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Coddan CPM Ltd. – Company Registration Agent in the UK

Identify the organisation involved, establish the individual's legal role and determine which Companies House identity-verification position applies.

Step 1
Identify Your Entity
Step 2
Establish Your Legal Role
Step 3
Check Applicable Requirements
Step 4
Assess Verification Position
Step 5
Choose Appropriate Route
Step 6
Confirm Next Steps
Companies Registry's e-Services Portal Identity Verification Director ID Verification Director ID Verification Across Different UK Business Entity Types

Director ID Verification Across Different UK Business Entity Types

Entity & Role Classification

Which Entity and Legal Role Are You Dealing With?

Start with two questions:

1. What type of organisation or Companies House entity is involved? Identify the organisation first so that the connected corporate process can be understood in context.
2. In what legal capacity is the individual recorded or proposed to act? Identify the person's registered or proposed legal role rather than relying on a general title such as founder, trustee or officer.

The entity label helps identify the relevant legal capacity and connected corporate process. The entity type does not by itself create a different identity-verification standard, evidence standard or level of Coddan support.

The Legal Role Determines the Relevant Identity-Verification Question

A natural-person director, an equivalent director role, a PSC and a director of an overseas company registered in the UK can fall within the current identity-verification framework. Other titles — such as trustee, committee member, secretary, employee or adviser — do not establish a Companies House identity-verification requirement merely because that title is used.

Identify the Organisation Before Classifying the Individual

The relevant question is not whether an organisation has a particular commercial label. It is whether the individual has a legal capacity that Companies House currently treats as subject to identity verification.

UK company For a private company, public company, company limited by guarantee or community interest company, establish whether the individual is legally a natural-person director or another relevant role.
LLP Distinguish a natural-person member from a corporate member. Current guidance treats certain natural-person equivalent roles within the verification framework, while some corporate categories are later-phase.
Overseas company registered in the UK Distinguish a director of an overseas company registered in the UK from an overseas-resident director of a UK company. These are different circumstances.

A person's country of residence does not itself determine their legal role. The registered capacity and the connected Companies House entity remain the starting point.

Match the Entity to the Individual's Legal Capacity

Director or equivalent role

Current Companies House guidance covers directors and people treated as equivalent to directors, including relevant members, general partners and managing officers.

PSC

A person with significant control has a separate identity-verification and role-linkage position. Holding a PSC role does not turn every other person associated with the organisation into a PSC.

Both director and PSC

The individual holds two separate roles. Identity verification is not ordinarily repeated merely because the person has both roles, although the Personal Code must be used separately for the applicable roles.

Another title

A title such as trustee, committee member, company secretary, employee or adviser does not by itself establish that the individual is currently subject to Companies House identity verification.

For a charitable company or company limited by guarantee, for example, establish whether the person is also legally registered as a company director or PSC rather than treating the organisation's charitable or guarantee status as the identity-verification trigger.

Separate Current Roles From Later-Phase Categories

Companies House currently identifies directors, equivalent director roles, directors of overseas companies registered in the UK, PSCs and people applying to register as ACSPs among the categories requiring identity verification. It separately identifies several categories for introduction at a later date.

Current guidance

  • directors and equivalent roles;
  • directors of overseas companies registered in the UK;
  • PSCs; and
  • people applying to register as ACSPs.

Later-phase categories

  • people who file at Companies House;
  • limited partnerships;
  • corporate directors;
  • corporate LLP members; and
  • officers of corporate PSCs.

Where the exact legal category is uncertain, identify the entity and registered role first, then check the current Companies House guidance rather than applying a generalisation.

The Entity Does Not Decide the Verification Route

Once the relevant role has been established, the applicable verification route depends on the individual's circumstances and the available verification options. The organisation's label does not create a separate document list or a higher or lower verification standard.

Free GOV.UK route

An applicable individual may be able to verify directly using the free GOV.UK One Login route.

Verify your identity for Companies House

Optional ACSP route

An individual may instead ask an Authorised Corporate Service Provider to verify their identity on their behalf. An ACSP may charge for its services.

Support Available does not mean Support Required.

Entity type alone does not make Coddan support necessary. The correct route may be the free government service, optional Coddan-supported ACSP verification, another specialist destination or Nothing Further Required.

