📒 About Companies House Identity Verification (IDV)

From 18 November 2025, Companies House will require identity verification (IDV) for all directors, people with significant control (PSCs), and relevant individuals. These checks can be completed by the individual, but you can complete them for the client by registering as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).

These requirements have been established to ensure the register is correct and accurate.

Firmcheck provides flexible, future-proof solutions to help your firm stay compliant with these new requirements, with minimal disruption to your clients and existing AML workflows.

Please refer to these additional resources.

How to meet Companies House identity verification standards

Client ID verification with Firmcheck

Companies House ID changes explained

To be able to complete ID verifications on behalf of your clients, you need to first register as an Authorised Corporate Services Provider (ACSP).

🪪 Completing the verifications

The identity requirements and process may change from time to time. Please refer to the Companies House website directly to keep upto date.

As of 18th February 2026, there are two ways to complete ID verification:

Option 1: Using identification document validation technology (IDVT) provided by Firmcheck,

Option 2: Manually reviewing the documents via ‘a trained person’

Verifying Using Identification Document Validation Technology (IDVT)

Firmcheck provides built-in IDVT options to verify individuals securely and efficiently. You can choose from:

Advanced ID Check/Biometric check

This process includes:

• Recording unique email addresses for each individual.

• Sending an email request for the individual to upload a photo of their identity document.

• Using OCR technology to read key details (name, date of birth, country, document number, expiry date).

• Running an authenticity check on the document.

• Cross-referencing the individual’s data against trusted third-party databases (name, date of birth, and provided address checked against UK data sources).

• Capturing a live selfie for biometric face-matching with the uploaded identity document.

Cryptographic ID Check

Once a passport has been provided, Firmcheck’s Cryptographic ID Check takes verification further:

• The individual receives an email to download Firmcheck’s ID Verification mobile app.

• They scan the RFID chip in their passport, allowing Firmcheck to verify the cryptographic elements, a Companies House requirement for ID verification.

When collecting passport evidence that is an electronic passport, you must then also complete a cryptographic check. When collecting evidence that is not an electronic passport, a cryptographic process cannot be completed.

Cryptographic checks can only be completed on electronic passports.

Verifying manually via a trained person

If your firm prefers to verify documents manually, or your client doesn’t have a machine-readable passport:

• Issue an advanced ID check on your client,

• And ensure your firm has trained an individual on identifying fraudulent documents (following the Home Office best practice guide) who can review and validate identity documents.

• Firmcheck provides tools to securely store identity documents, along with notes and details about the verification process.

Declaring Completed via ACSP portal

Once you have completed the checks to the standards set out by Companies House and have been cleared, you then need to declare this has been done via the ACSP portal. Following the declaration, a personal code will be sent to the client that they need to share with you. This personal code needs to be used for any future filings under that person’s name and company.

As commented from Companies House “The reason the code is being sent to the individual has been discussed in depth. Our stance is clear that this information is personal to the individual and not the presenter. It is classified as Personal information. As such the code must be delivered to the individual”.

Additional Requirements and Compliance Support

Firmcheck integrates directly with Companies House to ensure all relevant individuals, directors and PSCs, are automatically pulled into your platform to start the verification process.

To support ongoing compliance:

• Firmcheck securely stores all documents and verification records, even for archived clients, for at least 7 years, meeting legal retention requirements.

Our team closely follows all Companies House updates to ensure your firm continues to meet evolving verification standards.