The short version: If VerifyDirector has completed your identity check, you do not need to verify your identity again. Companies House will send an 11-character personal code to the email address used for your verification. Save the code to your Companies House account, then provide it when required for each director or PSC role.
The official Companies House instructions cover several different verification routes and can be difficult to follow. This guide only covers the route relevant to you: VerifyDirector verified your identity as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), and you now need to use the personal code issued by Companies House.
Your personal code confirms that your identity has already been verified. It connects that verified identity to your Companies House records. The code belongs to you as an individual, not to one company. If you are involved with more than one company, you normally use the same code for each role.
Step 1: Find the email from Companies House
After we submit your successful identity verification, Companies House sends your personal code directly to the email address provided during the verification process.
Check your inbox for an email from Companies House. If you cannot find it:
- Search your mailbox for “Companies House” and “personal code”.
- Check your spam, junk and promotions folders.
- Confirm that you are checking the same email address you gave to VerifyDirector.
- If the email is still missing, contact us. We can confirm which email address was submitted and contact Companies House if it was incorrect.
Your personal code has 11 characters. Keep the original email until you have saved the code to your Companies House account.
Step 2: Save the code to your Companies House account
Companies House recommends saving an ACSP-issued personal code to your account. This means you can sign in and retrieve the code later instead of relying on the original email.
- Open the official Companies House personal code guidance.
- Go to “How to save your personal code to a Companies House account” and select the sign-in link.
- Sign in, or create sign-in details, using the same email address that received your personal code.
- Select the option confirming that your identity has already been verified.
- Enter your 11-character personal code.
- Enter your date of birth exactly as it was provided during verification.
Once saved, you can sign in to Companies House and open Manage account whenever you need to view the code.
Important: Saving the code does not repeat the identity check. It simply connects the verification completed through VerifyDirector to your Companies House account.
Step 3: Use the code for the correct role
How you provide the code depends on whether you are a director, a person with significant control (PSC), or both.
If you are an existing director
Provide your personal code as part of your company’s next confirmation statement. If you are a director of more than one company, the code must be provided for each company, but you still use the same personal code.
If an accountant, company secretary or authorised agent files the confirmation statement for you, you may give the code to that person securely so they can include it in the filing.
If you are becoming a new director
Your personal code must be included when:
- a new company is incorporated and you are named as a director; or
- an existing company files your appointment as a director.
Give the code securely to the person preparing the incorporation or appointment filing.
If you are a PSC
A PSC must provide the personal code through the official PSC identity verification service. You will also need the company number.
Every PSC has a specific 14-day period in which to provide the code. The timing depends on when you became a PSC and whether you are also a director. Sign in to the official service to check your exact dates rather than guessing the deadline.
If you are both a director and a PSC
You must provide the same personal code separately for each role:
- for your director role, include it in the company’s confirmation statement; and
- for your PSC role, submit it through the PSC identity verification service.
Completing one of these steps does not automatically complete the other.
If Companies House does not accept the code
First, check that:
- every character of the personal code was entered correctly;
- the date of birth entered matches the date used for your verification; and
- you are connecting the code to the correct person and company role.
If the details still do not match, contact VerifyDirector. We may need to check the information submitted during your ACSP verification.
The date of birth already held on the Companies House register may also be incorrect. If so, the registered date of birth must be corrected before the personal code can be connected. Companies House provides separate guidance on correcting a date of birth.
Keep your personal code secure
Your personal code is reusable and belongs to you, so store it safely.
- Do not publish it online or share it in a public group.
- Only share it with a trusted person who is filing on your behalf.
- Do not send it together with passport images unless a secure process specifically requires both.
- If you believe the code has been exposed, contact Companies House and request a replacement. The old code will be cancelled.
Need help?
If VerifyDirector completed your identity verification and you did not receive the code, cannot save it, or receive a details-mismatch error, contact us with:
- your full name;
- the email address used for verification;
- your company number, if applicable; and
- a screenshot of the error message with your personal code hidden.
Please do not send your full personal code in an unprotected support message. We can help you identify the next step without asking you to repeat the identity verification.
For the latest official rules, see Companies House personal codes for identity verification and when you need to verify your identity.