If an ACSP Route Is Selected, Keep the Responsibilities Clear

Where Coddan-supported verification is selected and suitable, Coddan is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Companies House ACSP registration should be kept distinct from separate UK anti-money-laundering supervision, and identity verification should remain separate from AML, KYC and CDD work.

Technology Where applicable, technology performs the identity and document checks.
Coddan review Coddan reviews the resulting information.
ACSP decision Coddan determines whether it is satisfied that the Companies House identity-verification standard has been met.
Notification Following a successful outcome, Coddan performs its applicable notification responsibility.

Keep Identity Verification Separate From the Next Corporate Stage

Classification establishes the relevant role; it does not complete the next corporate process. Keep the following stages distinct:

Identity verification

Establish who the individual is where the legal requirement applies.

Personal Code

Companies House issues the code after successful verification.

Role linkage

The verified identity and Personal Code are connected to the applicable director or PSC role.

Corporate event

Appointment, incorporation, Confirmation Statement, overseas-company filing or another corporate event remains a separate stage.

Companies House states that, in most cases, an individual verifies once and must not verify again unless instructed to do so. The same Personal Code can be used for the applicable roles and appointments.

Nothing Further Required

If the applicable identity-verification and role-related stages are complete, the correct outcome may simply be Nothing Further Required for identity verification. Any separate corporate filing or other obligation remains a separate matter.

Current timing depends on the role, the entity and when the role began.

Where the exact timing is relevant, check the current Companies House guidance rather than applying a universal date: When you need to verify your identity for Companies House.


Start Your Business Today: Fast Formation Services to Meet All Compliance Standards

Ensure compliance with Companies House through rapid, secure ID verification for Directors and PSCs. Complete the process online with an authorized ACSP

treamline your compliance with Companies House using our fast, secure ID verification for Directors and PSCs, all completed online by an authorized ACSP
£40.00
+VAT

IdentityGuard Pro™

Recommended for

1
package

Buy Now Identity Verification Bundle™ (Professional Director Identity Verification) – Companies House Director Identity Verification for £40.
The Identity Verification Bundle™ provides a fast, secure and professionally managed route for an eligible individual whose legal role falls within the applicable Companies House identity-verification framework. First identify the organisation and the person's registered or proposed capacity. A private company, public company, company limited by guarantee, community interest company, LLP or overseas company registered in the UK can involve different legal roles, but the organisation's label does not itself determine whether verification applies. The standard verification route uses secure Identity Document Validation Technology for eligible documents. Coddan reviews the resulting information and determines whether it is satisfied that the applicable standard has been met. Applicants requiring priority handling can compare our fast-track verification route.

For a fixed fee of £40, this package provides a simple online route for an eligible UK or overseas individual whose documents support standard digital verification. It may apply to a natural-person director, PSC or another currently relevant legal capacity, depending on the entity and current Companies House rules. A commercial title such as founder, trustee, secretary, employee or adviser does not by itself establish a verification requirement. Companies House separately issues the Personal Code following successful verification, while role linkage and the organisation's corporate filing remain distinct stages. Where the relevant category is not yet in force or all applicable work is complete, verification should not be ordered unnecessarily. Review our UK verification route guidance.



£65.00
+VAT

RapidVerify Pro™

Recommended for

2
package

Buy Now Fast-Track Expert Director ID Verification™ (Priority Director Identity Verification Service) – Priority Companies House Director Identity Verification for £65.
The Fast-Track Expert Director ID Verification™ service provides priority handling where the organisation, individual and applicable legal role have been identified and the remaining verification task is time-sensitive. The priority verification route combines secure Identity Document Validation Technology with expedited professional review through Coddan's Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) framework. It may suit an eligible individual preparing for an appointment, incorporation, role linkage or another corporate event with a genuine timetable. Where the required information is complete, the documents are eligible and no additional enquiries arise, most applications are processed by Coddan within one business day. This timeframe concerns Coddan's verification handling and does not guarantee Companies House processing, Personal Code issuance or completion of any separate company, LLP, PSC or overseas-company filing.

For £65, eligible UK and overseas applicants receive priority handling and prompt contact if further suitable information is required. The package does not create a different verification standard for a particular entity type or legal role. Priority service cannot bring a later-phase category into force or allow Coddan to control a technology provider or Companies House decision. The person's legal capacity and current Companies House requirements must therefore be confirmed before purchase. Applicants without an urgent timetable can return to the standard £40 verification route. Where the individual is a proposed natural-person director of an existing company, our new-director verification and appointment guidance explains the separate stages.



