You direct a UK limited company. Companies House now requires you to prove, in person or to the same evidential standard, that you are who you say you are. The rule is new under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and applies to every director, every person with significant control (PSC), and every new appointment from 18 November 2025 onwards.
Total Books is a Companies House authorised agent (ACSP) and an AAT-licensed practice in Cardiff, Newport and Bristol. We complete the verification for you, hold your personal code on file, and use it under your authority for every future Companies House filing.
- Director IDV is a personal legal duty under ECCTA 2023, overseen by Companies House.
- New directors and PSCs appointed on or after 18 November 2025 verify before the appointment is filed.
- Existing directors and PSCs have until 18 November 2026, with individual deadlines pegged to each company's next confirmation statement.
- Verification is on the person, not the company. One verified identity covers every UK director or PSC role you hold.
- Total Books verifies you as your ACSP in a 15-minute appointment in Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, or by secure video link UK-wide.
- IDV is included in our accountants for limited companies service from £175 + VAT a month, or scoped as a one-off engagement on the free 15-minute call.
What director identity verification means under the new Companies House rules
Director identity verification, often shortened to IDV, is a one-off check that proves three things: that you are a real person, that the identity documents you present are genuinely yours, and that the name on those documents matches the name Companies House holds against you. The framework was created by ECCTA 2023 and is overseen by Companies House, which cross-references the result with HMRC and other UK identity registers, per Companies House published guidance.
The purpose is plain. Companies House has spent two decades carrying inaccurate entries on its public register, including thousands of UK companies with fictitious or impersonated directors used for fraud. The verification regime closes that gap by attaching every appointment to a verified human being, with a documented chain of evidence behind them.
Two things make IDV different from any previous Companies House check. First, the verification sits on the person, not the company. A director of three companies verifies once, and the same verified identity covers all three. Second, once you verify, Companies House issues you a personal verification code, and that code authorises every filing you sign at Companies House from then on. The shift turns the public register from a self-declared list into an identity-backed one.
ICAEW, IFA and CIOT/ATT have all published practitioner briefings on the change, and all reach the same conclusion: this is the most significant reform to UK company law administration since the Companies Act 2006. Directors who treat it as a tick-box exercise underestimate it.
Who has to verify, and by when
Two groups verify, on a staggered timetable: every UK company director, and every person with significant control (PSC). PSC status covers shareholders with more than 25% of shares or voting rights, anyone with the right to appoint or remove a majority of the board, and anyone with significant influence or control under the published Companies House test.
18 November 2025
IDV compulsory for any director or PSC appointed from this date onwards. New incorporations filed with a verification certificate.
Next confirmation statement
Each existing director and PSC's individual deadline is set by the company's next confirmation statement date inside the transition window.
18 November 2026
Transition window closes. Every existing director and PSC must be verified by this date. Per Companies House.
Multi-company directors verify once. The verified identity carries across every UK director or PSC role the person holds, now and in future. A director of five companies completes the IDV once, and the code applies to all five.
The director identity verification process, step by step
Five steps from start to filed:
Documents ready
Current passport or photocard licence, plus recent address evidence.
15-minute call
Free consultation to confirm fit and walk through the process.
Appointment
In Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, or via secure video link UK-wide.
Verification
IDVT cross-checks documents, biometric confirms it's you.
Code issued
Personal verification code held on our secure file for every future filing.
Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) cross-references the document against the issuing register, and a biometric check confirms the document belongs to you. The Companies House response is typically same-day, with the personal verification code issued within minutes of a successful check.
The documents you need
Two categories of evidence. One photographic identity document, and one address document. Both must be in date.
Photographic identity
- Current UK passport
- Current international passport (any country)
- Current UK photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
Proof of address
- Utility bill (gas, electricity, water, broadband, mobile)
- Bank or credit card statement
- Council tax bill (current year)
- HMRC correspondence (dated within 12 months)
Your personal verification code, and how it works
The code is on you, not on any company. Once Companies House issues it, it attaches to your individual record and travels with you to every company you direct, today and in future.
