Companies House Identity Verification: How Non-Resident Directors Complete ECCTA ID Checks from Abroad

Can you become a UK company director without ever setting foot in Britain? Since 18 November 2025, the answer is yes — but only after passing a mandatory identity check with the registrar of companies.

In this guide, we explain how Companies House identity verification works for directors and PSCs based overseas. We cover who must verify, the online steps and accepted documents. We also cover the authorised agent fallback, the 2026 deadlines, and the consequences of missing them.

What Does Companies House Identity Verification Involve?

Every director and every individual person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company must now verify their identity with the registrar of companies; PSCs that are relevant legal entities have a separate registration duty under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA).

For decades, Companies House operated as a passive record: it filed what companies submitted and rarely questioned who stood behind the paperwork. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) changed that mandate. According to Companies House, the registrar now actively checks, and where necessary challenges, the identity of the people who own and run UK companies.

Verification became compulsory on 18 November 2025. Every director and every individual PSC must verify, regardless of where in the world they live; relevant legal entities that are PSCs have a different registration obligation. UK company law does not require directors to be UK residents; it requires only a registered office address in the UK. Founders in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UAE and beyond therefore fall squarely within the rules.

The check itself is free of charge when a director deals with Companies House directly. Once verified, the director receives a personal code that is reused for every company and appointment. For founders weighing why set up a company in the United Kingdom, identity verification is now a planning item. It is a day-one requirement rather than an afterthought at filing time.

How Do Directors Abroad Complete the Companies House ID Check?

Directors abroad complete the check entirely online. They create a GOV.UK One Login account and verify a biometric passport through the GOV.UK ID Check app. Companies House then issues a reusable verification code.

The process was designed for remote completion. No UK visit, no posted documents and no physical presence at Companies House are needed. The official guidance explains how to verify your identity to set up, own or manage a company. It confirms that the whole journey can be run from a phone.

Two conditions make the journey smooth for overseas directors. First, the passport must be biometric, meaning it carries a readable chip. Second, the personal details used to connect the code must be accurate. This is especially important for the date of birth. An appointment filing can explain a difference between the registered and verified names.

Step 1: Create a GOV.UK One Login

The director signs up at GOV.UK using an email address and a password. GOV.UK One Login is the single sign-in used across government services, and it anchors the director's verified identity.

Step 2: Verify a biometric passport in the ID Check app

The GOV.UK ID Check app reads the chip in the passport and matches a live face scan to the passport photo. Because the whole check runs in the app, a director in Singapore or Dubai can complete it without posting anything.

Step 3: Apply to Companies House with the verified identity

The verified GOV.UK One Login account connects to a Companies House account. The director applies to have the identity verified against the Companies House record. The name, date of birth and other details must align with the appointments record.

Step 4: Receive and reuse the personal verification code

Companies House issues a personal code, which the director reuses across every company, appointment and filing. One verification covers all current and future UK directorships.

Step 5: Supply the code at incorporation or filing

Formation agents, Corporate Services Providers and company secretaries quote the code when appointing the director. Existing officers enter the code when filing their company's confirmation statement.

Which Documents Support an ID Check Overseas?

A chip-enabled (biometric) passport can work fully online from abroad through the GOV.UK ID Check app, but acceptance depends on the current GOV.UK accepted-document list. Other photo identity documents may be supported, depending on the route chosen.

For most non-resident directors, one document does the job: a biometric passport. The app reads the chip, checks that the face in front of the camera matches the photo, and passes the result to Companies House. Directors who hold a UK photocard driving licence can also use the app route, though that document is less common among overseas founders.

Where no biometric passport is available, the options narrow. The GOV.UK One Login web route is not a photo-document route from abroad. It is a UK security-question route requiring details from either a UK passport, a UK photocard driving licence, or a UK bank or building-society account. Directors who hold one of those UK documents or accounts can use it; most overseas founders without a chip passport usually move straight to the ACSP route described below.

Accuracy matters more than speed. A difference between the registered director name and verified name does not automatically prevent an appointment. State the reason in the filing. Companies House may ask for more information. Before starting, check the current GOV.UK accepted-document list. Not every non-UK biometric passport is automatically accepted through every route, so confirm that the document you hold is currently supported. This is especially important when relying on a non-UK passport or the web route. Cleaning the register before starting saves a failed attempt.

When Should a Non-Resident Director Use an ACSP Instead?

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) is a business authorised by Companies House to verify identity and file on a client's behalf. It is the recognised fallback when the app route fails.

An ACSP is a business authorised by Companies House to deliver services on behalf of clients, including identity verification, incorporation and filing. The ECCTA regime created the category so directors who cannot use the app still have a compliant route. It also allows professional providers to manage the process end to end.

The direct GOV.UK route is free, while ACSP fees vary by provider and scope of service. For a non-resident founder running a formation in parallel with verification, the assisted route is often the more reliable option. In practice, we see three recurring situations where it earns its fee.

1. The app route has failed

A scan that will not read, a passport without a chip, or repeated app errors leave a director stuck. An ACSP can verify identity through its own authorised process instead.

2. Formation is professionally managed

Where a Corporate Services Provider handles incorporation and corporate secretarial work, the director's code is collected and quoted at the right moments. Nothing stalls at filing time.

3. The register needs correcting first

Name mismatches and outdated officer details block verification. A provider that also handles filings can clean the record and then complete the check in one sequence.

What Are the 2026 Deadlines and the Cost of Non-Compliance?

New directors must verify before appointment; existing directors provide their code with their next confirmation statement, while each PSC has a role-specific 14-day period.

Deadlines depend on when a person became a director or PSC. New directors verify before appointment. New PSCs must provide their personal code within 14 days of registration. Existing directors provide their code with the next confirmation statement due during the transition period ending 18 November 2026. Existing PSCs who are also directors have 14 days from the day after that statement date. Existing PSCs who are not directors use the first 14 days of their birth month.

The consequences are not abstract. Companies House will not register an unverified new director. A new PSC can provide their personal code when first added to the register. It can also be provided within 14 days of being added. A company that cannot complete its verification obligations may find its confirmation statement overdue. An overdue statement is visible to anyone who searches the register, including banks and counterparties. Persistent failure can lead to prosecution and, ultimately, strike-off of the company from the register.

The confirmation statement itself costs £50 to file online, or £110 on paper. These are filing fees, not charges for identity verification. They have applied since 1 February 2026. Companies must also keep a registered email address current, since Companies House uses it for statutory communication with officers abroad.

Our guide to UK company registration covers the surrounding formation steps, from choosing a compliant company name to appointing the first officers.

Conclusion

For most non-resident directors, the message is reassuring. The ID check is free, fully online, and built around a biometric passport in the GOV.UK ID Check app. Where that route fails, the ACSP route provides a compliant fallback, and 18 November 2026 is the hard deadline for officers already on the register.

As a technology-enabled Corporate Services Provider, 3E Accounting United Kingdom helps founders worldwide verify their identities. It also helps them incorporate UK companies and stay on top of confirmation statements and statutory registers. Our corporate secretarial and incorporation teams coordinate the whole sequence so that appointments, filings and deadlines never stall on an ID check.

To discuss a UK formation or verification support for overseas directors, contact our team and we will map the steps to your timeline.

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