ACSP Explained: Authorised Corporate Service Providers and Companies House Identity Verification

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act has changed how people are registered at Companies House. Anyone who runs, owns or files for a UK company now has to prove who they are, and that verification can be carried out either directly with Companies House or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).

What is an ACSP?

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider is a firm registered with Companies House to carry out identity verification and to file on behalf of clients. To hold that status a firm must be supervised for anti-money-laundering purposes in the UK — for example by HMRC or a professional accountancy body — and must keep records of every check it performs. Accountants, tax agents, company formation agents and law firms are the typical providers.

Who has to verify their identity?

• Every director of a UK company, existing or newly appointed.
• Every Person with Significant Control (PSC), including those who control a company through another entity.
• Members of limited liability partnerships.
• Anyone who files documents at Companies House on behalf of a company.

Once verified, an individual receives a personal code that links them to their Companies House record. The code is reused on every future appointment, so verification is a one-off exercise rather than something repeated for each company.

The step-by-step process

1. Confirm who needs verifying. We list every director, PSC and filing agent attached to the company.
2. Collect documents. One photographic identity document and, where required, evidence of your current address.
3. Identity check. The documents are checked against the individual, either in a short video call or through a secure digital check.
4. Submission. The verified identity is submitted to Companies House with the provider's ACSP reference.
5. Code issued. Companies House issues the personal code, which we record against the company file.
6. Filing. Appointments, incorporations and confirmation statements can then be filed without rejection.

Documents you will be asked for

• A valid passport, or a UK photocard driving licence, or a national identity card from an accepted country.
• Proof of residential address dated within the last three months — a bank statement, utility bill or council tax notice.
• Your date of birth and full residential address as they appear on the register.
• For overseas directors, a certified translation where the document is not in English.

What happens if you do not verify

Unverified directors cannot be validly appointed, filings can be rejected, and continuing to act while unverified is an offence that carries a financial penalty and an annotation on the public register. For an overseas-owned UK company the practical risk is worse: a rejected confirmation statement quickly turns into a compliance notice and, eventually, a proposal to strike the company off.

Frequently asked questions

How much does identity verification through an ACSP cost?

We charge £125 per application, inclusive, covering the document check, the submission to Companies House and confirmation of the personal code.

Can an overseas director verify without coming to the UK?

Yes. The check is completed remotely by secure video call, so a director in Dubai, Singapore or the United States can be verified without travelling.

Do I need to verify again for each company I run?

No. Verification is tied to you as an individual, not to a company. The personal code you receive is used for every subsequent appointment.

How long does it take?

Where the documents are in order, the check itself takes about fifteen minutes and the code is normally confirmed within a few working days.

Is verification the same as an anti-money-laundering check?

They overlap but are not identical. Verification satisfies the Companies House requirement; a provider will usually complete its own AML onboarding at the same time.

If you have your passport and a recent proof of address ready, contact our team and we will arrange the check.