If you're a director or a person with significant control (PSC) of a UK limited company, you'll have heard that identity verification became compulsory in November 2025, with a final deadline of 18 November 2026. That final date is real, but for most directors, it isn't the date that actually matters.
The date everyone quotes, and why it's misleading
18 November 2026 is the backstop, the absolute latest point by which every existing director and PSC must have verified. But the rule underneath it is simpler and stricter: you need to verify by the time your company files its next confirmation statement after 18 November 2025.
That means your practical deadline depends entirely on your company's own filing calendar. A company with a confirmation statement due in December 2025 had its real deadline months ago. One due next spring has a real deadline well before next November. Treating "November 2026" as a single fixed date is the mistake catching people out.
How to find your actual deadline
- Look up your company's confirmation statement date on the Companies House register, it's public information
- Whichever date comes first for any company you hold a role in is your effective deadline, even if you're a director of several companies
- If you were appointed as a new director or PSC after 18 November 2025, this doesn't apply to you the same way, you should already have verified before appointment
What verification actually involves
There are two routes. You can verify directly and for free through GOV.UK One Login, using a biometric passport or UK driving licence, or in person at a participating Post Office. Alternatively, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, often an accountant, can carry out the check on your behalf, usually for a fee.
Once verified, you're issued a personal code. You only need to do this once, even if you're a director of multiple companies, you simply provide the same code every time it's needed.
What to do now
- Check your confirmation statement date today, not closer to the filing itself
- If you have directorships across more than one company, find the earliest of all their deadlines
- Verify well before that date. An unverified director can hold up the whole filing
- If your accountant usually handles your filings, confirm with them whether they're set up to verify on your behalf, or whether it's on you to do it directly
This is a five-minute task for most people once you know your actual date. The only real risk is leaving it until a filing is due and discovering it's already too late.
If you'd rather someone else was tracking this alongside your other company filings, that's part of what we handle for you.