The common belief is that a UK limited company is a paperwork-light way to hold a business from overseas. That stopped being true on 18 November 2025. Companies House identity verification is now a legal requirement for anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a UK company, wherever in the world they live, and the transition period ends in November 2026.
By the Travel Explore editorial desk. Last updated 9 July 2026.
The short version
- Verification is law since 18 November 2025, inside a 12-month transition.
- New directors and PSCs verify at incorporation or appointment. No exceptions.
- Existing directors verify by the date their next confirmation statement falls due.
- Miss it and you cannot file, cannot incorporate, and you commit an offence.
Who Companies House identity verification actually catches
Three groups are in scope today: new directors and people with significant control, existing directors and PSCs, and members of a limited liability partnership. From no earlier than November 2026 it extends to anyone who files documents at Companies House, and later to corporate directors and corporate members.
The 18 November 2025 date was a start line, not a deadline. Each existing director’s personal due date is pegged to the company’s next confirmation statement. Around six to seven million directors and PSCs sit inside that window, and most of them will discover it the week their statement is due.
The two ways to do it from abroad
You can verify directly with Companies House through GOV.UK One Login, using a passport or other ID document. Or you can verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider: an anti-money-laundering supervised firm such as a company formation agent, solicitor or accountant. The assurance standard is identical either way.
Once verified, you receive a Companies House personal code. That code is what you supply at incorporation or when you are appointed. Without it, the appointment does not complete.
Rafael, a founder in São Paulo running a software business through a London-registered company he has never visited, assumed his UK accountant handled filings on his behalf and that his own identity sat outside the process. It does not. The obligation attaches to him personally as a director, not to the agent who files for him.
What non-compliance costs
Companies House is explicit. Fail to comply on time and “you’ll be committing an offence”, with consequences that include a financial penalty. Beyond the fine, the practical damage lands first: you will not be able to make any filings for your company, and you cannot start a new one.
For an overseas founder, that means a frozen entity. No confirmation statement, no changes of director, no clean company record for the bank or the acquirer reading your file. Verification takes minutes. Reversing a blocked company takes months.
Setting up or restructuring a company abroad this year? Our company formation desk handles UK, UAE and offshore entities end to end: https://linktr.ee/travelexpore
Founder queries
Does Companies House identity verification apply if I live outside the UK?
Yes. The requirement follows the role, not your country of residence, so overseas directors and PSCs must verify.
Can my accountant verify on my behalf?
An Authorised Corporate Service Provider can carry out the check, but you must be the person verified. Nobody can be verified in your place.
What is the deadline for an existing director?
Your due date is tied to the company’s next confirmation statement, and the transition period runs to November 2026.
What happens if I ignore it?
You commit an offence, risk a financial penalty, and lose the ability to file for or incorporate a company.
Related reads
Share this story
- LinkedIn: Six to seven million UK directors must verify their identity by November 2026. Most have not.
- Twitter: Overseas director of a UK company? No verified ID, no filings, no new companies.
- Facebook: A frozen UK company is a slow problem to fix. Verification takes minutes.
Verify before your confirmation statement lands
Directors treat this as an administrative chore until the filing window opens and the company is locked. If you hold a UK entity from overseas, get your personal code now and keep it with your incorporation documents. We verify, incorporate and maintain UK companies for founders in any jurisdiction. Begin here: https://linktr.ee/travelexpore
Sources
- [T0] GOV.UK: Identity verification, Changes to UK company law (updated 3 June 2026)
- [T0] GOV.UK: Verifying your identity for Companies House
- [T0] GOV.UK: When you need to verify your identity