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Coddan CPM Ltd. – Company Registration Agent in the UK

Understand how your Companies House Personal Code becomes the secure digital identifier that supports your relationship with Companies House throughout your career as a UK company director or PSC.

Step 1
Complete Identity Verification
Step 2
Receive Personal Code
Step 3
Understand Its Purpose
Step 4
Connect Your Directorship
Step 5
Support Corporate Lifecycle
Step 6
Maintain Long-Term Compliance
Companies Registry's e-Services Portal Identity Verification Director ID Verification The Director’s Digital Passport: Using Your Companies House Personal Code

The Director’s Digital Passport: Using Your Companies House Personal Code

Use Your Companies House Personal Code for the Correct Role or Corporate Process

If you have received your Companies House Personal Code, the next question is where and when you need to provide it. Receiving the code and using it are separate stages.

Companies House issues the 11-character Personal Code after successful identity verification. The code belongs to you as the verified individual, rather than to one particular company. You use the same code when you need to confirm your verified identity for an applicable role or appointment.

The Personal Code does not complete the connected corporate process by itself. The correct use depends on your actual role and present position, and the related appointment, Confirmation Statement, PSC submission or other corporate event remains a separate process.

The official Companies House Personal Code guidance explains how the code is used for directors, equivalent roles and PSCs.

Start With Your Present Role or Corporate Event

Proposed or New Director

You are becoming a director

Your Personal Code may need to be provided as part of the applicable incorporation filing for a new company or appointment filing for an existing company.

The appointment or incorporation remains a separate corporate event.

Becoming a Director: Director Identity Verification
Existing Director

Your company is preparing its Confirmation Statement

An existing director provides the Personal Code through the company's applicable Confirmation Statement process.

Holding the code does not itself complete the Confirmation Statement filing.

Confirmation Statement identity-verification requirements
PSC

You hold a Person with Significant Control role

A PSC has a separate Personal Code submission requirement using the Companies House service applicable to the PSC role.

The PSC submission is not part of the director submission process.

Provide identity verification details for a PSC
Director and PSC

You hold both roles

You normally verify your identity once and use the same Personal Code, but the director and PSC roles remain legally separate.

The code must be provided through the process applicable to each role. This is not one combined submission.

More Than One Appointment

You are connected with several companies

The same Personal Code is used for each applicable appointment. You do not normally repeat identity verification merely because you hold more than one appointment.

Each appointment and its associated company process remains separate; the code does not automatically connect you to every company.

Code Not Yet Received

You have verified but do not have the code

Do not assume that identity verification must be repeated. First establish how the verification was completed and whether the code has already been issued.

Understanding and Receiving the Personal Code
Code or Record Does Not Match

The code cannot be used as expected

A Personal Code problem can arise from an incorrect code, a mismatch in personal details or information previously supplied by an ACSP. A mismatch is not automatically a failed verification.

Failed-verification and post-verification reconciliation
Code Management Issue

The issue concerns access, sharing or replacement

Detailed security, access, compromised-code and replacement matters belong to the separate Personal Code management destination.

Managing Your Companies House Personal Code
No Applicable Step Remains

Nothing Further Required

This may be the correct outcome where identity verification is complete, the Personal Code has been received, every currently applicable role-related use has been completed and no connected corporate event remains.

How the Personal Code is used at the point of filing

The Personal Code is used to confirm that the individual has completed identity verification. Depending on the Companies House process, the person may also need to provide information such as their date of birth so that their details can be matched with the relevant record.

The code may be provided by:

  • the verified individual;
  • the company completing the relevant filing;
  • an agent acting for the company; or
  • another trusted person legitimately filing on the individual's behalf.

Using the code is not the same as managing the code. You may share it with someone you trust to file on your behalf, but detailed security, access and replacement matters belong to the Managing page.

Entity or role is not the same as the Personal Code

An LLP member is not a company director merely because the member manages the LLP's affairs. A general partner in a limited partnership is not thereby a company director. The applicable requirement depends on the person's actual legal role and the implementation phase in force.

Director ID Verification by Entity Type

Formation, appointment and filing remain separate

Personal Code use can form part of an incorporation, appointment or Confirmation Statement process, but it does not itself incorporate the company, appoint the director, submit the Confirmation Statement, change director particulars, restore a company or LLP, correct a Companies House record or complete another corporate event.

Free route, optional support and responsibility boundaries

If identity verification itself remains outstanding, the legitimate free GOV.UK One Login route is available where the applicant meets the applicable service requirements. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider route is an optional alternative.