£125.00
+VAT

VerifyFlex Solutions™

Recommended for

3
package

Buy Now Expert Director ID Verification™ (Professional Director Verification Service) – Two Companies House Director Identity Verification Pathways for £125.
The Expert Director ID Verification™ service provides two professionally managed pathways where an individual holds an applicable legal role but the suitable verification method is not immediately clear. The two-pathway verification route combines Fast-Track Digital Verification for eligible biometric documents with an alternative professionally supervised pathway where the standard digital process is unsuitable. It may assist a director, PSC or another eligible natural person whose documents, residence or connection with a UK entity requires further consideration. Coddan distinguishes the organisation from the individual, confirms the relevant capacity, reviews the verification information and makes its own satisfaction decision under the applicable Companies House standard. The entity type does not create a separate evidence standard. Applicants requiring full individual manual assessment can compare the manual verification package.

For £125, eligible applicants receive access to two verification pathways and practical guidance concerning suitable identity evidence. The package provides useful flexibility without treating every company officer, LLP participant, partner or overseas participant as if they held the same legal role. Classification must follow the registered or proposed legal capacity, not an informal business title. A person who is both a director and PSC holds two roles; identity verification is not ordinarily repeated solely for that reason, although the Personal Code must be used for each applicable role. Corporate members, corporate directors, limited-partnership participants and other later-phase categories must be considered under the rules in force when the relevant action is taken. Review our verification-support guidance.



£220.00
+VAT

FlexiVerify Option™

Recommended for

4
package

Buy Now FlexiVerify Option™ (Expert Manual Director ID Verification Service) – Professional Manual Companies House Director Identity Verification for £220.
The FlexiVerify Option™ provides individual professional assessment where an eligible person holds an applicable legal role but cannot use the standard biometric pathway with the available documents or technology. The manual verification route may suit a UK or overseas applicant whose identity evidence or circumstances require closer assessment under the applicable Companies House standard. Depending on the prescribed route, verification may be conducted remotely or in person and may require suitable photographic identification and supporting evidence. Coddan assesses the person's evidence and determines whether it can be satisfied that the required standard has been met. This service does not turn an ineligible title into a qualifying role, activate a later-phase obligation or create a special verification standard for companies, LLPs, limited partnerships or overseas entities.

For £220, this package provides Coddan's highest level of individual support where an eligible applicant's verification task requires manual assessment. Payment does not guarantee that the evidence will satisfy the verification standard or that a separate corporate filing will be accepted. This is an authorised alternative route—not a back door or a means of directing the technology provider or Companies House to approve an application. Following a successful outcome, Coddan performs its applicable notification responsibility, while Companies House separately issues the Personal Code. Director linkage, PSC linkage, LLP or partnership action, incorporation, appointment and other entity filings remain separate processes. Applicants who may be suitable for either a digital or alternative pathway should first compare the two-pathway verification package or consult our international verification guidance.





Start With the Entity and the Individual’s Registered Legal Role

The organisation tells you which registered entity is involved. The individual's registered legal capacity tells you which Companies House identity-verification rules may apply. These are related questions, but they are not the same question.

First Identify Two Things

1. The registered entity

Establish whether you are dealing with a private company limited by shares, company limited by guarantee, CIC, PLC, LLP, overseas company registered in the UK or another registered entity.

2. The individual's legal capacity

Establish whether the person is a director, equivalent director role, PSC, natural-person LLP member, director of an overseas company registered in the UK, or another category.

Companies House identity verification is attached to the relevant individual and role. The entity label alone does not establish a separate verification standard, separate evidence list, separate Personal Code or separate level of professional support.

If the exact registered role is unclear, establish how Companies House records the person before deciding that verification applies or selecting a specialist route. This prevents an internal title such as “trustee”, “committee member” or “officer” from being treated as though it automatically carries a Companies House identity-verification requirement.

Why Entity Type and Legal Capacity Must Be Considered Separately

A company, LLP or other registered organisation is the legal structure. A director, PSC, member or other office holder is the individual capacity connected with that structure. The current identity-verification framework follows the applicable individual role rather than creating a completely different verification regime for every entity label.