Use it yourself by logging in at GOV.UK and filing under your own authority, or authorise an ACSP like Total Books to use it on your behalf under engagement.
The code does not expire on a date. It remains valid for as long as your Companies House record is current and accurate. It can be revoked by Companies House in fraud cases or where your registered home address lapses.
A working example of how the code travels with the person: a director of three companies who verifies in March 2026 then incorporates a fourth company in June 2026 does not verify again. The same code covers the new appointment. A new PSC who becomes a director two years later does not reverify; the existing code covers the new role.
Verifying directly with Companies House versus through an authorised agent
Two routes lead to the same verified status. The choice is about who completes the process and who holds the code afterwards.
Directors confident with online identity flows can use the GOV.UK route at no cost. Most clients hire us in the first place to take Companies House work off their plate, so adding a verification step they have to manage themselves defeats the purpose.
What happens if you miss the deadline
Companies House enforcement actions
Once your individual deadline passes without verifying, you are personally non-compliant with the Companies Act 2006 as amended by ECCTA. Companies House can, per its published enforcement guidance:
- Refuse to accept any filing the unverified person signs (confirmation statement, accounts, PSC change).
- Add a notice to the public register flagging the non-compliance beyond the deadline.
- Refer the matter to enforcement for criminal investigation in serious cases.
For the company, the practical effect is a frozen Companies House record. A company with an unverified sole director quickly hits a wall on every filing, with the strike-off risk that follows from missed confirmation statements. The recovery is to verify first, then refile. The cost of catching up is many times the cost of verifying on time.
Special situations: multi-company, overseas, corporate, nominee
Verify once, covered everywhere
The verification sits on the person, so one IDV covers every UK director or PSC role you hold today and any new appointments in future.
Same route, different address evidence
UK companies with directors based abroad still need each director to verify. The route is the same; address evidence comes from your country of residence.
The named officer verifies
A corporate director must itself have at least one natural-person director, per the Companies Act 2006. That named officer is the one who verifies personally.
Nominee status doesn't replace IDV
Nominee directors still verify personally. Where a trust controls more than 25%, the named trustees registered as PSCs verify each in their personal capacity.
How Total Books handles your verification
Six steps from first call to your code on file. The whole process typically runs inside one week; nothing is mailed, everything is digital except the appointment itself.
- 15-minute call. Free business call to confirm fit and walk through what's needed.
- Proposal & engagement. Fixed-fee proposal in GoProposal, digitally signed letter of engagement.
- Agent registration. We're added to your company's record at Companies House as your authorised agent (ACSP).
- Verification appointment. 15 minutes at our Cardiff, Newport or Bristol office, or via secure video link UK-wide.
- Code issued. Companies House issues your personal verification code, same-day in most cases.
- Code on file. Held on our secure system under engagement letter, used under your written authority for every future Companies House filing.
One regulated team, every Companies House filing
IDV is included in our service for limited company directors, alongside annual accounts, Corporation Tax, bookkeeping in Xero, VAT, payroll and your director self-assessment.
Pricing
Two routes, depending on what you need from us. Both fixed-fee, both scoped on the free 15-minute call.
Inside our Limited Companies service
For directors who want the full Companies House and accountancy setup under one team.
£175 + VAT / month
Starting fee · scoped on the call
- Director and PSC identity verification
- Annual accounts and Corporation Tax return
- Bookkeeping in Xero
- VAT and payroll
- Director personal tax return
- Confirmation statements and Companies House filings
Standalone IDV engagement
For directors who only need IDV completed by an ACSP, with no ongoing engagement.
Fixed fee
Scoped on the free 15-minute call
- ACSP registration on your Companies House record
- 15-minute verification appointment
- Document checks and IDVT submission
- Personal code held on file
- Multi-director companies quoted with a per-additional-director rate
- Onboarding inside one week from first call
Where does your company stand on director IDV?
Five short questions on the things directors most often miss. Answer them all and we'll tell you whether you're on top of it, have a few gaps to tighten, or should book an urgent review.