Support being available does not mean support is required.

Where Coddan support is selected for an applicable professional task, it can concern identifying where the Personal Code must be provided, an appointment filing, a Confirmation Statement, a selected corporate event or reconciliation of information previously supplied through Coddan.

If Coddan-supported identity verification is also relevant, technology performs the applicable identity and document checks; Coddan reviews the resulting information; Coddan determines whether it is satisfied that the Companies House standard has been met; and, following a successful outcome, Coddan performs its applicable notification responsibility.

Coddan does not control the checking technology's result, direct Companies House to issue a Personal Code, lower the Companies House standard or guarantee verification, role linkage, filing acceptance or another Companies House outcome. Identity verification also remains separate from AML, KYC and CDD work.

No universal November 2026 deadline

Personal Code use depends on the individual's role and circumstances. Existing directors, proposed or new directors, PSCs, people holding both roles, directors of overseas companies registered in the UK and later implementation categories must not be treated as if they all use the code at the same time or through the same process.


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The Identity Verification Bundle™ provides a simple, secure and professionally managed solution for applicants who need to complete mandatory Companies House director identity verification and obtain their unique 11-character Companies House Personal Code without travelling to the United Kingdom. Delivered through Coddan CPM's regulated Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) framework, this service enables UK and overseas directors, international entrepreneurs and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) to complete identity verification remotely while meeting the requirements introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) . Whether you are preparing to incorporate a UK company, accepting your first directorship, joining an existing company or completing identity verification during the Companies House transition period, this professionally managed service provides the first step towards establishing your verified corporate identity. Verification is completed using secure Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) , with every application supported by experienced compliance professionals who help ensure your submission is complete, accurate and compliant with Companies House requirements, enabling you to begin your long-term Companies House journey with confidence.

The service has been developed for both UK and international applicants, including directors using eligible non-UK identity documents and biometric passports. Once your identity has been successfully verified, you receive the Companies House Personal Code that becomes your permanent verified identifier throughout your corporate career. Where additional assistance is required, our compliance team provides practical guidance throughout the remote verification process, helping you understand the documentation requirements while reducing the likelihood of unnecessary delays. For a fixed fee of £40, the Identity Verification Bundle™ offers a secure, transparent and professionally managed route to obtaining your verified Companies House identity through a regulated ACSP. It is ideally suited to first-time directors, overseas entrepreneurs, non-UK resident directors, international investors and anyone seeking a trusted, professionally supported route to obtaining their Companies House Personal Code and building a strong foundation for long-term UK corporate compliance.



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The Fast-Track Expert Director ID Verification™ service is designed for directors who require priority Companies House identity verification and rapid access to their 11-character Companies House Personal Code without compromising accuracy, security or regulatory compliance. Delivered through Coddan CPM's regulated Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) framework, this premium service combines secure Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) with priority review by experienced compliance professionals, enabling UK and overseas applicants to complete identity verification remotely and begin using their verified Companies House identity as quickly as possible. Ideal for urgent UK company incorporations, director appointments, corporate transactions and statutory filing deadlines, this service provides priority handling from the moment your application is received. Every submission is carefully reviewed to help ensure your documentation is complete, consistent and compliant before progressing through the verification process, reducing the likelihood of unnecessary delays and helping you obtain the Personal Code needed to support your future Companies House responsibilities. Where all required information is provided, and no additional enquiries are necessary, most applications are processed within one business day.

If additional documentation is required, our compliance team will contact you promptly to help keep your verification progressing efficiently. The service has been developed for UK and international directors, including applicants using eligible non-UK identity documents and biometric passports. Once your identity has been successfully verified, you receive the Companies House Personal Code that becomes your permanent verified identifier for future company formations, director appointments and ongoing Companies House compliance. For £65, the Fast-Track Expert Director ID Verification™ service provides a faster, professionally managed route to obtaining your verified Companies House identity through a regulated ACSP. It is ideally suited to entrepreneurs, non-UK resident directors, international investors and businesses working to urgent commercial or regulatory deadlines that require their Companies House Personal Code quickly, securely and with the reassurance of experienced ACSP compliance specialists—without travelling to the United Kingdom.



