Companies House Director Verification Overview

Companies House Director Verification

Welcome to our Overview on the new Director Verification Company House Standard. The following page will provide you with information on how to satifsy Companies House Standard whilst also explaining the options Credas has to help. If you are looking for information on the results you will see from Credas' two Director Verification journeys, please click here. 

What is Companies House Director Verification? 

As part of reforms introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA), all company directors and Persons of Significant Control (PSCs) will need to verify their identity, either directly with Companies House or through an Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs). 

Timelines

• From the 8th April, the new requirements come into effect on a voluntary basis;
• From Autumn 2025 for all company directors and directors with significant control (PSCs), the new identity verification will be mandatory;
• There will then be a 12 month transition period, with existing directors and PSCs needing to have completed identity verification by autumn 2026. 

ACSPs

ACSPs are individuals/organisations that undertake anti-money laundering (AML) supervised activity such as company formation agents, accountants or solicitors. To carry out identity checks on behalf of your clients and let Companies House know you have verified someones identity, you will need to become an ACSP. To find out more on how to become an ACSP, please read the governments guidance here: Authorised Corporate Service Providers - Changes to UK company law 

Where Credas Comes In

Due to these changes, Credas has introduced a companies house director verification solution. We have introduced two new journeys to help you capture the information you need as an ACSP to verify someones identity:

1) Companies House ID Verification

This journey will capture details on the individual such as their name, DOB, previous name and address history for the last 12 months. Additionally we will run an UK Address & Mortality data check on them, and ask them to provide Identity Documents to proof their identity that meet the Companies House Standard. 

2) Companies House ID Verification + AML

This journey will capture details on the individual such as their name, DOB, previous name and address history for the last 12 months. Additionally we will run an UK Address & Mortality data check and international PEPs & Sanctions screening on them, and ask them to provide Identity Documents to proof their identity that meet the Companies House Standard. As part of the PEPs & Sanctions screening, we can also run disqualified director, adverse media, ongoing monitoring and law enforcement checks.

If you do not have the new solution, you can read more information and speak to our team here: New Companies House Director Verification solution - Credas.

Meeting Companies House Standards

Companies House has outlined six steps you need to follow to verify someones identity, these steps are outlined below.

Step One: Ask for information about the person

The individual needs to provide you with:

• Full name and any former names;
• Date of Birth;
• Residential address;
• Address history for the last 12 months;
• An email address.

Credas will obtain this information as part of our solution and were applicable request further information where needed e.g. a document confirming the individuals change of name

Step Two: Get evidence to verify the person's identity

As part of the process, you need to obtain documents to verify the individual's identity. Companies House have offered two options for this:

A full list of the Identity Documents Companies House accept can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-meet-companies-house-identity-verification-standard

Credas is able to satisfy both options using our certified document verification software. Credas will validate any biometric documents cryptographic features if available via a number of different checks we run such as NFC scan for e-passports and visual analysis. We will also automatically ask the individual for a document from Option 2 if Option 1 cannot be satisfied. 

Step Three: Check the evidence is real

Documents must be checked they are real, and for any signs of tampering. If you have are any concerns regarding the documents please reach out to the issuing authority or the relevant embassy if the document is issued by a country outside of the UK. 

Credas will verify biometric documents to ascertain if they are real and that they have not been tampered with. 

Step Four: Check it is a real identity & it belongs to the person claiming it

The next step is to ensure that the documents supplied match the information given to you such as:

• do the documents confirm the person's name and date of birth
• does the person physically match the photo that is on, or goes with the document(s)
• are they a real person?

You should also ask to see additional documentation if:

• the documents they have provided do not confirm their address history for the last 12 months
• they have changed their name

Our passive liveness technology automatically measures and analyses physical characteristics and reactions to determine if the person being captured is live and present. We then compare the image captured to the image on the document to verify that the same person is present in both images. 

We use trusted data sources such as the electoral roll, HALO database and financial institutions to run additional address & mortality checks in the background that help establish the identity has existed over time and is not synthetic/fabricated. 

Step Five: Keep records of the identity checks

You must keep records all the evidence and information used to verify an individual's identity for seven years from the date the identity verification was verified. Companies House has clarified this includes:

• Copies of the documents checked;
• Evidence of the identity checks completed;
• Records of any failed verification attempts.

Within the Credas platform, you are able to download records into PDF's - which includes any additional evidence or notes you have added by downloading a 'process PDF'. To download a 'process PDF', please follow the steps outlined here.

Step Six: Decide if you can verify the person's identity

Finally, you must decide if you are satisfied the person is who they claim to be and you have been able to verify them to the required standard. 

• If you have been able to verify the individuals identity, you need to tell Companies House you have verified the individual which you can do here.
• If you have been unable to verify the individuals identity, you still need to keep these records for seven years. 

Credas Results

If you would like help understanding the results for the Companies House ID journeys, please view our results guide here.

Useful Links

• Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: outline transition plan for Companies House - GOV.UK 
• Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023: Factsheets - GOV.UK 
• How to meet Companies House identity verification standard - GOV.UK 
• Tell Companies House you have verified someone's identity - GOV.UK 

Got any questions?

If you have any questions please reach out to the Credas support team by contacting us here

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