# Companies House Identity Checks Need a Deadline Map, Not a Reminder

**Category:** COMPANY-SECRETARIAL
**Author:** John Hotham
**Published:** 2026-10-16
**Read Time:** 5 min read

## Summary
Identity verification creates a coordination task across directors, PSCs and filings. Map each person, role, code and deadline before a filing is due.

## Full Content
A Companies House verification reminder is not a control. A named person, verified status and deadline against the right filing is.

Identity verification requirements now apply to relevant company roles. For existing directors and people with significant control, Companies House describes a transition period and explains when verification details must be provided. The timing differs by role and circumstances, so do not assume one company-wide date covers everyone. Check the official guidance for each person’s position. [Companies House: Verify your identity](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/verifying-your-identity-for-companies-house) | [When you need to verify your identity](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/when-you-need-to-verify-your-identity-for-companies-house)

## Build a role-by-role control list

For each director and relevant person with significant control, record:

- the person’s current role and any other covered role;
- whether and how identity verification has been completed;
- the personal code, held securely and accessible to the authorised filing process;
- the filing or appointment event that triggers the next step;
- the accountable owner and a completion date ahead of the statutory deadline; and
- evidence that the filing was accepted and the record updated.

Treat personal codes as sensitive information. Limit access to those who need them for the filing process, use a controlled storage location, and do not circulate them in broad email chains.

## Reconcile before submission

Before a confirmation statement or appointment filing, compare the internal officer and PSC records with the current Companies House register. Check names, roles, dates and verification status. Confirm who is authorised to submit the filing, who will provide the required code, and who will verify acceptance afterwards.

Do not confuse a company secretary’s administrative role with the identity-verification requirement that applies to a person in a covered role. The Companies House guidance identifies the roles and filing circumstances. Check the position for the individual rather than applying a blanket assumption.

## Make exceptions visible

Maintain an exception list for people who have not completed verification, whose role is unclear, or whose code cannot be retrieved. Escalate early to the company secretary or appropriate adviser. A last-minute chase creates filing risk and wastes senior time.

This is a manageable governance control: clear ownership, a current register and evidence of completion. The payoff is fewer avoidable filing delays and a cleaner record of who was checked, when and for which role.

**Sources:** [Companies House identity verification guidance](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/verifying-your-identity-for-companies-house); [When verification is needed](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/when-you-need-to-verify-your-identity-for-companies-house); [Companies House personal codes](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/companies-house-personal-codes-for-identity-verification).

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