Companies House Compliance: What You Must Do in 2025 and Beyond
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For years, Companies House sat quietly in the background of business life. Filing confirmation statements and annual returns felt like a routine chore, hardly the kind of thing to keep anyone up at night. That’s now changed. With the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (2023) in place, Companies House has new powers, and it is using them. For businesses, directors, and professional advisers, this has transformed compliance from a tick-box exercise into a critical responsibility. The introduction of identity verification and Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) means that if you’re involved in running a company, compliance has become much more personal.
Who Needs to Verify Their Identity
The scope of these changes is broad. It’s not just directors of large companies who are affected. Directors and their equivalents (LLP members, general partners and managing officers) and persons with significant control must verify their identity. Anyone who files on behalf of a company will also need to verify, or file through an ACSP, once those rules start (no earlier than November 2026). The message is clear: if you’re part of corporate governance, you need to prove who you are before you can continue to act.
How Identity Verification Works
Identity verification is simple in principle but strict in practice. Companies House will only accept certain forms of identification, such as biometric passports, UK driving licences, biometric residence permits or cards, and Frontier Worker permits. These checks can be completed directly through Companies House using GOV.UK One Login, or via an ACSP who acts on your behalf. Once verified, you will be issued a personal code by Companies House, which becomes your permanent identifier for future filings. In most cases, you will only need to verify once, and Companies House says you must not verify again unless it tells you to.
When Verification Becomes Mandatory
The timing of this transition is important. From 8 April 2025, individuals were able to verify their identity voluntarily. On 18 November 2025, verification became a legal requirement, starting a 12-month transition period. New directors must verify before a company can be incorporated or they can be appointed. Existing directors confirm their verification when the company files its next confirmation statement, and existing PSCs verify within a 14-day window that depends on their circumstances. Directors who continue to act without verifying risk investigation and prosecution, and the first prosecutions were announced in September 2026.
The Role of Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs)
An ACSP is effectively a regulated gatekeeper. Only ACSPs can verify identities for others. Companies House has postponed its rules for people who file on behalf of companies, first due in spring 2026, until no earlier than November 2026; from then, you’ll be able to file on behalf of clients as an authorised agent. For accountants, legal professionals, and company secretaries, becoming an ACSP isn’t just a nice-to-have; it is the only way to continue providing core compliance services to clients. Without it, your ability to act on their behalf disappears.
How to Become an ACSP
The process of becoming an ACSP is structured but manageable. First, you must be supervised by a UK anti-money laundering body such as HMRC or the FCA. A senior officer of the firm must then apply through Companies House using the GOV.UK One Login system, providing details of the firm’s AML registration, business information, and completing their own identity verification. A one-off registration fee applies (£63 at the time of writing), and once approved, the firm receives a digital agent account along with a unique identity number. From there, additional staff can be added to the account, though they will not need to go through verification themselves.
ACSP status isn’t just a one-time hurdle. To maintain it, firms must keep their AML supervision up to date, notify Companies House within 14 days of any changes, and keep detailed records of all identity checks for at least seven years. If an ACSP fails to comply, Companies House has the power to suspend or revoke its status, and any such action will be publicly recorded.
How ACSPs Verify Clients
Once approved, ACSPs take on the responsibility of verifying client identities to the same standard as Companies House. This involves requesting information from the client, collecting and authenticating identification documents, confirming that the documents belong to the individual, and creating an auditable record of the process. The results are submitted to Companies House, linking the individual to their new personal code. These records must be securely stored for at least seven years, even in cases where verification cannot be completed.
Why This Matters for Firms and Clients
For firms, ACSP status is the only way to retain the ability to act for clients. For clients, it provides reassurance that their filings are being handled by trusted professionals who are meeting strict regulatory standards. And for Companies House, it is a step towards restoring confidence in the UK’s corporate register by making it harder for bad actors to operate in the shadows.
The practical takeaway is clear: do not wait. Verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025, and the 12-month transition period for existing directors and PSCs runs until November 2026, so bottlenecks are likely as confirmation statement dates come round. Firms that register early as ACSPs will be better placed to manage obligations and avoid disruption. Many will also look to technology platforms, such as Inform Direct, to make the process more efficient, providing streamlined verification tools, deadline reminders, secure document storage, and expert support.
Final Thoughts
Companies House has shifted from being a passive registrar to an active regulator. This is no longer about submitting forms and forgetting about them; it’s about ongoing compliance, transparency, and accountability. For directors and professionals alike, identity verification and ACSP registration are not optional. They are the gateway to continuing business as usual in the UK. Firms that act now will not only stay compliant but also strengthen their reputation as trusted advisers in a market that is rapidly raising its standards.