On 8 April 2025 Companies House launched a new service to verify the identity of the individuals directly through their Gov.uk One login. Alternatively, individuals can use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) to verify their identity.

Identity verification (IDV) is one of the key changes to UK company law under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023) which is summarised in this ACCA factsheet. IDV is currently voluntary but will become mandatory from around autumn 2025.

IDV is required to be completed for all:

• directors
• persons of significant control (PSCs)
• LLP members.

In addition to the above, an equivalent verification is required for anybody who is delivering documents to Companies House, unless already registered as ACSPs. This would apply, for example, to members working as employees in a limited partnership or limited company wishing to submit documents on behalf the firm they are working for.

Key points to note for the above individuals are:

• They can verify them from any country, but their agent must register with Companies House in order to become authorised (as ACSP)
• They must sign in to or create a GOV.UK One login
• They can verify online with GOV.UK if they have one of the following types of photo ID:
• biometric passport from any country
• UK photo driving licence (full or provisional)
• UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
• UK biometric residence card (BRC)
• UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)
• current address, and the year moved in
• the verified identity will be connected to your GOV.UK One Login
• an email address can only be used once to verify an identity
• individuals with no photo ID who live in the UK can verify in one of the following ways:
• in person at the Post Office
• with bank or building society details – you’ll then need to provide your National Insurance number and answer some security questions.

Companies House provides more guidance about verification.

Verification services provided by ACSPs

ACCA members who are registered as ACSPs can provide an identity verification service. To provide this service, members have two options:

• verification via Identity Verification Technology (IDVT) or
• manually.

IDVT verification is an electronic measure or use of software which is able to read the biometric information on the photo ID and assists you to establish the authenticity of documents presented for identity verification purposes.

Before choosing any IDVT measure, an ACSP will need to assess the levels of assurances that are acceptable for their business or organisation by taking account of the risks, the costs of the system and the numbers of identity documents that you anticipate that you will need to check

Although the identity verification is voluntary currently, it will be mandatory from autumn 2025. Companies House has already started sending emails to directors on their registered email IDs, asking them to sign in to GOV.Uk One Login ID and verify themselves.

Cybersecurity

As it is a new requirement, you and your clients are advised to be vigilant for any phishing emails received which purport to be from Companies House. This ACCA article summarises some of the top tips that firms may follow to keep them safe from these attacks and things to watch for the legitimate source of these emails.