Who requires a Director Personal Code, and why is it important?
Four groups of people must verify their identity with Companies House and obtain an 11-character personal code — and the requirement follows your role, not your address. Here is the two-minute version, followed by the full FAQs.
Who needs a personal code, in two minutes
Directors, people with significant control, LLP members and filing agents — who is caught, when your deadline falls, and what happens if you miss it.
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Read the full transcript
Who actually needs a Companies House personal code, and why does it matter so much? I get asked this every single day, so let me answer it properly. I'm from Tax and Accounting Hub Limited, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, and this is Director Personal Code.
First, what it is. A personal code is an 11-character code that Companies House issues to you once you have verified your identity. It belongs to you, not to your company. Think of it as proof, on the public record, that Companies House knows who you really are.
So who needs one? Four groups. Company directors, or the equivalent role in your organisation. People with significant control — that is anyone who owns or controls more than 25% of the shares or voting rights. Members of a limited liability partnership. And anyone who files documents at Companies House on a company's behalf.
Does this apply if you do not live in the UK? Yes. It is your role that triggers the requirement, not your address. If you are a director or a person with significant control of a UK company, you must verify, wherever in the world you happen to live.
When? Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025, and that opened a 12-month transition period. If you were already a director, your code has to appear on your company's next confirmation statement. If you are appointed, or you incorporate a new company, you need your code at the point of filing.
Why does this matter? If you miss your deadline, you are committing an offence. Companies House can issue a financial penalty. You can be blocked from making any filings for the company. And you can be stopped from starting a new company at all. This is not a tick-box exercise — it has real consequences for you personally.
One piece of good news. If you sit on several boards, you only verify once. The same personal code covers every appointment you hold, now and in the future. And if it is ever compromised, Companies House will cancel it and issue you a new one.
How we help. As an Authorised Corporate Service Provider we verify you and file it directly with Companies House as your agent, online or in person, wherever you are based. Visit directorpersonalcode.uk and we will take it from there.
Four groups need a personal code
If any one of these describes you, you must verify your identity with Companies House.
- Company directors — or the equivalent role in your organisation, including directors of overseas companies registered in the UK.
- People with significant control (PSCs) — anyone who owns or controls more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, even if they hold no directorship.
- Members of a limited liability partnership — LLP members are treated in the same way as company directors.
- Anyone who files at Companies House on a company's behalf — including accountants, company secretaries and internal staff who submit documents.
One code covers every role you hold. If you are a director of four companies and a PSC of two more, you verify once and quote the same 11-character code everywhere.
Everything else people ask us
Answers based on the Companies House rules in force under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.
Who needs a Companies House personal code?
Four groups need to verify their identity and obtain a personal code: company directors (or the equivalent role in your organisation), people with significant control (PSCs) who own or control more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, members of a limited liability partnership, and anyone who files documents at Companies House on a company's behalf. If you fall into more than one group, you still only need one code.
What exactly is a director personal code?
It is an 11-character code that Companies House issues to you once your identity has been verified. It belongs to you personally rather than to any company, and it acts as proof on the public record that Companies House knows who you are. You quote it whenever you are appointed as a director or when your company files its confirmation statement.
Do overseas directors of UK companies need to verify their identity?
Yes. It is your role that triggers the requirement, not your address. If you are a director or a person with significant control of a UK-registered company and you live in China, the Philippines, the United States, India, Pakistan, France, Germany, Turkey, the UAE or anywhere else, you must verify in exactly the same way as a UK-resident director. As an Authorised Corporate Service Provider based in the UK, we can verify you remotely.
When is my deadline to verify?
Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025, which opened a 12-month transition period. If you were already a director before that date, your verified status must be in place by your company's next confirmation statement. If you are newly appointed, or you are incorporating a new company, you need your code at the point of filing. A PSC who is also a director has 14 days from the day after the confirmation statement date; a PSC who is not a director must verify in the first 14 days of their birth month.
What happens if I miss the deadline?
It becomes unlawful to act as a director without having verified, which is an offence under the Companies Act. Companies House can issue a financial penalty, reject your confirmation statement, block further filings, annotate the public register, refer the matter for prosecution or to the Insolvency Service, and in serious cases seek disqualification. It also becomes very difficult to incorporate a new company.
I am a director of several companies. Do I need a code for each one?
No. You verify once and the same personal code covers every appointment you hold, now and in the future. If your code is ever compromised, Companies House will cancel it and issue you a replacement.
Does a PSC who is not a director still need to verify?
Yes. People with significant control must verify even if they hold no directorship. If you are a PSC and not a director, your verification window is the first 14 days of your birth month.
Can I verify myself instead of using an ACSP?
You can verify directly through GOV.UK One Login, or you can use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. An ACSP is usually the better route if your documents do not suit the fully digital check, if you are overseas, if you would rather be seen in person, or if you want a regulated firm to confirm the filing has been made correctly on your behalf.
Where to go from here
- See how the process works step by step — including the online and in-person routes.
- Verification for overseas directors, by country — if you are a director living outside the UK.
- Companies House ID verification by UK city — including in-person appointments.
- Verifying a whole board or client list — bulk and white-label verification for firms.
- Start your application — it takes around ten minutes.