Companies House identity verification in Liverpool
49,322 live companies are registered to a Liverpool 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 Liverpool verification market actually is
Liverpool has 49,322 live companies registered to its post town, and the L postcode area holds 61,107 (Companies House Free Company Data Product, snapshot 2026-08-01). Merseyside sits inside a wider north-west cluster that also includes Manchester (112,013), Preston (21,761), Warrington (19,994) and Blackburn (10,556), plus the CH postcode area covering Chester and the Wirral with 39,222.
That regional density matters because it changes who a Liverpool director realistically has as a local ACSP. Several firms marketing to the north west are based in Manchester or Chester rather than Liverpool itself. Since registered ACSPs must be based in the UK (GOV.UK) but need not be based near you, proximity is a comfort factor rather than a legal one. The official public list of ACSPs is published by Companies House and was last updated on 20 August 2026 (GOV.UK), and it is worth checking any provider against it.
Postcode areas covering Liverpool
- L — Liverpool and Merseyside: 61,107 live companies
- CH — Chester and Wirral: 39,222 live companies
Neighbouring post towns we also serve: Manchester (112,013), Warrington (19,994), Preston (21,761), Wirral (8,167), Blackburn (10,556). All figures from the Companies House Free Company Data Product, snapshot 1 August 2026.
Typical Liverpool companies, and what that means for verification
Liverpool's register is dominated by small owner-managed companies, with strong representation in hospitality, construction, logistics around the port, health and social care, and a large property sector. For a single-director company the verification path is short: one person, one document, one code. Where it gets awkward is the family or partnership company with three or four directors who are also the PSCs, because the confirmation statement will be rejected unless every director has verified (Companies House), and each PSC then has their own 14-day window running from the day after the confirmation statement date (GOV.UK). One slow director holds up the filing for everyone.
Do Liverpool directors need an appointment?
We hold appointments in Bedford and London–Stratford, not in Liverpool. For a Merseyside applicant the digital route is the sensible default, and the two-document route is delivered as a scheduled video appointment. The fee is £125 for a UK-resident applicant, all inclusive.
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 Liverpool 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 Liverpool 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 Liverpool 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.
Liverpool verification questions
The questions we are asked most often by directors and PSCs of Liverpool companies.
How many companies are registered in Liverpool?
There are 49,322 live companies registered to the Liverpool post town and 61,107 across the L postcode area, on the Companies House snapshot of 1 August 2026.
Does my ACSP have to be local to Liverpool?
No. Registered ACSPs must be based in the UK, but there is no requirement for them to be near you. Companies House publishes the official list of ACSPs, which is the right place to check any provider.
We have four directors. Can you verify us all together?
Yes, and it is usually better to. The confirmation statement will be rejected unless every director has verified, so one outstanding director holds up the whole filing.
Can I do this at a Liverpool Post Office instead?
The Post Office route is available to UK residents after you receive the confirmation email, and takes about 15 days. It is free, but the timing is the trade-off.
What does it cost?
£125 all inclusive for a UK-resident director, with no VAT and no add-ons. £175 if you are resident overseas.
Related pages
Ready to verify a Liverpool 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