Several important legislative changes are coming into effect in Autumn 2025 that will significantly impact companies, directors, and individuals with significant control (PSCs). These reforms aim to improve accountability, prevent fraud, and modernise corporate reporting obligations.
Changes from Autumn 2025:
- Directors no longer needed to provide occupation
- Companies are no longer legal required to maintain their own company registers. Only the registers of Members will be legally required as an internal company register. However if companies want to keep maintaining their own registers for management then that is permitted.
- By the end of 2026, the transition period for all individuals required to complete IDV should be complete and compliance for any individuals who have not completed will begin.
From September 1 2025: New Corporate Offence – “Failure to Prevent Fraud”
- A new strict liability offence comes into force on 1 September.
- Organisations can be held criminally liable if a person associated with them commits fraud for their benefit.
- An associated person can be anyone providing services for or on behalf of the organisation — not just directors or officers.
- The only defence is proving the organisation had reasonable procedures in place to prevent fraud at the time it occurred.
From 18 November 2025: Mandatory Identify Verification
This is when identity verification becomes legally mandatory for:
- All company directors
- People with Significant Control (PSCs)
Directors must:
- Verify their identity using either:
– GOV.UK One Login service, or
– An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) (e.g. accountant or solicitor)
- Get a Companies House personal code (this is unique to you).
- Before their company’s next confirmation statement (after 18 Nov 2025):
– Provide your personal code.
– Submit a verification statement for each role.
– If you are a director of multiple companies, you must link your verified ID to each one separately.
Important: unverified individuals cannot be appointed as directors, and companies cannot file their confirmation statements without directors’ identity verification.
PSC (Person with Significant Control) must:
- Provide their personal code to Companies House.
- They will have 14 days to do this once the rule takes effect, based on:
– Whether they were a PSC before 18 Nov 2025.
– Whether they are also a director.
If they have already verified their identity for Companies House (e.g. as a director), they don’t need to do it again, but they must provide their personal code and verification statement for each PSC role.
How to Verify Identity
- Via GOV.UK One Login:
– Use online service: Verify their identity for Companies House
– They will need photo ID (passport, driver’s licence, etc.)
- Via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP):
– Such as an accountant or solicitor.
– They must be AML-supervised in the UK.
– May charge a fee.
What Happens Next
Step 1 Verify identity → Receive personal code.
Step 2 (From 18 Nov 2025):
- Link their identity to each company/role using:
- Personal code
- A verification statement
These upcoming changes represent a major shift in how UK companies manage compliance, transparency, and fraud prevention. Companies and individuals should begin preparing now by reviewing their internal procedures, engaging with professional service providers if needed, and ensuring all relevant parties are ready for identity verification by the required deadlines.
