When arranging a client’s verification, establish who needs a check, who is instructing Coddan and which company task remains. Agree the scope, charges and communication authority before the individual begins. The guidance below explains those practical decisions.

Go to current requirements · scope and discounted quotations · preparation and checks · completion and codes · AML and verification · authority and privacy.

Identify what is already complete

Ask whether Companies House has already accepted the person’s identity verification, whether they have their Personal Code and which director, PSC or company task remains. A person with several appointments does not automatically need another check for every role or company. Someone who is both a director and a PSC does not automatically need two purchases. If the applicable verification, role linkage and filing are complete, there may be nothing further to order.

Choose supported work without unnecessary purchases

Straightforward verification is available alongside help with particular requirements. Your client may choose the free official route, order a suitable published Coddan service, or ask us to assess document suitability and the remaining work. Overseas residence alone does not make a case complex. Professional review helps identify information needing attention; it does not promise first-time acceptance or prevent every delay.

Use the intermediary enquiry route for professional and discounted fees. An enquiry creates no obligation to order. Keep identity evidence and confidential codes out of the initial enquiry.

Comparison Table — Intermediary Verification Packages

An agent must be registered as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider to verify identities for Companies House. Registration requires supervision by a relevant UK anti-money laundering supervisory body. Coddan CPM Limited performs the ACSP verification work it accepts; instructing us does not confer our registration or access credentials on an intermediary.

The wider requirement for businesses to register as ACSPs to file on behalf of clients is a separate measure. Companies House’s current implementation guidance places that requirement no earlier than November 2027, with at least six months’ notice. Do not treat the earlier Spring or November 2026 proposals as a current universal requirement. Check the applicable service and commencement before arranging a filing.

Check the person, role and relevant date

Mandatory identity verification began on 18 November 2025. New-company incorporation and new director appointments require the relevant directors’ verification details. Directors already registered when the requirement began provide their details through the applicable confirmation statement, separately for each company. PSCs have their own circumstance-specific periods, including 14-day windows; completing the director step does not automatically complete the PSC step.

Registered overseas companies have a separate requirement tied to the anniversary of their UK establishment’s registration. This is different from a UK-incorporated company whose directors live abroad. Requirements for filers, limited partnerships and specified corporate roles are being introduced separately. Use Companies House’s role-specific guidance to establish the actual position rather than apply one deadline to everyone.

Failure to meet an applicable requirement can prevent the relevant filing and lead to enforcement. An interrupted check is not itself proof of an offence. Verification does not guarantee timely filing, and the automatic late-accounts penalty must not be described as a confirmation-statement penalty. Tell us the relevant date so we can identify the work requested without promising an official outcome.

Each verification package covers one individual director or PSC. Begin with the number of distinct people who still need verification, not the number of companies or appointments. Tell us which checks are already accepted and whether you need verification alone or separate assistance with a code, role or company filing. This keeps the instruction proportionate to the work required.

Understand the total for your selected work

Compare the service scope, fee per person, applicable VAT, selected options and total payable. Normal personal-manager instructions, clarification and progress communication are distinct from paid priority, extended consultation and continuing support. Confirm what follow-up is included and any proposed additional work or charge before authorising it; a difficulty during checks does not automatically mean another purchase.

Coddan does not charge UK VAT to overseas clients for their ID-verification service. Give the contracting customer’s details so the quotation records the appropriate treatment. Nationality alone does not determine the customer or the scope, and separately instructed company services need their own charges and tax treatment.

For a suitable individual instruction, compare the published verification services and use the appropriate order route. You do not have to purchase a consultation before selecting a suitable service. Questions about evidence, accessibility or a client group can go through the quotation route first.

For ACSP verification, prepare the individual’s full and former names, date of birth, home address, address history for the previous 12 months and email address. Coddan also uses a telephone number for case setup and communication. Explain the person’s role, relevant company details, accepted existing verification and any genuine differences between names or records. Supply accurate information rather than changing it merely to match another record.

Coddan’s arrangements include passports from supported issuing countries, UK/EU driving licences and supported national identity cards. Proof-of-address arrangements include bank or utility evidence and, for UK cases, council tax documents. These categories do not establish universal country or document acceptance. Describe the document type and issuing country first; your manager explains the evidence and device requirements for the selected checks.

Free direct verification remains a legitimate choice

Companies House uses GOV.UK One Login for its free direct route. Depending on eligibility and the person’s answers, methods include an app, security questions, or online preparation followed by a participating Post Office visit. The methods have different evidence requirements; overseas residence does not itself exclude the route. Check the official methods and requirements.

Coddan’s paid service adds case setup, personal instructions, professional review, clarification and ACSP confirmation when satisfied. It does not provide a superior type of Personal Code or bypass the official standard. The ACSP verification standard and the capabilities enabled in Coddan’s Credas service are distinct: uploading extra evidence does not establish an independent manual-verification route.

