisation’s obligations, please see our related article here.
Does a director or PSC need to use an ACSP to verify their identity?
No. Company directors and PSCs can only verify their identity either themselves or through an ACSP. Only third-party agents authorised by Companies House as corporate service provider, can they conduct verification with Companies House.
Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs): Related topics
A guide to navigating the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act