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Buy Now Expert Director ID Verification™ (Professional Director Verification Service) – Two Remote Identity Verification Pathways to Obtain Your Companies House Personal Code for £125. The Expert Director ID Verification™ service is designed for directors, overseas entrepreneurs and international applicants who require greater flexibility when completing Companies House identity verification and obtaining their 11-character Companies House Personal Code. Delivered through Coddan CPM's regulated Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) framework, this professionally managed service offers two remote verification pathways, allowing applicants to choose the option that best matches their identity documents, country of residence and individual circumstances while meeting Companies House requirements. Our Fast-Track Digital Verification pathway uses secure Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) to verify eligible biometric identity documents quickly and efficiently. Where digital verification is not suitable, our Expert Manual Verification pathway provides a professionally supervised alternative, enabling experienced compliance specialists to review a broader range of acceptable identity documents and supporting evidence in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. Both verification pathways have been developed to support UK and overseas applicants using eligible non-UK identity documents, biometric passports and other accepted forms of identification, helping them establish the verified identity that leads to the issue of their Companies House Personal Code.

Throughout the remote verification process, our compliance team provides practical guidance, carefully reviews every application and helps ensure all documentation satisfies Companies House requirements before identity verification is completed, reducing the likelihood of delays caused by incomplete or unsuitable submissions. We also help applicants determine which verification pathway is likely to be the most appropriate for their documentation before the process begins. For £125, the Expert Director ID Verification™ service combines advanced verification technology with experienced professional oversight, providing a flexible and reliable route to obtaining your verified Companies House identity through a regulated ACSP. It is ideally suited to overseas directors, non-UK resident applicants, individuals whose identity documents are unsuitable for straightforward digital verification and anyone seeking a trusted, professionally managed pathway to obtaining their Companies House Personal Code while building a secure foundation for future company formations, director appointments and long-term Companies House compliance.



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Buy Now FlexiVerify Option™ (Expert Manual Director ID Verification Service) – Professionally Managed Manual Identity Verification to Obtain Your Companies House Personal Code for £220.
The FlexiVerify Option™ is designed for directors whose Companies House identity verification requires individual assessment beyond standard digital verification in order to obtain their 11-character Companies House Personal Code. Delivered through Coddan CPM's regulated Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) framework, this professionally managed manual verification service provides a flexible and compliant solution for UK and overseas applicants whose circumstances are more complex or whose identity documents are unsuitable for automated verification. While eligible applicants may still use our Fast-Track Digital Verification pathway, FlexiVerify Option™ has been developed specifically for situations where biometric verification is unavailable, unsuitable or unable to verify identity with sufficient confidence. Rather than relying solely on automated technology, experienced compliance specialists assess every application individually, reviewing a broader range of acceptable identity evidence, including government-issued photographic identification, supporting proof of address and other documentation where appropriate, in accordance with applicable Companies House and anti-money laundering requirements. Applications are submitted securely through our online verification portal, with in-person verification available where appropriate, enabling even complex applicants to establish the verified identity that leads to the issue of their permanent Companies House Personal Code.

Every application receives an individual professional review, with comprehensive verification records maintained to support an appropriate regulatory audit trail and demonstrate compliance with applicable legal obligations. Where documentation requires additional clarification, our compliance professionals provide practical guidance throughout the verification process, helping applicants understand the most appropriate evidence for their individual circumstances while reducing unnecessary delays. For £220, FlexiVerify Option™ provides the highest level of professionally managed support for complex identity verification requirements and the secure establishment of your long-term Companies House identity through a regulated ACSP. It is ideally suited to directors requiring manual assessment, applicants using non-standard international identity documents, individuals with more complex verification circumstances and anyone seeking a fully supervised route to obtaining their Companies House Personal Code, providing a strong foundation for future director appointments, company formations and ongoing Companies House compliance throughout their corporate journey.





Start With the Role or Corporate Event for Which the Code Must Be Used

Use the code for the correct individual, legal role and Companies House process

If you have received your Companies House Personal Code, the next task is to establish where it needs to be provided. Receiving the code and using it are separate stages.

Your Personal Code has 11 characters, is issued by Companies House following successful identity verification and belongs to you as the verified individual rather than to one company. The same code is used when you need to confirm your verified status for an applicable role or appointment.

The Personal Code does not complete the connected corporate process. The correct use depends on your legal role and present position, and the related incorporation, appointment, Confirmation Statement, person with significant control (PSC) submission or other corporate event remains separate.

If you need the full explanation of what the code is, who issues it or how its receipt works, use the Understanding and Receiving the Personal Code destination.

Before Using the Code, Confirm the Individual, Role and Record

Before a filing route is selected, check the practical position rather than assuming that every Personal Code is used in the same way.

