Director ID Verification for ECCTA in Five Secure Steps (2026)

Identity verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) is no longer optional paperwork - it's a legal requirement enforced by Companies House. If you're a UK company director, this guide breaks the process into five simple, secure steps, and shows you the easiest, lowest-risk way to complete it: through directorverifications.com

directorverifications.com is a trusted service from Finovium Limited - a firm of accountants based in London - and an Authorised Corporate Service Provider  (ACSP) registered with Companies House and supervised for anti-money-laundering purposes by HMRC. We help UK and overseas directors, Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) and LLP members complete Companies House identity verification quickly, securely and in full compliance with ECCTA - with no GOV.UK One Login and no app to download.

What Is ECCTA Director ID Verification?

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced a legal duty for every UK company director, LLP member and PSC to verify their identity with Companies House. It became mandatory for all new directors and new incorporations from 18 November 2025. Existing directors and PSCs have a 12-month transition window that closes on 18 November 2026, with the exact deadline tied to your company's confirmation statement cycle.

Once verified, you receive a unique 11-character personal code that must be quoted on future filings, including director appointments, PSC notifications and confirmation statements. Non-compliance is a serious matter: directors who fail to verify risk fines, disqualification, rejected filings, and a visible "unverified" flag on the public register. directorverifications.com exists to get you compliant well before any of that becomes a risk.

Who Needs To Verify?

Several groups fall within scope of ECCTA identity verification:

•       Company directors - everyone holding a director role at a UK company.

•       Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) - broadly, anyone owning or controlling more than 25% of a company's shares or voting rights. See PSC verification.

•       LLP members and Limited Partnership partners - LLP members are in scope, and Limited Partnership partners are being brought in during 2026.

•       Filers and presenters - company secretaries, accountants and formation agents who submit documents on a company's behalf will also need to verify, in a later phase being rolled out during 2026.

Companies House estimates that six to seven million people across the UK fall into these categories. directorverifications.com can verify any of them.

Why the "Free" Route Often Isn't The Easy Route

You can technically verify yourself for free through GOV.UK One Login - but "free" and "easy" aren't the same thing. The government route means creating a GOV.UK One Login account, downloading the ID Check app onto an NFC-enabled smartphone, and passing a single automated scan. Worn documents, older phones and non-British IDs are frequently rejected, and a failed attempt can lock you out for a lengthy, unpredictable period. If that happens close to a deadline, it becomes a real problem - see why Companies House rejects verifications and what to do next.

By contrast, directorverifications.com - an ACSP with direct access to the Companies House ACSP portal - needs no GOV.UK One Login and no app, combines AI with human review, and removes the lock-out risk.

Especially If You're a Non-British Director

If you hold non-British ID documents, this matters even more. From what customers repeatedly tell us, it is effectively impossible to get verified through the Companies House system with non-British documents - we hear that the government's app rejects them and locks people out - which leaves directors with no realistic choice but to use an ACSP such as directorverifications.com. And you don't need a passport to verify with us: many overseas customers use a government-issued national identity card or driving licence, which are accepted just as well. If that's you, start with ID verification for non-UK-citizen company directors.

Five Secure Steps To Complete Your Verification

Step 1: Confirm your deadline. New directors and new incorporations must verify immediately, before an appointment is registered. Existing directors must verify by their company's next confirmation statement, and no later than 18 November 2026. Mark the date now.

Step 2: Choose the low-risk route - an ACSP. You can verify directly through GOV.UK One Login, or have an ACSP such as directorverifications.com verify you. Given the government route's failure and lock-out risk - and the fact that non-British documents are so often rejected - most directors who want certainty choose directorverifications.com, and businesses with several people to verify almost always do.

Step 3: Prepare your ID. Have a government-issued photo ID ready - a passport, a national identity card or a driving licence all work, so you can use whichever you already have. directorverifications.com uses electronic likeness-matching, comparing a live photo of your face against your document. Having it ready keeps everything quick.

Step 4: Complete the check. Click the secure link directorverifications.com emails you, scan your ID and complete a quick face scan using your phone, laptop or desktop camera. There's nothing to download. It's a one-time check.

Step 5: Receive and use your personal code. After successful verification, we submit your data to Companies House through the ACSP portal, and Companies House emails you a unique 11-character personal code. Store it securely - you'll quote it on confirmation statements, director appointments, PSC notifications and other filings. If you sit on multiple boards, you use the same code across each.

What Happens If You Miss The Deadline?

By the end of 2026, Companies House expects to begin active enforcement against directors and PSCs who haven't verified - including rejecting filings and flagging unverified individuals on the public register, which can affect your credibility with clients, lenders and partners. Getting verified early through directorverifications.com is the simplest way to stay ahead of it.

Why Directors Choose Directorverifications.com

•       An ACSP authorised by Companies House, with direct ACSP-portal access.

•       No GOV.UK One Login and no app - just a secure link.

•       AI plus human review, so edge cases aren't auto-rejected.

•       The reliable route for non-British and non-biometric documents.

•      £24.99 standard (always completed within 48 hours) or £39.99 fast-track same-day before 5pm, seven days a week.

[Get verified with directorverifications.com for £24.99] and stay ahead of ECCTA compliance.

Key Takeaways

•       Director ID verification under ECCTA is a legal requirement, not a recommendation.

•       New directors must verify before appointment; existing directors have until their next confirmation statement, and no later than 18 November 2026.

•       The free GOV.UK route is failure- and lock-out-prone; for non-British documents it's effectively unusable - an ACSP such as directorverifications.com is the reliable route.

•       It's a one-time check that issues an 11-character personal code for future filings.

•       Getting verified early with directorverifications.com avoids last-minute disruption.

Frequently Asked Questions