For example, a natural-person director remains a director whether the company is a private company limited by shares, a company limited by guarantee, a CIC or a PLC. The company's legal form can affect its governance and corporate-event requirements, but it does not by itself create a different identity-verification standard for that natural-person director.

Natural-Person Directors of UK Companies

If the individual is recorded or proposed as a natural-person company director, the relevant question is whether the current Companies House director identity-verification requirement applies to that appointment and when the applicable obligation falls due.

Private company

The natural-person director is considered according to the director role, not because the company happens to be a private company.

CLG or CIC

The company's purpose or guarantee structure does not itself create a separate director verification standard.

PLC

Executive, non-executive and other statutory directors remain to be considered according to the office they hold.

A charitable-company trustee should likewise be considered by reference to the legal office held. If that person is legally a company director or PSC, that registered role is the relevant classification. The word “trustee” alone does not establish a Companies House verification obligation.

Private Companies, Public Companies, CLGs and CICs: Classify the Director Role First

Different company forms have different constitutional and administrative features, but the natural-person director's identity-verification position is determined by the applicable Companies House role.

Private companies limited by shares

A natural-person director is considered under the director framework. The company's size, business activity or ownership model does not create a separate identity-verification standard.

Companies limited by guarantee

A charitable or community purpose does not automatically exempt an incorporated company. Establish whether the person is legally a director or holds another relevant role.

Community Interest Companies

A CIC remains a registered company. Its community purpose does not create a special director identity-verification route merely because it is a CIC.

Public limited companies

A PLC may have a larger or more complex board, but that does not make its natural-person directors subject to a higher identity-verification level solely because the company is public.

Once the director classification is established, move to the individual's actual verification position: not yet verified, already verified, Personal Code available but role linkage outstanding, or Nothing Further Required.

LLPs and Equivalent Roles: Establish the Exact Legal Capacity

LLP and partnership terminology requires particular care. Companies House guidance lists members, general partners and managing officers as examples of people who may be equivalent to directors. Its timing guidance separately identifies limited partnerships and corporate LLP members as later implementation categories. The exact entity, legal capacity and commencement position must therefore be established before treating a requirement as current.

Natural-person LLP member

A natural-person LLP member falls within the member category identified in general guidance. Do not confuse that individual role with a corporate LLP member, which Companies House lists separately for later implementation.

Designated LLP member

A designated natural-person member remains an LLP member. The designation adds statutory responsibilities but does not create a different identity-verification standard.

Corporate LLP member

A corporate member is not the same thing as a natural person. Corporate LLP members are identified separately in the later implementation categories.

General partner or managing officer

General guidance names these roles as examples of equivalents. Because timing guidance separately places limited partnerships in a later phase, confirm the precise registered entity and current commencement position before stating that verification is due.

Limited partnerships and corporate members of LLPs are among the categories for which Companies House states that identity verification will be introduced at a later date. Do not convert a partnership title into a universal current requirement.

Where classification remains uncertain, establish the exact registered entity, whether the role is held by a natural person or corporate body, how Companies House records it and what the current official guidance says for that category.

Charitable Companies, Trustees, PSCs and Other Titles: Identify the Registered Role

Internal terminology can obscure the legal capacity recorded at Companies House. The title used by an organisation is not, by itself, enough to establish whether current identity verification applies.

Trustees, committee members, secretaries and advisers

A charity trustee, committee member, company secretary, employee, accountant, solicitor, adviser or authorised filer is not automatically subject to the current Companies House identity-verification requirement merely because of that title.

Establish whether the person also holds a currently relevant registered role, such as director, PSC, natural-person LLP member or another role expressly covered by current Companies House guidance. People who file at Companies House are separately identified as a later implementation category.

PSC is a separate role

A person with significant control has a separate Companies House role. PSC identity verification and the associated role connection should not be collapsed into the director analysis.

Director and PSC together

The same individual can hold both roles. Identity verification is not ordinarily repeated merely because two roles exist, but the Personal Code must be provided separately for each applicable role through the relevant process.

PSC timing is not interchangeable with director timing. If the remaining task is specifically PSC connection or timing, use the appropriate PSC destination rather than turning this entity-classification page into the complete PSC guide.

Overseas Companies and Overseas-Resident Directors: Two Different Positions

“Overseas director” can describe two materially different situations. The distinction is between the company's registration position and the individual's residence.

