From the 18th of November 2026, Companies House will require verified identity for all directors, secretaries, and persons of significant control filing information. Practices must implement verification workflows now or face filing rejections and client churn.
What exactly is the 18th of November 2026 identity verification requirement?
The 18th of November 2026 identity verification deadline means that Companies House is moving to a digital identity-verification system powered by iD.me, a third-party identity platform. Any person filing information with Companies House (whether you’re a director updating their address, a secretary submitting annual returns, or a PSC notifying an ownership change) must first complete iD.me verification. This is not optional, and unverified filings will be rejected.
The deadline applies to all companies. There’s no exemption for small companies, dormant companies, or any other category.
Who must be verified: Directors, secretaries, or both?
All of them. Any person filing information with Companies House must be verified. This includes directors filing change notifications, secretaries filing annual returns, and PSCs filing ownership declarations. If your client company has three directors and one secretary, all four people must be verified before any filing can proceed.
How does the iD.me verification process work?
The person logs into Companies House, selects ‘verify identity’, and is directed to iD.me. They provide their UK passport or driving licence, complete a photo match, and answer identity-confirmation questions. Verification is typically completed in minutes. Once verified, their identity is linked to their Companies House account and persists for future filings.
The process is relatively frictionless for UK residents with standard ID. It could be slower for people without UK driving licences or passports, or who live abroad.
What happens if someone fails identity verification?
Verification can fail for several reasons, like incorrect ID submission, a selfie that doesn’t match the ID, or missing identity confirmation questions. When verification fails, the person receives notification and can retry immediately. Most retries succeed, but in rare cases where a person cannot be verified automatically, Companies House offers manual verification pathways, but these could take up to 2-3 weeks.
One unverified director can block an entire company from filing. That’s why it’s important to plan verification completion for September 2026, well ahead of the 18th of November deadline.
How should practices prepare clients for verification?
Start communicating with clients about iD.me verification now. Send a letter explaining the requirement, the process, and the timeline. Suggest that all directors and the secretary complete verification by September 2026. Include a screenshot of the iD.me process so they know what to expect. Offer to walk them through the process if they’re uncertain.
Practices should also audit their client files. Think about which directors you have contact information for, and if there are any directors based abroad or without standard UK IDs. These need earlier attention that more straightforward accounts.
What software supports bulk identity verification workflows?
Company secretarial software, Inform Direct by Bright, includes client communication templates for iD.me and tracks verification status in the client record. Practices using integrated software can see at a glance which directors are verified and which need prompting, rather than manually checking Companies House account-by-account.
To learn more about how Inform Direct can help with the 18th of November deadline, check out the link below.