The Companies House identity verification letter: what it says and what to do in the 14 days

The letter from Companies House headed 'Verify your identity' tells you four things: the date by which you must comply, that not complying may be an offence with prosecution and a fine or a financial penalty, the two steps you must take (verify, then provide your personal code for the role), and, for a person with significant control (PSC), that a 14-day extension can be requested through the PSC service before the deadline. For a PSC the deadline is a 14-day window, for example 1 to 14 October 2026, with the line "You must comply with identity verification requirements by 14 October 2026." Do step one today: verify and get your 11-character personal code. Then provide the code for the role named in the letter before the date.

Why you have the letter

Companies House writes to the people recorded on its register. Its published enforcement approach says formal correspondence normally goes to the company's service address, PSC letters usually go to the PSC's residential address, companies are emailed before the confirmation statement is due, and a default letter follows a missed date.

So the letter comes to you because the register lists you as a director or PSC of the company named, and your date has arrived or is close, even if you have since sold your shares or resigned.

The deadline band

The date in bold is the end of your period, and it depends on your role.

An existing PSC who is not a director has the first 14 days of their birth month, once, during the transition year that ends on 18 November 2026. If your birthday is 22 January, your window is 1 to 14 January. An existing PSC who is also a director of the same company has 14 days starting the day after the confirmation statement date; filing early does not move the window. A new PSC has 14 days from being added to the register.

For a director, the deadline is the date the company's confirmation statement is due. Companies House says the company will be unable to file it unless every director has verified. If the letter is a default letter, your date has already passed.

The register shows the date Companies House holds for each person, or type the company into our free checker at https://guides.vaulex.co.uk/am-i-affected.

The warning

The warning reads: "If you do not comply, you may be committing an offence. You may face prosecution and a fine through the courts, or a financial penalty. In the future, we'll publish a note against your name on the Companies House public register."

That is not boilerplate. On 16 September 2026 three directors were convicted at City of London Magistrates' Court after Insolvency Service prosecutions, with fines from £80 to £307 plus costs and surcharges. One had verified his own identity and was convicted for failing to take reasonable steps to stop a co-director acting while unverified. The Insolvency Service said: "There is no option to opt out." An unverified person also cannot be appointed as a director of an existing company, register a new company, or register as an ACSP.

Step one: verify your identity

You verify once, as a person, and receive an 11-character personal code that covers every role at every company. If you already have a code, you do not verify again; Companies House says you must not unless it tells you to.

The free route is GOV.UK One Login. The app reads the chip in a biometric passport with an NFC-capable phone, then runs a face match. If that stops, One Login can offer security questions drawn from your UK financial footprint, or an in-person check at a Post Office. GOV.UK describes both as options for people who live in the UK, so One Login cannot always be used from abroad. There is no manual route and nobody at Companies House can override the check.

The other route is an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), an agent registered with Companies House and supervised for anti-money laundering. The ACSP checks your passport and proof of address, keeps the records for seven years and tells Companies House, which emails your personal code, usually within a few hours.

Step two: provide the code for the role

The code on its own does nothing. The letter asks you to provide it for the role it names.

For a PSC, you or someone acting for you goes to the 'Provide identity verification details for a PSC' service on GOV.UK, enters the company number, finds your name, enters the code and confirms the verification statement. Companies House says it takes up to 10 minutes. The service only opens once your 14-day period has started. A PSC of more than one company does it for each.

For a director, the code goes in each company's next confirmation statement. If you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, you provide the code twice, once each way.

The extension line

Where the letter mentions an extension, it applies to PSCs. The PSC service lets you request a 14-day extension, and you must ask before your deadline has passed; Companies House has confirmed you cannot ask before your window opens or after it closes. After two digital extensions, further requests go to an examiner with supporting evidence through a separate GOV.UK form. A PSC granted an extension stays compliant; one who misses the extended date is in breach.

There is no equivalent service for directors. Companies House accepts representations about extenuating circumstances within a set timeframe and may pause enforcement, usually for up to two months.

What to do today

1. Confirm the date on the letter against the register.
2. Work out your role: director, PSC, or both. Both means providing the code twice.
3. Verify today if you have no personal code. Try the One Login app first if you have a chipped passport and an NFC phone.
4. Provide the code through the PSC service or the confirmation statement.
5. If you are a PSC and the window will close before you can finish, request the extension now, while it is open.

If you are abroad or cannot use One Login

The letter does not change because you live overseas. If the app stops, do not wait for a UK trip to visit a Post Office. GOV.UK says the ACSP route can be used from any country.

Vaulex Group is an ACSP (AP021384) and verifies British passport holders anywhere in the world. Standard verification is £149.99 per person, three working days from when everything is in. Fast track is £349 per person: your personal code within 24 hours counted on working days, once you have completed the biometric checks and we have everything we need. An AML-qualified person reviews every case, including the ones the app turns away.

If the letter is wrong

If you are no longer a PSC, the company must notify Companies House with the notice that a person has ceased to be a PSC (form PSC07); until then the register still shows you with a date. If your date of birth on the register is wrong, the code will not link until it is corrected through WebFiling. If the letter is for someone who has died, no verification is needed; the PSC stays on the register until a grant of probate or letters of administration are received.

This is information, not legal advice; we are not solicitors or accountants.

Start when you are ready

If One Login cannot verify you, order at https://my.vaulex.co.uk/verify and we will walk you through the documents. To see every director and PSC at a company, whether each has verified and the date Companies House wants, type the company name into https://guides.vaulex.co.uk/am-i-affected.