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As an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, Barnett and Co is regulated by Companies House to deliver identity verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. Quick, secure and entirely remote.
From 18 November 2025, every UK company director, person with significant control (PSC) and member of a limited liability partnership must verify their identity with Companies House. Barnett and Co is an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), authorised by Companies House to deliver identity verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. We use XAMA, a specialist identity verification platform built for UK ACSPs, to deliver verifications quickly, securely and entirely remotely.
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced a statutory requirement for identity verification at Companies House. The aim is to improve the integrity of the UK companies register and reduce the risk of fraud, money laundering and the use of UK companies for illegitimate purposes.
From 8 April 2025, identity verification became available on a voluntary basis. From 18 November 2025, it became compulsory for all new directors, PSCs and LLP members appointed or incorporated from that date. A twelve-month transition period runs until 18 November 2026, during which all existing directors and PSCs must complete verification, with each individual’s deadline triggered by their company’s next confirmation statement after 5 March 2026.
Verification can be completed in one of three ways. Directly with Companies House through the GOV.UK One Login service, which is free but requires a biometric passport or UK photo driving licence. In person at a Post Office, for those without suitable biometric ID. Or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider such as Barnett and Co.
When you complete identity verification, Companies House issues you an eleven-character Personal Code. This code is personal to you, not to any company you are involved with, and you use the same code for every directorship, PSC role and LLP membership you hold across multiple companies. You only need to verify your identity once. The Personal Code stays with you for life.
Your Personal Code must be provided when you are appointed to a new role, when your company files its next confirmation statement and on certain other filings. If you verify with us as your ACSP, we will issue your Personal Code to you by email and hold a copy on file for use in future filings we make on your behalf.
The new rules apply broadly across the UK corporate population. Identity verification is required for all of the following.
The Companies House timetable for identity verification runs through 2025 and 2026 as follows.
We strongly recommend completing verification early. If any director or PSC is unverified when a confirmation statement is due, the company cannot file. This can delay annual filings, dividend payments and board changes.
Barnett and Co is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. As an ACSP we are supervised for anti-money laundering compliance by the Institute of Accountants and Bookkeepers (IAB), which is one of the recognised UK AML supervisory bodies, and we follow the prescribed Companies House identity verification process to the same standard of assurance as the direct GOV.UK route. Choosing us to handle your verification offers a number of advantages.
The verification process with Barnett and Co follows a clear five-step pathway, powered by the XAMA identity verification platform.
XAMA supports the documents required to meet the Companies House identity verification standard. To maximise the chance of a clean first-time verification we recommend using one of the following.
Preferred documents — a current valid UK passport or any biometric passport from a supported country. Biometric passports give the most reliable verification result because XAMA can read the embedded chip data.
Also accepted — a UK photo driving licence (full or provisional), a national identity card from an EEA country, or a UK biometric residence permit.
If you are not sure whether your document will be accepted, contact us before booking and we will confirm.
XAMA returns a result almost instantly, so any issue is identified before it can become a delay. Verification can fail for a number of reasons, most commonly because of poor lighting in the document scan or selfie, an expired document, or a mismatch between the name on the document and the name registered with Companies House. If XAMA flags an issue, we will explain immediately what is needed and you can re-attempt the verification straight away. Many problems are resolved within minutes.
In the small number of cases where biometric verification through XAMA is not possible, alternative routes are available. You can verify directly through GOV.UK One Login (free), or attend a Post Office in person (suitable for those without biometric ID). We will guide you to the appropriate option.
Whether you are a sole director of a small limited company, a member of a growing LLP, a PSC of a holding structure or an overseas director facing difficulties with GOV.UK One Login, we make Companies House identity verification straightforward and quick. Call us on 0345 646 1516, email info@barnettandco.uk or book your verification online. We will reply the same working day with clear instructions and a fixed fee.
ACSP stands for Authorised Corporate Service Provider. It is the new regulated category created by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, replacing the older system of agent registration. Only firms supervised under UK anti-money laundering legislation and registered with Companies House can act as an ACSP. Barnett and Co is registered as an ACSP, which means we are formally authorised by Companies House to deliver identity verification to the required statutory standard. From spring 2026, only ACSPs (or their verified employees) can file at Companies House on behalf of other companies.
The Personal Code is an eleven-character identifier issued by Companies House once your identity has been verified. It is personal to you, not to any company you are involved with, and it stays with you for life. If you are a director or PSC of multiple companies, you only verify once and use the same Personal Code for every role. The code is required when you are appointed to a new position, when your company files its next confirmation statement and on certain other Companies House filings. Keep it safe, as you would any other sensitive credential.
If you became a director, PSC or LLP member from 18 November 2025 onwards, verification must be completed before your appointment can be registered. If you were already in one of these roles before that date, you must verify before your company’s next confirmation statement after 5 March 2026, with a hard end-deadline of 18 November 2026. We strongly recommend completing verification early. If any director or PSC is unverified when a confirmation statement falls due, the company cannot file at all.
XAMA is a specialist identity verification platform designed for UK ACSPs, accountants and legal professionals. It validates government-issued identity documents against international security databases and conducts biometric facial matching to confirm that the person presenting the document is the genuine holder. The platform meets the technical standards required by Companies House for ACSP identity verification and handles your data in line with GDPR and standard data protection requirements.
The XAMA verification itself takes around five minutes from your phone. You will receive the secure invitation link, scan your ID document, take a selfie for biometric matching and the platform processes the result immediately. We then review and submit the verification statement to Companies House, which is usually completed on the same working day. Most clients are fully verified end-to-end and receive their Personal Code within hours of starting the process.
No. The entire verification process runs on your smartphone through XAMA. You do not need to visit an office, hold a video call or attend an appointment. You can complete verification from anywhere in the UK or overseas, provided you have a smartphone with a working camera and your identity documents to hand. This makes the ACSP route particularly convenient for overseas-based directors who may struggle with GOV.UK One Login.
If there is an issue with a document, XAMA flags it immediately and we will explain what is needed to resolve it. Most issues are resolved within minutes by re-scanning with better lighting, a clearer photo or a different document type. In the small number of cases where biometric verification through XAMA is not possible, alternative routes are available in person at a our office without biometric ID.
We charge a single fixed fee per individual verification, which we will quote to you in writing before any work begins. The fee is the same regardless of whether you are a UK or overseas resident, and there are no extras for re-verification if a document needs to be resubmitted. If you are already a client for our accounting services, verification may be included within your engagement. Direct verification through GOV.UK One Login is free if you are able to use that route.
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