As of 18th November 2025 Companies House introduced new identity verification as part of a new legal requirement imposed under the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023. If you wish to read more about the new identity verification changes in more detail you can find the answers within this article on our Knowledge Base. Although in this article we are looking at how these changes have impacted how we incorporate new limited entities.
Changes to pre-incorporation identity verification with Companies House
For any individual looking to incorporate a new limited entity with Companies House from the 18th November 2025 they must first verify their identity and only once Companies House has successfully verified that the individual is who they say they are will they then be able to incorporate their limited entity.
How Companies House then ensure the directors have verified themselves before incorporation is through the requirement of each proposed company director/partner of the limited entity must provide their 11-character unique verification number. Without the relevant verification number and details (date of birth, first and last name) that match those of the individual associated to the verification number you would not be able to incorporate your company.
This is a substantial shift from how Companies were incorporated prior to the release of the identity verification checks. Previously there were no pre-incorporation checks required, all checks were completed when the individual was incorporating the company.
How to complete your pre-incorporation identity verification?
If you are looking to incorporate a new company and are yet to complete your identity verification with Companies House there are two different ways how you can get this done:
1. Verify yourself
This can be done directly by creating an account on the GOV.UK website exclusively for each prospective director/partner of the new entity. Then each director will then need to complete each of the steps themselves through the website/application.
2. Use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)
We here at EasyDigitalCompany are in fact an Authorised Corporate Service Provider and we can verify your identity with Companies House quickly and with ease. This is because we are approved by Companies House to complete these check on their behalf and we are required to improve the accuracy of information on the public register. We do so by providing the Identity Verification package (reference ADM-2) where a member of our team will get in contact and request 2 simple documents from yourself which confirm you are who you say you are. This would commonly require two types of documents for each company director or partner:
1. Proof of Address - Example of these are a bank statement, UK drivers license or utility bill
2. Proof of Name - Typically people provide their
This is required to comply with the FCA's Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. Using these documents and a confirmed secure and unique email address only accessible by the director, we can then verify your identity with Companies House allowing you to become a limited entity company director/partner.
How else have the changes impacted new incorporations?
Although we have discussed above the elephant in the room with regards to the what has drastically changed the incorporation process but there are also some knock-on effect which these changes have had on the wider environment of Companies House.
Delayed or Rejected Incorporations
With the new identity verifications, it has been essential to plan your incorporation ahead of time to ensure that your entity is incorporated and running in time for its intended purpose (such as Special Purpose Vehicle buying a property/asset) . If you do not plan ahead and ensure that your company directors/partner are verified then this can delay your incorporation whilst you are awaiting the relevant verification number from your directors.
The Consequences for Non-Compliance
If a company's directors/partners do not verify their identity there can be repercussions for non-compliance. When incorporating this could be as drastic as to completely reject the incorporation itself.
If after incorporation the directors are not verified on time then this is a criminal offence and therefore could face serious penalties including fines.
Overview
The new identity verifications have been introduced to ensure that the information that is submitted to Companies House and is publicly available for creditors, investors and other stake holder is accurate. Verification of directors/partners should also ensure that there is less fraud and criminal activity operated through UK limited entities.
