First directors fined for not verifying ID — the transition period ends this November

What happened

On 17 September 2026 the Insolvency Service and Companies House announced the first convictions for identity verification offences. Three directors of two small companies were fined at City of London Magistrates' Court the day before.

• One director carried on taking part in board decisions and signed the company's accounts without having verified her identity. She only verified in early September 2026, about nine months after she should have.
• A second director at the same company had verified, but was still prosecuted for not taking reasonable steps to stop his co-director acting while unverified.
• A third director at a different company kept acting and filing accounts while unverified, and missed her confirmation statement deadline.

The fines themselves were modest, from £80 to £307 plus costs and a victim surcharge. The bigger message is that there is now a criminal record attached to something that takes most people a few minutes to fix. As the Insolvency Service put it: "There is no option to opt out."

The rules in plain English

Since 18 November 2025, anyone who is a company director or a person with significant control (PSC) must have their identity verified with Companies House. Once you've verified, you get a Companies House personal code that you use for every company you're involved with. In most cases you only verify once.

• New directors must verify before they're appointed.
• Existing directors must confirm they've verified when the company files its next confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period that started on 18 November 2025.
• Existing PSCs each have their own 14-day window to provide their personal code, which depends on when they were registered and whether they're also a director.

Companies House estimated that 6 to 7 million people would need to verify by mid-November 2026. A company can't file its confirmation statement until all of its directors are verified.

What the case shows: one unverified director affects everyone

The second conviction is the one most owners miss. If you share a company with someone who hasn't verified, it isn't only their problem:

• The company can't file its confirmation statement, so it can quickly fall behind on its legal filings.
• Directors who know a co-director is acting unverified and do nothing can be prosecuted too.
• The company itself may also be committing an offence.

Example: Anna and Marek run a small design studio as directors. Their confirmation statement is due on 30 November. Anna verified in the spring, but Marek, who lives in Poland, hasn't got round to it. If nothing changes, the confirmation statement can't be filed on time — and Anna, knowing the situation, is exposed as well as Marek. The fix: Marek verifies this week (online with GOV.UK One Login, or remotely through an authorised agent), sends Anna his personal code, and the statement goes in on time.

What to do this week

1. List everyone who needs to verify: every director and every PSC of each company you're involved in.
2. Ask for their personal codes. Anyone who has verified will have one.
3. Verify anyone who hasn't. It's free to do yourself through GOV.UK One Login (by app, online or at a Post Office). Alternatively, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) can do it for you.
4. Check your confirmation statement date on the Companies House register, and file it with everyone's codes before the deadline.

You can look up your company's next confirmation statement date for free on Companies House's *Find and update company information* service.

How we can help

Form My Company is a Companies House Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). We can verify directors' and PSCs' identities for you remotely, wherever they live, and file your Confirmation Statement once everyone is verified. If you need to add or remove a director, our Director Appointment and Resignation service covers the identity checks too.

Frequently asked questions