In short: Companies House does not set ACSP prices — each authorised agent charges its own. At directorverifications.com it is £24.99 per person, completed within 24–48 hours, or £39.99 for Fast Track, guaranteed same day when your payment and your identity document are both received before 5pm, seven days a week. The price you see is the price you pay.
You have been told you must verify your identity for Companies House. You have found the word "ACSP". Now you want to know what it costs before you hand over a card number.
Here is the answer, without the runaround.
What it costs
| Service | Price | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | £24.99 per person | Completed within 24–48 hours |
| Fast Track | £39.99 per person | Guaranteed same day when your payment and your identity document are both received before 5pm, seven days a week |
Per person, not per company. Identity verification is an individual legal requirement. A company with three directors needs three verifications.
One price, once. If the automated check cannot confirm a match, a trained person reviews your documents. That human review is included. You are not charged a second time, and you do not start again from the beginning.
The difference between the two prices is speed and nothing else. Both are the same check, carried out to the same Companies House standard and submitted to the same portal. Fast Track buys you a deadline, not a better result. And note the Fast Track condition has two halves — payment and document, both before 5pm — because we cannot verify someone who has paid but not yet uploaded anything. Seven days a week, not weekdays only.
Verifying several people at once — a board, an LLP, a group of PSCs — is a different conversation: see our bulk director verification service.
Why there is no standard ACSP price
Companies House authorises agents. It does not regulate what they charge. Its own guidance on verifying your identity for Companies House says only that an authorised agent "may charge a fee for their services".
So you are comparing firms, not looking up a rate — and the quoted figures are not always comparable. Some agents bundle verification into a wider accountancy or formation package. Some charge per company and then per person on top. Some charge again when the first attempt fails.
Which is why the headline number is the least useful thing on the page.
The government route is free. It is also why most of our customers are here.
Yes — verifying directly through GOV.UK costs nothing. It is also the thing that did not work for the person reading this.
There are three government routes, and each one stops at a wall:
| Route | Where it stops |
|---|---|
| GOV.UK One Login app | Needs a supported smartphone and a document the app will take. A non-UK passport is accepted only if biometric. EU national identity cards are not accepted at all |
| GOV.UK security questions | Built on questions about your UK financial history. No UK financial footprint, no route |
| GOV.UK at a Post Office | Takes more documents — but you must turn up at a UK branch in person |
If you hold a national identity card and no passport, all three are shut. If you live in Mumbai or Madrid and have never held a UK bank account, all three are shut. And if you do qualify on paper, that is still no guarantee: we hear every week from directors whose scan was simply rejected, with no explanation and no obvious way to try again. Our guide on what to do when Companies House ID verification fails covers that in detail.
An ACSP is the second lawful route, checked against exactly the same Companies House standard — and it is the one that does not depend on your phone, your bank, or your ability to get to Britain.
With directorverifications.com there is no app to download and no GOV.UK One Login at any stage. The check is completed remotely, from any country. That is what the £24.99 removes: not the requirement, the hassle.
What to ask before you pay anyone
Five questions. They are the ones we would want asked of us.
- Is the price per person? Ours is, and we say so before you pay.
- Is there a second charge if the first attempt fails? With us, no. Human review is included.
- Which documents will you accept? Ask before you pay, not after. Our guide on what an ACSP is explains how the routes differ.
- Is the turnaround a target or a guarantee? Ours is 24–48 hours as standard; Fast Track is a guarantee, with the two conditions above.
- Are they actually authorised? Companies House publishes a list of ACSPs, and a separate list of ceased and suspended ones. Check both.
The bottom line
Verification is not optional. Since 18 November 2025 every director, LLP member, general partner, managing officer and Person with Significant Control must verify. It is unlawful to act as a director without doing it, and where a director is in breach, the company is in breach too.
So the question is not "£24.99 or free". It is £24.99, or another month of an app that will not accept your document.
directorverifications.com is a Companies House-approved ACSP, run by Finovium Limited, a firm of accountants, tax and business advisers in Chelsea, West London. No app. No GOV.UK One Login. Human review included. Your personal code emailed straight to your inbox.
Standard — £24.99 per person, completed within 24–48 hours.
Fast Track — £39.99 per person, guaranteed same day when your payment and your identity document are both received before 5pm, seven days a week.
Get verified for £24.99 · Get Fast Track for £39.99 · or get in touch if you would like to check your documents first.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ACSP cost?
There is no fixed price — Companies House authorises agents but does not set their fees. At directorverifications.com it is £24.99 per person, completed within 24–48 hours, or £39.99 for Fast Track.
How much do ACSPs charge for identity verification?
It varies, and quoted figures are not always comparable. Some bundle it into a wider package, some charge per company and then per person, and some charge again if the first attempt fails. Ask what happens when the automated check cannot confirm a match.
Is the £24.99 per person or per company?
Per person. Verification is an individual requirement, so three directors means three verifications.
What is the difference between the £24.99 and the £39.99 service?
Speed, and nothing else. Both are the same check, to the same Companies House standard, submitted to the same portal. Standard completes within 24–48 hours. Fast Track is guaranteed same day where both your payment and your identity document are received before 5pm, seven days a week.
Do I pay again if my verification fails first time?
Not with us. Where the automated check cannot confirm a match, a trained person reviews your documents — that review is included in the price.
Why pay an ACSP when the GOV.UK route is free?
Because for a great many directors the free route does not work. The One Login app takes a non-UK passport only if it is biometric and does not accept EU national identity cards; the security-questions route needs a UK financial history; and the Post Office route means attending a UK branch in person. An ACSP verifies you remotely, from any country, with no app and no GOV.UK One Login.
What happens after I have paid?
Companies House emails your 11-character personal code directly to you, usually within a few hours, and you connect it to your roles. See our guide to the Companies House personal code.
A note for firms only: if you run an AML-supervised practice and are asking what it costs to register as an ACSP yourself, rather than to be verified by one, the requirements are set out in our guide on what an ACSP is and how to choose one. It has nothing to do with the price of being verified — if you are here to get your own identity verified, it is £24.99, or £39.99 for Fast Track, and nothing else.