  • Confirm that the Personal Code has been copied exactly as issued.
  • Confirm which individual the code belongs to.
  • Identify whether the relevant record is a director, PSC or another applicable role.
  • Check whether the date of birth or other relevant personal information agrees with the Companies House record.
  • Establish whether the event concerns an existing appointment or a proposed appointment.
  • Establish whether the company, an authorised agent or another trusted person will complete the connected filing.

A mismatch does not automatically mean that identity verification must be repeated. A mistyped code, an incorrect date of birth, a wrong record selection and an unsuccessful corporate filing are different issues and should be diagnosed separately.

Using the Personal Code When Incorporating a New Company

If you become a director as part of an incorporation from 18 November 2025, current Companies House guidance requires your Personal Code to be provided through the applicable incorporation process. Each proposed director must be considered individually.

Identity verification

The individual completes the applicable identity-verification process.

Personal Code

Companies House issues the Personal Code following successful verification.

Incorporation

The code is provided through the applicable incorporation process alongside the required company information.

The Personal Code does not itself incorporate the company, approve its name, appoint the director independently of the incorporation or determine whether Companies House accepts the application. Those are separate parts of the incorporation process.

If the remaining task is the wider formation of the company rather than Personal Code use, it should proceed through the appropriate formation process rather than being treated as a Personal Code issue.

Overseas Residence Does Not Create a Different Personal Code

A director's residence in the UK or overseas does not create a different type of Personal Code. The code remains personal to the individual and the relevant Companies House process depends on the person's legal role and the company or filing concerned.

An overseas-resident director of a UK company should therefore distinguish Personal Code use from questions about international identity documents or verification routes. Those international verification questions belong to the relevant specialist destination rather than being reproduced here.

Similarly, a director of an overseas company registered in the UK must be considered according to that legal role. Residence alone does not lower the applicable identity-verification standard or change how the Personal Code functions.

Using the Personal Code When Being Appointed to an Existing Company

If you become a director of an existing UK company from 18 November 2025, current Companies House guidance requires your Personal Code to be provided through the applicable director-appointment filing. The code is part of the identity-verification requirement; it is not a substitute for the company's decision to appoint you or for the filing itself.

Before the appointment

The proposed director establishes that identity verification and Personal Code requirements have been addressed.

During the appointment filing

The Personal Code is supplied through the applicable Companies House appointment process.

The appointment itself

The company's authority to appoint and Companies House processing remain separate from Personal Code use.

A person joining several companies does not ordinarily need a new identity verification merely because another appointment is being made. The same Personal Code can be used for each applicable appointment, but each appointment remains a separate corporate process.

For the director-specific verification and appointment orientation, use Becoming a Director: Director Identity Verification.

Using the Personal Code for a Separate PSC Role

A Person with Significant Control (PSC) uses the Personal Code through the separate Companies House process applicable to the PSC role. PSC role linkage is distinct from director role linkage.

Current official guidance provides a 14-day period in which the PSC must provide the code. The start and end dates depend on the person's circumstances, including whether the person was already registered as a PSC and whether the person is also a director.

Do not treat the Confirmation Statement as the universal PSC route. A PSC submission has its own role-dependent requirements and timing. The applicable period depends on the person's circumstances.

A person who is a PSC but not a director should not be treated as though they are completing a director filing. Conversely, becoming a director does not remove the need to address a separate PSC obligation where one applies.

The Personal Code remains personal to the individual, but its use must follow the process applicable to the particular legal role.

Existing Directors and the Company's Confirmation Statement

For an existing director, current Companies House guidance requires the Personal Code to be provided in the company's next Confirmation Statement filing made from 18 November 2025.

The director

The Personal Code belongs to the director and confirms that the individual has completed the applicable identity-verification requirement.

The company

The company remains responsible for completing and submitting its Confirmation Statement through the applicable filing process.

The filing

Providing the code does not itself prepare, submit or complete the Confirmation Statement.

Where a company has several applicable directors, each director's position should be considered. The same individual may use the same Personal Code for different companies, but each company's Confirmation Statement remains its own corporate filing.

For the specialist interface between director identity verification, Personal Codes and Confirmation Statements, use Confirmation Statement identity-verification requirements.

When the Same Person Has Several Companies or Both Director and PSC Roles

The Personal Code belongs to the individual rather than to a particular company. The same individual can therefore use the same code for each applicable appointment without receiving a separate code for every company.

