Answer
Identity verification before a raise
Do directors and investors need to verify their identity with Companies House before a raise?
Yes. GOV.UK says identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025 for directors and people with significant control. A director gives a personal code in the company's next confirmation statement. A PSC has a 14 day period to give theirs. Verifying through GOV.UK One Login is free.
Last reviewed 2 November 2026. Written by HAM Agency.
An investor reading your Companies House record will see who the directors are and who controls the company. Since late 2025 the law has also asked those people to verify who they are, and the company's filings depend on it.
What the law now asks for
Companies House says identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. It also says that date is not a deadline. It marks the start of a 12-month transition period, so the date that applies to a given person depends on their role and when they took it up.
The guidance lists who has to verify: directors and their equivalents, people with significant control (PSCs), and the agents who file for others. Companies House says it will add other roles later, including people who file on behalf of a company.
Directors
Companies House says a current director gives their personal code in the company's next confirmation statement. A new director gives it as part of their appointment filing. A founder who is a director of more than one company does this for each company, with the same code.
The personal code is an 11 character code, and Companies House says it belongs to the person, not the company. It is issued once someone has verified.
PSCs
For a PSC the route is different. Companies House says a PSC must verify and give the personal code within a 14 day period, and that the dates depend on the person's situation.
| Situation | When the 14 days fall, per Companies House |
|---|---|
| Director and PSC of the same company | Starting the day after the company's confirmation statement date |
| PSC but not a director | The first 14 days of the person's birth month |
| Became a PSC after 18 November 2025 | When first added to the register, or within 14 days of being added |
Someone who is both a director and a PSC of the same company gives the code separately for each role.
This matters in a round. The article on whether an investor becomes a PSC covers who the register will name. Each of those people then has a verification task of their own.
How people verify
Companies House says a person can verify online with GOV.UK One Login using a biometric passport, a UK photo driving licence or a UK residence document. Where that doesn't work, the service points to bank details or a Post Office. The other route is an accountant or solicitor registered with Companies House as an authorised agent.
What to settle before the round closes
- List every director and every expected PSC after the round.
- Check which of them have a personal code, and where each person keeps it.
- Work out which date applies to each person, using the Companies House guidance.
- Tell each incoming investor early, as the PSC article suggests, so the 14 days don't catch them out.
Which date applies to a particular person is a legal question. Your accountant, solicitor or company secretary confirms it. What you can do is have the register, the cap table and the data room agree, which Raise Ready builds with you. The wider list sits in the seed data room checklist.
Questions
Who has to verify their identity?
Companies House says you need to verify if you are a director or the equivalent of one, a person with significant control, or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. In most cases you verify once. The guidance says not to verify again unless Companies House tells you to.
Does it cost anything to verify?
Companies House says the service that uses GOV.UK One Login is free of charge. An accountant or solicitor who is registered as an authorised agent can verify you instead, and the guidance says they may charge a fee for that.
What if a director or PSC can't meet the date?
For a PSC, Companies House says you can request a 14 day extension through the PSC service, but only before the verification deadline has passed. The guidance also says that not complying may be an offence, with a financial penalty or fine, and a note against the person's name on the public register.
Does Raise Ready verify identities or file anything?
No. Raise Ready lays out who is a director and who is a PSC, and what the register will need, so nothing is a surprise in diligence. It doesn't verify anyone or file at Companies House, and it doesn't give investment, tax or legal advice. Your accountant, solicitor or company secretary confirms who must verify and by when.