Companies House identity verification in Birmingham
98,741 live companies are registered to a Birmingham address, and every one of their directors and people with significant control must now verify their identity with Companies House. We are a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider and we do that for you, remotely or by appointment, for a flat £125.
How big the Birmingham verification market actually is
Birmingham has 98,741 live companies registered to its post town, the third-highest figure in the UK (Companies House Free Company Data Product, snapshot 2026-08-01). The more striking number is the postcode area: B holds 167,673 live companies, more than any postcode area outside London. That gap between the post town and the postcode area is the shape of the West Midlands economy, where company formation is spread across a dense ring of separately named towns rather than concentrated in one centre.
Around the city, Coventry records 30,017 live companies, Wolverhampton 19,981, Solihull 13,946, Walsall 13,808 and Sutton Coldfield 9,401, and the CV postcode area adds a further 71,295 (Companies House bulk data). Birmingham is also the city where the geo-modified query for Companies House identity verification appears in Google's UK autocomplete, alongside Manchester and London, which is a reasonable proxy for people here actively hunting for a local provider.
Postcode areas covering Birmingham
- B — Birmingham and the wider West Midlands: 167,673 live companies
- CV — Coventry and Warwickshire: 71,295 live companies
Neighbouring post towns we also serve: Coventry (30,017), Wolverhampton (19,981), Solihull (13,946), Walsall (13,808), Sutton Coldfield (9,401). All figures from the Companies House Free Company Data Product, snapshot 1 August 2026.
Typical Birmingham companies, and what that means for verification
The B postcode area's profile is heavily weighted towards owner-managed trading companies: construction and trades, logistics, wholesale, professional services and a large population of small property companies. Two consequences follow for verification. First, a large share of Birmingham directors are also the sole person with significant control, which means two separate deadline rules apply to the same person. Second, many of these companies were incorporated through a local accountant who is now itself registered as an ACSP, or is deciding whether to register. Companies House reports that over 10,000 accountants, solicitors and formation agents have already registered (Companies House blog, 11 December 2025). If your accountant has not, we can act for you directly, or for them under their own brand.
Do Birmingham directors need an appointment?
There is no Birmingham office and we will not pretend otherwise. Our appointment locations are Bedford and London–Stratford. For a Birmingham director the practical answer is nearly always the remote route: you photograph your passport or driving licence with your phone, take a live selfie, and the check is done in about ten minutes without leaving the city. If your documents do not suit that route, a scheduled video appointment examines your two original documents instead. The fee is £125 for a UK-resident applicant on either route, with no VAT and nothing added later.
Digital identity check
One accepted document, photographed on your own phone, plus a live selfie. Around ten minutes, no travel, no appointment. This is what most Birmingham applicants use.
Two-document check
Two original documents examined by us, either at our Bedford or London–Stratford office or on a scheduled video appointment. Used where the digital route does not suit your documents.
Both routes meet the same Companies House identity verification standard and produce the same personal code. There is also a free Post Office route for UK residents, available after you receive the confirmation email, which takes about 15 days. If your confirmation statement is close, that timing is the thing to weigh up.
Who must verify, and by when
Everyone in scope is in scope in Birmingham on exactly the same terms as anywhere else in the UK. There is no local variation, no local extension and no local exemption.
GOV.UK lists the people who must verify as a director, the equivalent of a director, which includes members, general partners and managing officers, a director of an overseas company registered in the UK, a person with significant control, and anyone registering as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. People who file on behalf of a company, limited partnerships, corporate directors, corporate LLP members and officers of corporate PSCs will be required to verify at a later date.
Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. Companies House is explicit that this date is not a deadline in itself; it marks the start of a 12-month transition period that ends in November 2026, by the end of which Companies House expects to have verified 6 to 7 million individuals (Annual Report and Accounts 2025–26). Your own deadline sits inside that window and depends on your role:
- Existing directors: by the company's next confirmation statement date.
- New directors: before appointment, and at incorporation for a new company.
- Directors of overseas companies registered in the UK: by the anniversary of the UK establishment's registration.
- A PSC who is also a director: within the 14-day period starting the day after the confirmation statement date.
- A PSC who is not a director: within the first 14 days of their birth month.
Once you have verified, Companies House issues an 11 character personal code. It is personal to you and not to your company, and if you are a director of multiple companies you only need to verify once and then use the same code for every appointment.
What happens if the deadline passes
The consequences of not verifying are national and they are not administrative niceties. They apply to a Birmingham director in the same way as to any other.
Companies House states that it is unlawful for a director to act as a director without completing identity verification, and that the offence arises under section 167M of the Companies Act. Three enforcement routes are available: criminal prosecution, referral to the Insolvency Service, and financial penalties. Prosecution may lead to criminal conviction, director disqualification and fines, and non-compliance can be annotated on the public register for anyone to see.
There is also an immediate, practical consequence that arrives long before any enforcement action. All directors need to verify before the company's next confirmation statement is filed, otherwise the filing will be rejected. The campaign guidance puts it more bluntly still: without verification you will not be able to make any filings for your company or start a new company. For most people that rejected filing, not the prospect of prosecution, is what makes this urgent.
How we verify you, and what it costs
Tax and Accounting Hub Ltd is a Companies House Authorised Corporate Service Provider, company number 08408126, supervised by the Association of Accounting Technicians for anti-money-laundering purposes and registered with the ICO. GOV.UK describes an ACSP as an agent, such as an accountant or solicitor, who files on behalf of others, and requires every ACSP to be supervised by a UK anti-money-laundering supervisory body. The official public list of ACSPs is published by Companies House and was last updated on 20 August 2026.
- You complete a short application, sign the engagement letter on screen and pay by card.
- You verify your identity: either a digital check on your own phone, which takes around ten minutes, or a scheduled appointment where two original documents are examined.
- We review the result against our compliance checklist and file it with Companies House as your authorised agent.
- Companies House emails you your own 11-character personal code, which you then give to every company where you hold an appointment.
Our fee for a UK-resident director, PSC or LLP member is £125, all inclusive. There is no VAT, no per-document charge and nothing added later. You can read the full process on our step-by-step guide, or start now on the application page.
Birmingham verification questions
The questions we are asked most often by directors and PSCs of Birmingham companies.
How many companies are registered in Birmingham?
The Birmingham post town holds 98,741 live companies and the B postcode area holds 167,673, which is the largest postcode area outside London, on the Companies House snapshot of 1 August 2026.
Can I verify my identity in Birmingham in person?
Our in-person appointments are in Bedford and London–Stratford. Birmingham applicants who need an in-person style check are offered a scheduled video appointment, which satisfies the same standard without travel.
I am a director in Coventry, Wolverhampton or Solihull. Is the process different?
No. Those towns record 30,017, 19,981 and 13,946 live companies respectively, and the identity verification standard is the same across the whole UK. The fee is also the same.
My accountant in Birmingham says they are not an ACSP. What now?
You can either verify directly with us, or ask them about our white-label option so the work stays under their brand. Only a registered ACSP can verify and file on your behalf, and the official list of them is published by Companies House.
What happens if I miss my confirmation statement date?
Acting as a director without completing identity verification is unlawful and an offence under section 167M of the Companies Act, and the next confirmation statement will be rejected until every director has verified.
Related pages
Ready to verify a Birmingham director?
Most applications take about ten minutes to complete online. Bedford and London–Stratford appointments are available if you would rather be seen.
Start your application