How this fits Total Books client work
Our published case studies illustrate the kind of director-led companies the service is built for. We use published outcomes as proof rather than scenarios; every company's facts are different, and the verification process applies on those facts.
Rupali runs multiple limited companies under one playbook with Total Books. The same multi-company model is exactly where the IDV regime pays off: one director, one verified identity, every company covered.
Read the case study →A new content business in early 2026 with one director and one PSC (same person). IDV completed as the opening step, before the company itself was filed. First-year filing calendar set alongside.
A two-director consultancy with the confirmation statement due in May. Both directors needed to verify first. One in person at Tramshed Tech, one by secure video. Statement filed on time at the £34 fee.
Local Companies House agent in Cardiff, Newport and Bristol
Total Books works face-to-face with directors across South Wales and the West of England from three offices, and serves directors UK-wide through our Virtual Finance Office.
Cardiff
Alexandra Gate Business Centre 2, Ffordd Pengam, CF24 2SA
Head office. IDV appointments for directors across Cardiff Bay, Penarth, Cyncoed and the wider CF postcodes.
Cardiff accountants page →Newport
Tramshed Tech, Griffin Street, NP20 1FX
Newport office. Directors across the city, Caerleon and the Severn-side business community.
Newport accountants page →Bristol
Easton Business Centre, Felix Road, BS5 0HE
Cross-border office. BS1, BS5, BS8, the Filton corridor and the wider city region.
Bristol accountants page →Directors elsewhere in the UK verify with us by secure video link, with the same verified status. The Virtual Finance Office wraps the wider engagement.
About Total Books and Buhir Rafiq
Total Books is a regulated, founder-led practice based in Cardiff, with offices in Newport and Bristol, led by Buhir Rafiq MAAT. The firm holds AAT licence 4019, is an HMRC registered tax agent, a Xero Certified Advisor, and a Companies House authorised agent (ACSP).
Buhir founded Total Books in 2009. Thirty years in accounting and finance sit behind the practice, and over 7,000 accounts, tax and compliance engagements have been handled in that time. He leads the IDV service in person.
The practice holds a five-star rating across more than 400 client reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Who needs to complete Companies House identity verification?
Every UK company director, and every person with significant control (PSC), under ECCTA 2023. Directors and PSCs appointed on or after 18 November 2025 verify before appointment, and existing directors and PSCs verify by 18 November 2026, with individual deadlines tied to each company's next confirmation statement, per Companies House.
Can my accountant verify my identity for me?
Yes, if the accountant is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). Total Books is registered. We complete the verification on your behalf, hold the personal code on our secure file under your engagement letter, and use it under your written authority for every future filing.
How long does the verification take?
The appointment itself is around 15 minutes once your documents are in order. The Companies House response is typically same-day. Total Books builds in around a week from the first call to verified status, to allow time for the proposal, the engagement letter and the appointment.
What documents do I need?
A current UK or international passport, or a current UK photocard driving licence, plus address evidence dated within the last three months (utility bill, bank statement, council tax bill, or HMRC correspondence). Your National Insurance number is cross-referenced. The free 15-minute call confirms the documents are valid before the appointment.
Does the verification expire?
Not on a date. The code remains valid for as long as your Companies House record is current and accurate. Companies House can revoke the code in fraud cases or where your home address on the register lapses out of date, but there is no scheduled renewal.
What if I direct a UK company but live abroad?
You still need to verify if you direct a UK-registered company. The route is the same, with address evidence from your country of residence. We complete the verification by secure video link, which produces identical verified status to in-person.
Get every director and PSC verified before the deadline
Total Books completes director and PSC identity verification as your Companies House authorised agent, holds your personal code on file, and runs every future Companies House filing from our calendar. From Cardiff, Newport, Bristol or remotely UK-wide.
Disclaimer: this page is general guidance on Companies House director identity verification and ECCTA 2023. It is not advice for a specific situation. Each director and PSC remains personally responsible for completing their own verification by the applicable deadline. The published Companies House timetable is rolling out and is subject to change; check the dates above against Companies House guidance at the time of acting, or speak to us, or to another regulated accountant, before acting on it.
