Deadlines & law changes · 5 min
The Companies House ID deadline: what every director needs to do before 18 November
Around three million directors still haven't verified their identity — and from 18 November 2026 that starts to bite: blocked filings, penalties, and a public mark on the register. Here's the whole thing in plain English, and a free 10-second check for your company.
Deadlines & law changes · Updated 24 September 2026
What's happening, in one paragraph
Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, every company director and person with significant control (PSC) must verify their identity with Companies House. New directors have needed to do this since November 2025. Those appointed before then have until 18 November 2026. It's free, done once, and takes a few minutes with a passport or driving licence. Companies House estimates six to seven million people are covered. By mid-2026, only about half had completed it.
The key dates
18 November 2025
The rules came into force. Anyone appointed as a director since then has already had to verify as part of their appointment.
During the transition year
Existing directors' real due date is tied to their company's confirmation statement: when the statement falls due, the directors need to be verified for it to be filed. For many companies that lands well before November.
18 November 2026
The transition ends. Every remaining director and PSC must be verified by this date, whatever their filing dates.
After 18 November 2026
Enforcement: blocked filings, financial penalties, and unverified appointments flagged on the public register.
Who has to verify
Every company director
Of every UK limited company, however small.
Every person with significant control (PSC)
Typically anyone owning more than 25% of the company. In most small companies that's the same person as the director, but they're covered in both roles.
Members of LLPs.
Not company secretaries
They have no duty to verify, whatever a scary email might imply.
Sole traders and ordinary partnerships aren't registered companies, so this doesn't apply to them at all.
What happens if you miss it
Companies House plans to start enforcement once the transition ends. This means you might be blocked from making filings, like the legally required confirmation statement. You also can't be newly appointed elsewhere. Financial penalties could follow, and your appointment might be marked as unverified on the public register. This information is visible to anyone, including lenders and customers, who looks up your company.
How to verify (free, minutes)
Verify your identity once with Companies House using GOV.UK One Login and photo ID. Search 'verify your identity for Companies House' on gov.uk. Avoid paying anyone who contacts you to 'handle it' for a fee; the official way is free. You'll receive a personal code linking your identity to your appointments. Keep this code safe as you'll need it for every company you're connected to. Alternatively, an authorised agent like your accountant or solicitor can verify you. They might charge a fee, but if they already have your ID, it might be easier.
How to check where your company stands
Since late 2025, the public register shows if each appointment has a verified identity. Our free checker reads it for you. Just enter your company name, and it lists your directors and PSCs with the current details. It also gives you your real deadline, which might be earlier than 18 November if your confirmation statement is due first. One honest note: the register can be slow to update. Someone who verified recently might not appear for a few days. That's why our checker can re-check weekly and email you any changes, free, until the deadline.
If you run an accountancy or advise companies
Your clients will get this deadline anyway, so telling them first can earn you goodwill. The checker is free for any company. You can run your client list through it in minutes.
If you want more, Katalis can help. We can create a branded version for your website, letting your clients use it directly. Or we can set up a system to monitor your entire client base, alerting you when something needs attention.
See it in action with Bramley & Co, a fictional practice we built at meetkatalis.com/examples/accountant. Their client watch board and AI front desk show exactly how this works with a made-up client list.
Free tool · runs right here
ID-verification checker
Enter your UK company and see which directors and PSCs are verified on the Companies House register before the 18 November 2026 deadline.
No sign-up · instant · it’s me that runs it — the same tool, live on this site.
Quick answers
- Is Companies House identity verification free?
- Yes — verifying directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login is free and takes a few minutes with photo ID. An accountant or agent verifying you as part of their service may charge for their time, but be wary of anyone cold-contacting you offering to do it for a fee: the official route costs nothing.
- What's the deadline to verify?
- 18 November 2026 at the latest — but your real deadline can be earlier. During the transition year, directors must be verified for their company's confirmation statement to be filed, so if yours falls due before November, that's your date. New directors have verified at appointment since 18 November 2025.
- What happens if a director doesn't verify?
- It becomes an offence. The company can be blocked from making filings (including the confirmation statement it legally must file), the director can't take new appointments, financial penalties can follow, and the appointment can be publicly annotated as unverified — visible to anyone who looks the company up.
- Do company secretaries need to verify?
- No. Company secretaries have no duty to verify their identity, whatever a scary email might imply. The duty falls on directors, people with significant control (PSCs), and LLP members.
- I'm a director of several companies — do I verify for each one?
- No — you verify once as a person. You'll get one personal code that links your verified identity to all of your appointments, current and future.
- Can my accountant verify me?
- Yes, if they're registered with Companies House as an authorised agent (an ACSP). Many accountants, solicitors and formation agents are. They may charge for it as part of their service — the direct gov.uk route remains free.
- Does this apply to sole traders?
- No. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships aren't registered companies, so identity verification doesn't apply to them at all. It covers directors of limited companies, PSCs and LLP members.
Enter your company name and see in seconds what the public register shows for your directors and PSCs — and have us re-check it weekly until the deadline, free.
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