If you’re a person of significant control (PSC), you’re now legally required to verify your identity with Companies House and submit a unique personal code. This requirement was introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act to improve transparency and combat fraud.
In this guide, we explain how to complete your Companies House PSC verification, obtain your personal code, and submit it within the correct 14-day window for your circumstances. It’s important to act, as failing to verify your identity and provide your personal code is a criminal offence and could result in a fine.
The UK Government now requires persons with significant control (PSCs) to verify their identity under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 .
The Act is part of the government’s plans to combat fraud and money laundering through private limited companies . It aims to improve trust in private companies by making their information more transparent.
All company directors and PSCs must verify their identity. If they fail to do so, they may be committing a criminal offence and face a fine . Companies House will also publish a note against their name on the public register of companies.
Once a PSC has verified their identity, they’ll be issued a personal code. They must submit this personal code to Companies House within the specific 14-day period allocated to them.
As a PSC, verify your identity any time before your 14-day submission window using one of these methods:
Verify your ID online with GOV.UK One Login. Access it on a smartphone or tablet for a seamless process. We recommend this option if you’re an existing PSC.
You’ll need to create a GOV.UK One Login using the ‘verify your identity for Companies House’ service, if you don’t already have one. Click the ‘verify your identity’ button near the bottom of the page to create your login.
Once logged in, you should follow the steps to verify your identity. You’ll be asked whether your identity has been verified for Companies House. Select ‘No’.
You’ll then go to a page that asks you a few questions to confirm you’re using the right service to verify your ID.
The services that are available to verify your ID online are as follows:
If you can’t use the online service to verify your ID, you can submit your photo ID online and then go to a Post Office to complete the process.
The process for verifying your identity at a Post Office is as follows:
An ACSP – Authorised Corporate Service Provider – can assist you in verifying your identity. This could be an accountant, a solicitor, a company secretarial services provider, or a company formation agent. Rapid Formations is an ACSP-registered company.
ACSPs are registered with Companies House and with a UK anti-money laundering (AML) supervisory body. The ACSP will ask you to provide certain documents from an approved list to verify your ID. They may charge you for this service.
After verifying your ID, you receive an 11-character Companies House personal code. The code relates to you as a PSC rather than to your company.
You must then send this code to Companies House. Companies House uses this code to connect your verified identity to its records.
Submit your PSC code to Companies House using the ‘provide identity verification details for a PSC’ online service. A third party can also use this service to provide your personal code on your behalf.
If you were appointed as a PSC after 18 November 2025, when the identity verification requirements came into force, you can either provide your personal code when your details are added to the Companies House register or within 14 days following your appointment. You’ll need to provide your company number and either your personal code or the PSC’s personal code you’re submitting on behalf of. Companies House advises it can take up to 10 minutes to provide a PSC’s personal code using the online service.
PSCs whose personal information is protected at Companies House can’t use this service.
If you’re a PSC, you must provide your personal code to Companies House within a specific 14-day period. The exact dates of those 14 days depend on the circumstances of your position.
These deadlines apply to both existing and newly appointed PSCs during the transition period, which started on 18 November 2025 and lasts one year.
If you’re a PSC and a director of your company, you must verify your identity, obtain a personal code, and send it to Companies House.
To provide your personal code for your PSC role, you must use the “provide identity verification details for a PSC” service from Companies House. Don’t forget to submit your personal code separately for your director position.
Make sure to provide your PSC personal code within 14 days.
As a PSC and director, during the transition period, your 14-day submission period for your PSC personal code starts on the day after your company’s confirmation statement date. The confirmation statement date is the day before the incorporation date, or the day before the last confirmation statement date, whichever is more recent.
If you’re only a PSC of your company and not a director as well, you must provide your personal code in the first 14 days of your birth month. For example, if your birthday is 19 April, your 14-day personal code submission window is between 1 April and 14 April.
If you were appointed as a PSC after 18 November 2025, when the identity verification requirements came into force, you can either provide your personal code when your details are added to the Companies House register or within 14 days of them being added.
Understanding the ID verification process is crucial for PSCs to remain compliant and avoid penalties. They can choose to verify their identity online or in person at a Post Office. Alternatively, they can use a registered ACSP, such as Rapid Formations , to verify their identity on their behalf.
Once a PSC has verified their identity, they must submit their personal code to Companies House. Remember, each PSC must submit their personal code within a specific 14-day submission window, which will depend on their individual circumstances.
File your PSC personal code within your 14-day window, tailored to your role(s) and status. If you’re a director and a PSC, your 14-day submission window begins the day after your company’s confirmation statement date. If you’re only a PSC, you must submit your personal code in the first 14 days of the month you were born. If you were appointed a PSC after 18 November 2025, you can add your personal code when your details are added to Companies House, or within 14 days of them being added.
No, you don’t have to verify your PSC ID online. You can choose to verify your identity in person at a Post Office branch. You’ll need to provide your photo ID to Companies House online. Companies House will then send you a customer letter with a QR code, which can be scanned at a Post Office to confirm your identity.
No, you can’t provide your PSC code early; you must submit it in the 14-day window that applies to your circumstances.
You can verify your ID at any point before your 14-day window to submit your personal code. You need to verify your ID to obtain a personal code.