Director of an overseas company registered in the UK

This is an overseas-company-specific Companies House position. Current guidance says an overseas company must confirm that all directors have verified by the anniversary of its UK establishment's registration. Check that registered anniversary rather than applying a general director date.

Overseas-resident director of a UK company

Residence abroad does not change the person's legal role. The individual remains a director of the UK company, with route suitability considered according to the person's circumstances and the current official verification options.

A foreign address does not automatically require an ACSP, and residence abroad does not create a different legal capacity. Do not use this classification as a substitute for the specialist overseas or international guidance where document or cross-border questions are the remaining professional job.

Where the exact overseas-company position is relevant, use the current Companies House timing guidance before determining the next step.

Current Requirements, Later Phases and Your Present Verification Position

Classification does not end with the entity and role. You must also establish whether the role is currently within the commenced framework, whether verification is already complete and whether a later corporate process remains.

Roles identified in current general guidance

Current Companies House guidance identifies categories including:

  • directors;
  • people treated as equivalent to directors, with members, general partners and managing officers given as examples, subject to the exact entity and commencement position;
  • directors of overseas companies registered in the UK;
  • people with significant control; and
  • individuals applying to register as an ACSP.

Later implementation categories

Companies House states that identity verification will be introduced at a later date for categories including:

  • people who file at Companies House;
  • limited partnerships;
  • corporate directors of companies;
  • corporate members of LLPs; and
  • officers of corporate PSCs.

Timing depends on the role

No single date applies identically to every participant. Companies House states that when verification is required depends on the role and when the individual started that role. Use the current official timing guidance for the exact classification.

Already verified?

In most cases, identity verification is completed once. Companies House states that you must not verify again unless it tells you to. The next question may therefore concern the Personal Code or connecting the verified identity to a particular role rather than repeating the verification.

This distinction is important when one individual has several appointments. Verification belongs to the person; the same Personal Code is used when the individual needs to confirm that verified identity for applicable appointments or roles.

Personal Code, Role Linkage and the Correct Next Corporate Destination

Once the entity and legal role are classified, identify what remains. Verification, the Personal Code, role connection and the connected corporate event are separate stages.

Verification complete

Companies House issues the individual a personal 11-character Personal Code after successful verification. The code belongs to the individual, not the organisation.

Role linkage remains

A verified identity still has to be connected to the applicable director or PSC role through the relevant Companies House process. Possessing the code does not itself complete the corporate event.

Corporate event remains

Incorporation, director appointment, LLP-member appointment, Confirmation Statement filing, PSC notification, overseas-company filing and record correction remain separate professional jobs.

The free route comes first

Where the individual is eligible to verify directly, GOV.UK One Login provides the free Companies House route. Entity type alone does not make an ACSP necessary, and professional support being available does not mean professional support is required.

An ACSP is an alternative where selected and suitable. An ACSP registered with Companies House may charge a fee. Where Coddan-supported verification is selected, technology performs the applicable identity and document checks; Coddan reviews the resulting information, determines whether it is satisfied that the Companies House standard has been met, and, following a successful outcome, performs its applicable notification responsibility.

Companies House registration as an ACSP and supervision by a UK anti-money-laundering supervisory body are distinct requirements. Companies House identity verification is also a separate professional task from wider AML, KYC and customer due-diligence checks.

Official Companies House guidance reviewed: 12 September 2026.

Choose the destination matching what remains

Becoming a Director Use this route when the remaining job concerns becoming a director and the related identity-verification position. Confirmation Statement Use this route when the outstanding issue concerns a director's verification or Personal Code in connection with the applicable Confirmation Statement. Verification Support Use this route where the remaining professional job is to understand or support the verification position. Personal Code Use the specialist Personal Code destination when verification is complete but the code or its use is the remaining question. Verification Issue Use the reconciliation destination where a failed, incomplete or inconsistent verification position is the actual remaining problem. Overseas Director Use the specialist overseas destination when the remaining professional job concerns the overseas-director circumstances themselves.

Nothing Further Required

Nothing Further Required is a legitimate identity-verification outcome where the individual is already verified, the correct Personal Code is available, all applicable director, PSC or equivalent-role connections are complete, no identity or record discrepancy remains, and the present question creates no further identity-verification task.

That outcome applies only to the identity-verification question. It does not cancel a genuinely separate incorporation, appointment, Confirmation Statement, PSC, overseas-company filing, correction or other corporate obligation.