Companies House ID Verification: What Ecommerce Directors Need to Do Before 18 November 2026

If you run your online shop through a limited company, there is a date to put in the diary: 18 November 2026. By then, every existing director and person with significant control (PSC) needs to have verified their identity with Companies House. It is not optional, and missing it is an offence.

What is Companies House identity verification?

Companies House now wants proof that the people running UK companies are who they say they are. You prove your identity once, get a personal code, and then use that code against each company you are involved with.

It became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. That date started a 12-month transition period for existing directors and PSCs, which ends on 18 November 2026.

Who needs to do it?

• Directors of limited companies
• People with significant control (PSCs), usually anyone who owns more than 25% of the company or controls it
• New directors, who must verify before they are appointed or before a new company is set up

If you trade as a sole trader, this does not apply to you. It only covers people on the Companies House register. If you are thinking about incorporating, our guide on when ecommerce sellers should switch to a limited company covers the bigger picture.

When is the deadline?

Existing directors need to confirm they have verified when they file their next confirmation statement, and in every case by 18 November 2026. PSCs get their own due date, which you can check against your company on the Companies House register.

If you wait until the last week, you are relying on a service that millions of people are trying to use at the same time. Do it now.

How do you verify?

There are two routes:

1. Directly with Companies House using GOV.UK One Login. This is free. You use a passport or other photo ID and your phone.
2. Through an authorised corporate service provider (ACSP). Some accountants and agents are registered to carry out the checks on your behalf. Ask your accountant whether they offer this.

Once you are verified you get a personal code. Keep it safe, because you will need to give it to Companies House for each company where you hold a role.

What happens if you miss it?

From the end of the transition period, acting as a director without being verified is an offence. In practice you may also find you cannot file things like your confirmation statement until it is sorted. That can knock on to late filing problems with your annual accounts.

A simple checklist

• Find out your confirmation statement date
• Verify with GOV.UK One Login, or ask your accountant about an ACSP
• Save your personal code
• Make sure every director and PSC in the company does the same
• Link your code to each company if you have more than one

Keep the rest of your filings on track

Verification is one of several dates a limited company has to hit. We have pulled them together in our UK ecommerce tax deadlines calendar, and our year end accounts service takes the Companies House filing off your plate. If you are not sure what applies to your company, you can read what Companies House is and does or talk to us.

Want a hand getting your company’s filings sorted? Get an instant quote.

Check the latest guidance on GOV.UK before acting, as Companies House has updated this process several times.