Change to UK Company Law: Important Information for Company Directors
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) imposes new requirements for certain individuals to have their identity verified.
These changes are introduced to reduce the risk of fraud and improve the reliability of the information held on the public register and to enhance corporate transparency and strengthen the UK’s business environment.
Mandatory Identity Verification for Key Individuals
The UK government announced on 5 August 2025, that a new regulatory change will come into effect from 18 November 2025. The change will be a critical shift in how company information is maintained and verified.
From 18 November 2025, all newly appointed individual directors, LLP members, and persons with significant control (PSCs), will have to complete identity verification (IDV).
A 12-month transition period will be introduced for existing directors and PSCs to complete the verification process. Failure to comply within the specified timeframes could lead to enforcement action or potential disqualification.
Anyone submitting documents to Companies House (whether for themselves, for someone else, for a company, or as a sole trader or senior figure in a business) therefore applying to be appointed as an authorised corporate service provider (ACSP), must also complete identity verification.
What Existing Directors and PSCs Need to Know
During the transition period, current directors and PSCs must:
Verify their identity and obtain a unique identifier (a personal code).
Include this identifier in the company’s next confirmation statement.
The deadlines vary slightly depending on the individual’s role:
-PSCs who are also directors must submit their unique identifier separately for each role. As a PSC, this identifier must be provided to Companies House within 14 days of the company’s confirmation statement date.
-PSCs who are not directors must submit their identifier within 14 days of the first day of their birth month.
From 18 November, Companies House will offer a feature allowing directors and PSCs to view all their IDV deadlines across their various roles directly via the public register.
Abolishment of Local Company Registers
Another significant change is the removal of the obligation for companies to maintain their own local registers of directors, secretaries and PSCs.
Instead, companies will now be required to submit this information directly to Companies House, which will maintain the central register. This change is expected to improve consistency and reduce administrative burdens for companies.
Additionally, the option for private companies to keep certain information solely on the central register is being removed, reinforcing the importance of direct submission and ongoing disclosure.
Further changes
While these changes will come into force in November, the government has also updated its implementation timeline for the broader IDV regime under ECCTA 2023, confirming that the identity verification requirement for limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members, and officers of corporate PSCs is set to be introduced at a later date, which has not yet been confirmed.
