28 janvier 2025 Lucy Reeve  -  Rita Teo Corporate Governance

ECCTA 2023: voluntary identity verification to be available from 25 March this year

Companies House has announced implementation dates relating to key company law reforms introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. 

This includes dates relevant to the identity verification (or IDV) regime, whereby all directors, members of LLPs and persons with significant control (or PSCs) will have to have their identity verified. There will be two routes: direct verification via an online platform, and an indirect route through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (or an ACSP). 

Key dates

  • 27 January 2025: Residential addresses – new regulations enable individuals to protect a residential address in more cases than possible before. Individuals can apply to protect an address that was previously used as a company’s registered office address so that it does not appear on the public Companies House register. 
  • 25 February 2025: 
    • ACSPs – qualifying individuals and organisations (being those who are subject to anti money laundering supervision, such as law firms) will be able to register as an ACSP so that they are authorised to carry out verification services in preparation for the IDV regime becoming compulsory later in 2025. 
    • Enhanced strike-off powers – the registrar will be able to strike off a company registered under a false basis.
  • 25 March 2025: Voluntary IDV – individuals will be able to voluntarily verify their identity using their GOV.UK One Login, which is Companies House’s new online platform (under which the “Find and update company information” service will also be housed). 

How you can prepare for identity verification

IDV will become compulsory on incorporation for new directors, LLP members and PSCs from Autumn 2025. Existing directors, LLP members and PSCs will have until their LLP or company’s next confirmation statement to complete their IDV process. 

In preparation, companies may wish to consider allowing time for briefing directors on the IDV requirements at upcoming board meetings and ensuring that the board and PSCs are up to date with the implementation timeline. Individuals who will undertake the IDV process should also be encouraged to check through their identity documents, so that any errors in existing Companies House records (such as names being misspelled) can be corrected in advance. 

More information

The Registrar (Identity Verification and Authorised Corporate Service Providers) Regulations 2025 (and explanatory memorandum) and the Unique Identifiers (Application of Company Law) Regulations 2025 (and explanatory memorandum) have now been published. For both regulations, secondary legislation will be required to commence the relevant provisions. 

For further guidance and updates on ECCTA, see our Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Hub.