Several appointments

  • The same Personal Code can be used.
  • Each appointment remains separate.
  • The code does not automatically connect the individual to every company.

Director and PSC

  • Identity verification is not ordinarily repeated merely because two roles are held.
  • Companies House issues one Personal Code.
  • Director and PSC remain separate legal roles with separate applicable processes.

Providing the Personal Code for one role does not necessarily complete the requirement for the other role. Each applicable role and each relevant company process must still be addressed separately.

If the Code Cannot Be Connected to the Companies House Record

A Personal Code problem should be diagnosed before assuming that the underlying identity verification has failed. The point of use may expose a problem with the code, the selected record, personal information or the filing route rather than with the original verification.

Code entered incorrectly

Check the code against the code issued to the individual.

Personal details differ

Check the relevant date of birth or other personal information against the Companies House record.

Wrong role or record

Check that the correct director or PSC record and the correct role process have been selected.

Different problem

A code-access issue, unsuccessful filing or incomplete identity verification requires a different diagnosis.

Where the remaining problem concerns diagnosis or post-verification reconciliation, use Failed-verification and post-verification reconciliation.

When a Company, Agent or Trusted Person Enters the Code

The Personal Code belongs to the individual, but current Companies House guidance permits it to be shared with a trusted person who needs it to file on the individual's behalf. Depending on the filing, that may include the company or an authorised agent.

Check the filing before providing the code

  1. Confirm the identity of the individual to whom the code belongs.
  2. Confirm the director, PSC or other applicable role involved.
  3. Confirm the relevant Companies House process.
  4. Confirm that the person entering the code is legitimately filing on the individual's behalf.

Detailed questions about saving, accessing, compromised or improperly shared codes, replacement and continuing Personal Code administration belong to the separate Managing destination.

Use Managing Your Companies House Personal Code for those matters.

Complete the Connected Event—or Establish That Nothing Further Remains

Using a Personal Code is one requirement within a wider process. It should therefore be separated from the event that the code supports.

Identity verification

The individual completes the applicable verification requirement.

Personal Code

Companies House issues the code following successful verification.

Role-related use

The code is provided through the process applicable to the director or PSC role.

Corporate event

Incorporation, appointment, Confirmation Statement, correction, restoration or another filing remains separate.

Nothing Further Required

This is a legitimate outcome where identity verification is complete, Companies House has issued the Personal Code, the code has been provided for every currently applicable role, the connected appointment, Confirmation Statement or other event has been completed where required, and no separate correction, filing or corporate event remains.

A company or LLP restoration remains a separate legal and filing process. Possessing or using a Personal Code does not restore the entity. Where restoration, outstanding filings or record corrections remain, those matters should proceed through their appropriate destination.

Similarly, an LLP member or general partner in a limited partnership should not automatically be treated as a company director. The applicable requirement depends on the individual's actual legal role and the implementation phase in force. Entity-specific questions should proceed to Director ID Verification by Entity Type.

Current role use and later filing phases

The present director and PSC processes must be distinguished from later implementation. Current official guidance says that people filing on behalf of a company may also need to provide a Personal Code in the future. That future position is not a universal current filing requirement, and the Personal Code should not be described as a presenter key or as automatic authority to submit every Companies House filing.

Free route and optional professional support

If identity verification has not yet been completed, the legitimate free GOV.UK One Login route remains available where the participant meets the applicable service requirements.

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) is an optional alternative. Support being available does not mean support is required. Where Coddan is selected for a defined professional task, its role remains limited to that task and does not give it control over Companies House decisions or filing outcomes.

Where Coddan-supported identity verification is relevant, technology performs the applicable identity and document checks; Coddan reviews the resulting information; Coddan determines whether it is satisfied that the Companies House identity-verification standard has been met; and, following a successful outcome, Coddan performs its applicable notification responsibility.

Coddan cannot control the checking technology's result, lower the Companies House standard, direct Companies House to accept a filing or compel Companies House to issue a Personal Code. Coddan's registration as an ACSP and its HMRC anti-money-laundering supervision are distinct matters. Companies House identity verification and Personal Code use also remain separate from anti-money-laundering (AML), know-your-customer (KYC) and customer due-diligence (CDD) work.

Official Companies House guidance checked: 13 September 2026. Personal Code use depends on the applicable role and process. There is no universal November 2026 deadline stated here, and later implementation phases should not be treated as current requirements unless the official guidance confirms that they have commenced. Check the current Companies House Personal Code guidance.