Director & PSC Identity Verification Status

Company Watch now displays the Identity Verification (IDV) status of Directors and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) in the platform.

This reflects requirements introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) 2023, which became mandatory on 18 November 2025.

The feature allows users to check whether Directors and PSCs have verified their identity

Under ECCTA, all Directors and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) must complete identity verification through:

• GOV.UK

• The Post Office

• An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)

Once verified, individuals confirm their appointments using their unique verified identity code:

• Via the company’s next Confirmation Statement, or

• For PSCs who are not UK directors, via their month of birth

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) is a regulated professional—such as an accountant, solicitor, or formation agent—registered with Companies House.

They can:

• Verify identities

• File documents on behalf of clients

From 18 March 2025, ACSPs became mandatory for conducting AML-supervised activities, improving the security of UK company formation.

Transition period:

18 Nov 2025 → 18 Nov 2026

Directors

• New Directors must verify before appointment

• Existing Directors must verify before the next Confirmation Statement

Persons with Significant Control (PSC)

• New PSCs must verify within 14 days of appointment

• Existing PSCs (who are not directors) must verify within 14 days of the start of their birth month

• Open the Company Health Profile

• Go to Company Info (left-hand navigation)

• Select Directors & Shareholders / Persons with Significant Control Page

  • Current Directors

  • Previous Directors

    View the Verified? column    

     

Verification Status Indicators

In the “Verified?” column, colour-coded icons indicate the current identity verification status of a Director or PSC. These indicators help users quickly understand whether verification is complete, pending, or overdue.

Indicator	Meaning	Action Required
Grey                Cross	Verification is Pending/Due. The individual has not yet verified their identity, but they are still within the legal transition period (usually until the company's next Confirmation Statement is due).	Should ensure that this is verified soon.
Orange             Circle	Verification is LATE. The deadline for this individual has passed, and they have not complied with Companies House regulations.	Urgent.  Needs to address this immediately to avoid penalties or filing issues.
Green             Circle	Verification is Complete. The individual has successfully proven their identity.	None. Verification is complete.

If a Director or PSC has not completed identity verification before their required deadline, their status will appear as Late in the Verified? column.

You may also see a Notification in the Health Profile for the company, for example:

• Unverified directors

  
  

• Unverified person of significant control
  
  

A Late status indicates that the individual has missed the Companies House identity verification deadline and may now be non-compliant with ECCTA requirements

.Possible consequences have yet to specified by Companies House. 

Individuals should complete their identity verification as soon as possible through the official verification process via GOV.UK or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)

Company Watch does not perform identity verification. We only display the status based on Companies House data.

• Corporate PSCs and corporate directors are not currently required to complete identity verification. This requirement may be introduced in the future.
• Company secretaries are not currently subject to identity verification requirements under ECCTA.