Verify your identity for Companies House - GOV.UK
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Guidance
Verify your identity for Companies House
Use this service to verify your identity for Companies House.
From:
Companies House
Published<br>8 April 2025<br>Last updated
30 April 2026<br>See all updates
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From 18 November 2025, identity verification becomes a legal requirement.
This date is not a deadline. It marks the start of a 12-month transition period, giving your company time to make sure all directors and people with significant control (PSCs) have verified their identity by their due dates.
Find out when you need to verify for Companies House.
What you need
You can verify yourself online with GOV.UK One Login if you 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)
You’ll also need:
your current address, and the year you moved in
to sign in to or create a GOV.UK One Login
Your verified identity will be connected to your GOV.UK One Login. If other people use the same email address as you to access GOV.UK One Login, they’ll need to create their own using a different email address. An email address can only be used once to verify an identity.
What a biometric passport is
Biometric passports have a small rectangular symbol on the front cover. You can use them to go through electronic gates at airports and international train stations.
All UK passports issued after 2006 are biometric.
If your photo ID has expired
You cannot use an expired passport to prove your identity with the GOV.UK One Login app.
You can use an expired driving licence if it expired in the last 90 days and it was issued by DVLA.
You can use an expired BRP, BRC or FWP if it expired in the last 18 months.
How to verify if you do not have these types of photo ID
Use this GOV.UK One Login service to find out how you can verify your identity.
If you live in the UK, the service will let you know if you can verify:
with bank or building society details - you’ll then need to provide your National Insurance number and answer some security questions
in person at the Post Office - you’ll need to enter your photo ID details in this service first
You cannot use expired documents if you verify using either of these routes.
Read the guidance about verifying your identity.
Verify your identity
Check service availability and status updates for GOV.UK One Login.
You can contact the GOV.UK One Login team to get help, report a problem or give feedback.
How your information is stored and used
To find out how your information is stored and used when you verify your identity with GOV.UK One Login, check the GOV.UK One Login privacy notice.
Other ways to verify
You can ask an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), such as an accountant or solicitor, to verify your identity on your behalf. This is also known as a Companies House authorised agent.
You’ll need to provide suitable identity documents.
How to find an ACSP
If you have an existing accountant or solicitor (or any other AML-supervised professional), you can ask them if they are registered with Companies House as an ACSP. If not, you can find one using the list of Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs).
Fraud warning: do not let others use your identity.
Do not sell or give away your identity to enable people you do not trust to set up or run a company. Criminals can take out loans and other debt in your name, and you will be legally responsible.
Read advice from AbilityNet on how to adapt your device to meet your needs. For example, changing the background colour or text size.
Updates to this page
Published 8 April 2025
Last updated 30 April 2026<br>‐ hide all updates"<br>data-module="ga4-event-tracker"<br>data-ga4-event='{"event_name":"select_content","type":"content history","section":"Footer"}'<br>data-ga4-expandable>+ show all updates
30 April 2026<br>Section added with guidance about 'If your photo ID has expired'.
10 February 2026<br>Added section "How your information is stored and used" with a link to the GOV.UK One Login privacy notice.
27 November 2025<br>You cannot verify your identity at a Post Office without entering details from your photo ID on GOV.UK first. Content added to bullet to clarify - you must...