18th June 2025
Companies House is introducing new identity verification requirements for company directors, shareholders, and persons with significant control (PSCs). These changes are part of a broader effort to improve corporate transparency and combat economic crime.
What’s Changing?
In the coming months, anyone listed as a director, shareholder or PSC will need to verify their identity directly with Companies House. Once verified, each individual will receive a personal code. From late 2025 onwards, this code will be required to file Confirmation Statements or make other updates to the register.
Companies House has begun contacting relevant individuals by email to start the verification process. While the exact launch date hasn’t been confirmed, implementation is expected in autumn or winter 2025.
Why Is This Happening?
These changes are part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, which aims to:
Historically, it has been possible to register companies using false or misleading information. The new system seeks to eliminate this risk.
Who Will Need to Verify?
Identity verification will apply to:
What Happens If You Don’t Verify?
Once the rules are in force, individuals who have not verified their identity will not be able to act in their company role or submit filings. Non-compliance may result in rejected filings, financial penalties, or criminal offences.
How to Complete the Verification Process
The process involves scanning your ID and taking a live photo to confirm identity.
Further Information
Companies House will release more details closer to the launch date. For now, it’s recommended that company officers ensure their contact details are correct and watch for updates from Companies House over the coming months.
Nusrat Qureishi joins us as the Head of Corporate & Commercial Law. She is a corporate commercial lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience with particular expertise in the sale and purchase of businesses and companies, as well as the establishment of partnerships and other joint ventures.
Having trained and worked for many years for a City Law firm, Nusrat has a wealth of experience of working on high-value and complex corporate transactions. Her experience extends to advising on mergers, investment, shareholder, restructuring, banking and re-financing and corporate governance work. Her clients have included entrepreneurs, owner-managers, mid-market companies, SMEs, PLCs, international corporates, private equity, banks and financial institutions, joint venture parties, LLPs, partnerships and individuals.
Client service is highly valued by Nusrat who invests time to gain a real understanding of her clients’ needs to meet their goals as effectively and commercially as possible. She aims to be involved in the preparation of a business for sale or purchase from an early stage to ensure that the process runs smoothly and without unnecessary risk, helping to reduce both time and cost for her clients. Her experience allows her to advise companies on strategy – enabling entities to realise the next stage of their growth plans and also support more sophisticated businesses to achieve their commercial objectives.
Nusrat’s approach is totally consistent with the ethos of stevensdrake where client satisfaction is valued together with the provision of a high quality service.
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