Get help when a check does not proceed

For glare or an unclear photograph, follow the capture instructions, check the lighting and contact your manager if the difficulty continues. Explain name variations or missing information so Coddan can assess what clarification is needed. If an invitation is missing or a check is interrupted, check the contact details and junk folder, then use a known Coddan contact route to ask how to continue. A familiar sender name alone does not establish authenticity.

Describe any camera, device, language or accessibility difficulty before ordering. We explain the supported service and available assistance; another person must not impersonate the individual in the checks. Do not buy again merely because an attempt stops. Ask which stage remains, the next supported step and whether any additional charge is proposed.

The useful verification outcome is distinct from an order receipt or a completed selfie check. Coddan reviews the results and clarification, then submits its confirmation when satisfied. Companies House emails the Personal Code to the individual. Your manager can explain the order and verification status and what remains within the agreed instruction.

Neither code is the company registration number, a GOV.UK One Login password or Coddan’s agent credentials. If the Personal Code has not arrived, establish whether Coddan’s review and confirmation have completed, then follow the official access guidance. If a code is compromised, use the procedure for that particular code. Do not put confidential codes into an initial enquiry.

Finish the task your client actually needs

A verified director who is also a PSC may still have a separate PSC code-submission requirement. A code does not itself appoint a director, incorporate a company or file a confirmation statement. Tell us the person’s position and intended task; Coddan can explain supported next steps and agree the relevant authority and charges.

There is no automatic annual verification purchase merely because a year passes. Accepted existing verification normally avoids another check unless Companies House requires reverification. If all relevant actions are complete, no additional service may be needed.

Coddan CPM Limited undertakes customer due diligence as an HMRC-supervised trust or company service provider. Its ACSP registration relates to the Companies House verification work. These are connected provider roles with different requirements; they do not make every service a regulated legal-advice product or imply government endorsement.

Tell your manager which checks have already been completed and with whom. We establish what remains for the instruction, including any required customer or authority information. A Personal Code does not itself complete every AML obligation, and earlier AML checks do not automatically establish Companies House verification.

An individual identity check is also different from analysing a corporate ownership chain or determining the nature of significant control. Describe any separate control or governance question so its available scope can be assessed; ACSP status alone does not establish that additional capability.

Identify the instructing firm or organisation, the individual being verified, the payer and the intended communication contacts. Agree who may receive progress information and what authority supports any later company filing. Payment or coordination alone does not give an intermediary access to another person’s identity evidence, Personal Code or account.

Your personal manager communicates by email or telephone, provides instructions, explains required information and updates order and verification status through the agreed contacts. This normal assistance is distinct from priority handling, extended consultation and continuing company support. It does not imply a shared client dashboard, automatic tracking or out-of-hours staffing.

Evidence, records and public information

Send identity evidence and confidential codes only through the appropriate instructed secure process. Initial enquiries should describe the requirement without attaching identity documents or supplying credentials. Read Coddan’s privacy information and ask your manager about a particular submission or data-handling question before sending sensitive material.

ACSPs must retain records of identity checks for seven years under the applicable requirements. This regulatory duty is different from offering a customer document vault or permission to reuse evidence for unrelated work. After the individual connects their verified identity to Companies House records, Companies House displays a verification statement; this does not mean identity-document images are published. Read the official ACSP process and public-statement explanation.

Record the service arrangements

Written service agreements, engagement letters or service schedules are available to record the selected work, charges, communication contacts and any applicable service period. Instructing Coddan does not transfer our ACSP status to your firm or authorise use of our credentials. Separate company work requires its own instruction and authority.

Before ordering, read the applicable service terms and clarify any cancellation, refund, further-attempt or additional-charge question relevant to the instruction. An inability to provide suitable evidence, a cancellation and an unsuccessful assessment are different circumstances; do not assume the same outcome or an automatic further purchase.

For an optional pre-order enquiry, use the professional-fee enquiry form or info@coddan.co.uk. Describe the client’s position, available document type and issuing country, difficulty and relevant date. Coddan confirms suitable work and charges before you decide.

You can arrange supported verification and related company services through Coddan, with each job clearly instructed. Relevant work includes new-company formation and existing-company administration. Preparation, customer approval, submission and the official filing outcome remain distinct from identity verification.

Tell us whether the instruction concerns incorporation, a director appointment, PSC details, a confirmation statement or another company-record task. We establish the available service, required authority, information and charges. Verification alone does not include all later filings, record maintenance or continuing support, and paying for an annual service is not a requirement merely because an individual has verified.

For ongoing work, agree the relevant scope, approval arrangements, dates and communication contacts in the service arrangements. Do not assume that appointing an ACSP removes the directors’ responsibilities or supplies a complete portfolio-monitoring service. Your firm can continue its own agreed professional work while Coddan undertakes the specific services instructed.

If the client needs no new check, describe the remaining code, role or filing task. If nothing remains, no further purchase is necessary.