Directors can from today voluntarily verify their identity on Companies House ahead of it becoming a legal requirement later this year.

The change has been introduced as part of a crackdown on economic crime.

Companies House said the introduction of identity verification is one of the key changes to UK company law under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The legislation gave Companies House new powers to help disrupt economic crime and support economic growth. 

It warned that more than 6 million individuals will need to comply in the 12 months after identity verification becomes mandatory in the autumn.

The new service allows individuals to verify their identity directly with Companies House through the GOV.UK One Login. People can also verify their identity through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).

Louise Smyth, Companies House CEO, said: “Identity verification will play a key role in improving the quality and reliability of our data and tackling misuse of the companies register.

“To save time later, we encourage directors, 'people with significant control' of companies (PSCs) and those filing information with Companies House to verify their identity during the voluntary window.”

Justin Madders, minister for employment rights, competition and markets, said: “In a time where economic crime has become too common, it is imperative that we bring in measures to prevent identities being stolen online. This is good for business, lenders and transparency and will give companies, consumers and lenders more certainty about who they are doing business with.”

From autumn 2025, Companies House will be able to:

• Make identity verification a compulsory part of incorporation and new appointments for new directors and PSCs
• Begin the 12-month transition phase to require more than 6 million existing directors and PSCs to verify their identity – the identity verification will happen as part of the annual confirmation statement filing

In the future, identity verification will also apply to other registration types. For example, any members of a limited liability partnership (LLP) will also need to verify their identity.