Companies House UK 2025 Changes

As of April 2025, Companies House UK is introducing identity verification changes to improve the register's accuracy and transparency. These changes impact company directors, individuals with significant control, and Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSP).

Which means that if you wish to file accounts or other documents at Companies House for clients, or verify the identity of directors/PSCs of client companies, you will have to register as an ACSP as a result of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, by law you will have to register your business.

Arguably, this new change of legislation creates additional layers of responsibility and more pressure to adapt workflows to comply with new regulations and prevent penalties. 

As an accountant trying to navigate through unfamiliar requirements and adhere to tighter compliance deadlines, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the new changes.

Don't worry! With the right knowledge, tools, and support, you can verify your clients and ensure full compliance with the new updates. Dive in deeper with us today, explore these changes, and learn how to meet these new requirements confidently. 

How to register as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider

Before you can verify clients, you’ll first need to register as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) (if you haven’t done so already). Verifying your identity is relatively easy and costs £55—you can do it on GOV.UK: Applying to register as a Companies House authorised agent. 

If you’re a: 

• Person with significant control (PSC)
• Director
• Equivalent of a director (including members and general partners)
• Someone who files with Companies House 

Once registered, you’ll get a digital account and a unique identity number. This is your login for quick access to effortlessly file and undergo verification checks for new and existing clients. 

Note: If your clients are registered Overseas, you cannot use this service to inform Companies House. Otherwise, you should read their guidance on registering an overseas entity and its beneficial owners. 

What are your Legal Responsibilities as an ACSP?

As an ACSP, you must do the following:

• Maintain continuous registration with a UK AML supervisory body
• Notify Companies House of changes, i.e., contact details, address, change of people with significant control, change in directors, address where records are kept, and company name.
• Keep accurate records and provide further information with Companies House (when requested). 

While adapting to new AML processes alongside your existing work may seem tedious, it becomes second nature after some time. In fact, it's just a matter of staying consistent with record keeping and notifying Companies House. 

Being an accountant, you probably already excel in documentation. 

If you want to know more detailed information about the role of an ACSP, check out this post: Authorised Corporate Service Providers: What You Need to Know. 

How to verify as a director or individual of a significant Role

As of now, verification requirements are on a voluntary basis, but by Autumn 2025, it will become mandatory for new directors and individuals with significant control. Any existing directors or individuals with significant control may have until Autumn 2026 to complete identity verification. 

While voluntary at the moment, doing this early is one task ticked off the list. 

1. Comply with Verification Standards

While the changes requested by Company House appear cumbersome, they involve the same information that's already required as part of your firm's customer due diligence. The information isn't actually additional to what's already being collected; the only difference is that it is to be shared with Companies House. 

If you haven’t gathered information from your clients for AML, then you’ll need to collect: 

• Full name and any former name (as shown on one of their documents ID) 
• Date of birth
• Home address
• Address history (for the last 12 months)
• Unique email address

Companies House will include the individual's name in the identity verification statement. This statement will be displayed online in the Companies House register when they connect their verified identity to their records. 

2. Gather evidence to verify clients  

As an ACSP, evidence should be your best friend. For every client, you'll need to collect documentation from them to prove the information they've provided is legitimate. 

Typically, the Companies House will ask for the following:

• Confirmation whether the person’s identity document was checked by a person, or using identity document validation technology (IDVT) 
• Documents used as evidence (see below)
• Date the identity checks were completed 

However based on some documents you may need to provide: 

• Document reference number
• Expiry date (if the document has one)
• Country of issue (If the document has one) 

You’ll also have to confirm in a statement that you are:

• Satisfied that the person is who they claim to be
• Completed identity checks that meets the Companies House identity verification standard

Note: You'll have to keep copies of their verification documents up to 7 years from the date you complete the checks. Companies House won't require you to submit copies upon verification; however, they will ask for information about the documents. 

Eligible Documents for Companies House ID Verification

For Companies House verification, there are two methods to verify client ID:

Option 1: 

Your client will need to submit one of the following: 

• A biometric or machine-readable passport 
• A UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and EU photocard driving licence 
• An identity card holding biometric information from the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• UK biometric residence permit 
• UK biometric residence card
• UK Frontier Worker Permit 

Note: To prevent fraudulent documents, you’ll need to use Identity Document Validation Technology to verify them. You cannot verify expired documents; however, there are some exceptions—check the GOV website for this. 

Option 2

If you can’t gather evidence and conduct checks without using Identity Document Validation Technology, you’ll need to gather two documents from Group A or one from Group A and one from Group B. These documents will need to be verified by a trained specialist 

Group A

• A passport or Irish passport card – these can be up to 18 months expired
• An identity card with biometric information from the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• A UK biometric residence permit (BRP) – these can be up to 18 months expired
• A UK biometric residence card (BRC)
• A UK accredited PASS card
• A UK or EU driver digital tachograph card
• A UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and EU photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
• A UK HM Forces ID Card
• a UK HM Armed Forces Veteran Card
• A UK Frontier Worker permit
• A photographic work permit (government issued)
• A photographic immigration document
• A photographic visa
• A UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man firearms licence
• Another type of photographic ID listed on PRADO - such as a National Identity Card (Pakistan), crew member certificate (South Africa), or Permanent Resident Card (USA)

Group B

• Birth or adoption certificate
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• non-photographic immigration document
• Non-photographic visa
• Non-photographic work permit
• bank or building society statement
• UK local authority or social housing rental agreement – this must be for the person’s current address
• mortgage statement – this must be for the person’s current address
• UK council tax statement – this must be for the person’s current address
• Utility bill – this must be for the person’s current address

Source: GOV UK 

3. Submit Information to Companies House

Once you’ve verified your client’s ID, you’ll need to submit the information to Companies House and state the following: 

• Clients details
• Documents used to verify their identity
• Details from the identity of the documents
• Written confirmed you’ve completed the verification checks according to the standard

After verification

After verification, Companies House will email and send a personal code  (11 character code)  individuals can use to connect their verified identity to their records. The personal code can be shared with other people they trust to file on their behalf. 

Companies House may follow up and ask for further evidence (if required). If you don’t submit evidence or:

• Cannot provide records of identity checks (when asked) 
• Have not fully met their identity verification standard 

They could suspend or stop your business from acting as an authorised agent. 

If verified, these are details that will be displayed on the public register:

• Person’s name
• ACSP name (name of authorised agent)
• Names of AML Supervisory bodies the agent is registered with
• Date identity checks were completed 

Why Streamline the Verification Process With Firmcheck 

Registering as an ACSP and submitting clients' information to Companies House is long winded.  

Especially the time spent collecting documentation from your client, finding the right IDVT software, and buying it, can be a nuisance. And if you don't want to do that, you need to undergo specialist training to be able to cross-check their documents, and then find space to store those documents for seven years. 

Arguably, none of this is difficult, but if you have a lot of bookkeeping to do and face tight deadlines for client submission, then the pressure is on to find time. 

Firmcheck removes this stress, organises your workflow, conducts checks, and reduces delays in submission. 

Our AML Compliance Check Software streamlines information collection, verification, management, and compliance. Read our help centre article for more specifics on how Firmcheck manages these new changes.