Companies House Personal Code: What It Is & How to Get It

Q: Can I act as a company director without a Companies House personal code after November 2025?

No, from 18 November 2025, new directors must verify their identity and obtain a personal code before appointment. Existing directors have a one-year transition period from 18 November 2025 to obtain a personal code and submit it in their next confirmation statement. After the transition period, all directors must comply or risk removal from the register and rejection of their filings by Companies House.

Q: What if my accountant or agent won't share the personal code they received on my behalf?

The personal code belongs to you as an individual, not the agent. If your agent verified your identity, they’re obligated to provide your code. If they refuse, you can report the issue to Companies House and request to re-verify your identity independently.

Q: Can I reuse the same personal code if I join another company as a director or PSC?

Yes, the personal code is tied to your verified identity and remains the same regardless of how many companies you’re involved with. There’s no need to apply again: just provide the same code when linking yourself to a new role at a different company.

Q: How can I tell if an email with my personal code is genuine or a phishing attempt?

Genuine emails from Companies House will come from official GOV.UK or Companies House domains and will not ask you to provide sensitive information or login credentials. If in doubt, access your Companies House account directly via GOV.UK to check for messages or contact their support line.

Q: What format is a Companies House personal code?

The Companies House personal code is an 11-character, alphanumeric code.

Q: What happens if I act as a director without a personal code?

A new director who acts without a personal code may be committing a criminal offence and could face a fine. Companies House will also publish a note against their name on the public register. Existing directors must verify their identity and obtain their personal code within the one-year transition period, which started on 18 November 2025.

Q: Does my Companies House personal code expire?

No, your personal code doesn’t expire. Once you have obtained your personal code, it remains valid for existing and new appointments.

The Companies House personal code is a unique 11-character alphanumeric code issued to directors and people with significant control (PSCs) when they verify their identity. It’s part of the new Companies House identity verification requirements introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (2023). It allows Companies House to link verified individuals to company records.

Directors and PSCs are legally required to have a personal code and submit it to Companies House. New directors must get a personal code on appointment; existing directors have a one-year transition period from 18 November 2025 to obtain their personal code. PSCs face their own deadlines, too, though the timing varies depending on their circumstances (more on this below). Directors and PSCs who don’t get a personal code could face criminal penalties. Read on to understand more about how to get your personal code and stay compliant.

Key takeaways

A Companies House personal code, often referred to unofficially as a personal verification code, is a unique 11-character alphanumeric code that proves the identity of directors and PSCs of UK companies.
Identity verification is mandatory for directors and PSCs.
Get your code by verifying your identity through GOV.UK One Login or by using an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).
If you lose your personal code, you should be able to find it through your Companies House account or the agent who verified you.

What is a Companies House personal code?

A Companies House personal code, often referred to unofficially as a ‘personal verification code’ or ‘PVC’ for short, is a unique 11-character alphanumeric code. It’s issued to a director or a PSC after they’ve verified their identity with Companies House. It identifies a person, not a company.

Companies House uses your personal code to link your verified identity to the director or PSC roles you hold at UK companies. You’ll need to submit your personal code for every company you’re involved with, and separately for each role you hold there. If you’re both a director and a PSC of the same company, you’ll need to submit it twice. You use the same personal code each time, even across multiple companies or roles.

Why do you need a personal code from Companies House?

Directors and PSCs are legally required to verify their identity with Companies House and submit their personal code, often referred to unofficially as a personal verification code. You can’t be appointed as a new director or register a new company without a personal code.

The identity verification requirement for directors and PSCs came into effect on 18 November 2025. It was introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, which aims to improve transparency and combat fraud and money laundering at UK private companies.

Author's tip: If a director or PSC doesn’t verify their ID with Companies House and submit their personal code, they could be committing a criminal offence and be fined. Companies House will also publish a note against their name on the public register.

When do you need to use your personal code?

You must submit your personal code to Companies House when:

You’re appointed as a director (as part of the appointment process).
You’ve become a PSC. Submit your personal code when you’re added to the Companies House register, or within 14 days of being added.

Existing directors and PSCs

There’s a one-year transition period from 18 November 2025 for existing directors and PSCs to verify their identity and provide their personal code to Companies House.

If you’re already a director, you should provide your personal code as part of your company’s next confirmation statement.

If you’re an existing PSC, your deadline depends on your situation:

If you’re also a director of the same company, your 14-day period starts from the day after the company’s confirmation statement date.
If you’re a PSC but not a director of the same company, your 14-day period starts on the first day of your birth month.

You can provide your PSC verification details and check your exact window on the Companies House register.

How to get a Companies House personal code: two ways to verify

To get a personal code, you need to verify your identity with Companies House. You can do this in one of two ways.

Option 1: Verify your identity yourself

You can verify your identity yourself using GOV.UK One Login, a free online service. There are three ways to use this service:

Use the GOV.UK One Login app
Answer some security questions online
Enter your photo ID details online, then complete identity verification in person at a Post Office

Once verification is complete, Companies House issues your 11-character alphanumeric personal code, emails it to you, and links it to your Companies House account.

Author's tip: To check whether a Companies House email is genuine and not a phishing attempt, cross-check the code that’s been emailed to you with what appears in your Companies House account. Official emails from Companies House should also come from email addresses that use official gov.uk or Companies House domains.

Option 2: ACSP identity verification

Alternatively, an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), like an accountant, solicitor, or company formation agent like 1st Formations, can verify your identity on your behalf. Directors or PSCs who already employ an accountant or formation agent to handle their company filings often use this route.

The ACSP completes the verification checks and submits the information to Companies House. Companies House then issues your personal code and sends it to the email address supplied by the ACSP.

How to find my Companies House personal code

If you’ve lost or can’t find your Companies House personal code, you should be able to retrieve it. Often, the code has been sent to an unexpected or shared email address.

You should save your personal code to your Companies House account as soon as you receive it to avoid relying on old emails or paperwork.

If you verified your identity yourself through GOV.UK One Login, follow these steps to find your personal code:

Go to the Companies House website
Sign in using your One Login password
Open ‘Manage account’
Your personal code is shown under the ‘Identity verification’ section

If you verified in person at a Post Office

If you verified your identity in person at a Post Office, it’s likely the result was emailed to you. After the email is sent, your personal code should appear in your Companies House account.

If you verified through an ACSP

If an ACSP verified your identity, Companies House should have sent your personal code to the email address provided by the ACSP.

If you can’t find your personal code, you should contact the agent to confirm which email address was used and whether the code was sent there.

Author's tip: If you still can’t retrieve your personal code, Companies House can issue a replacement in some circumstances, particularly if you’re concerned the code has been compromised or shared.

How the personal code differs from other Companies House codes

When you set up a UK company, you’re issued with a variety of codes, which can be confusing. The key difference between each of the codes is what they identify. Table 1 outlines the main codes a new UK company is issued with and what they identify.

Table 1

Companies House personal code	Identifies you as an individual director or PSC. Used for identity verification and must be linked to all companies you are part of. Relates to who you are rather than which company you’re dealing with.
Company authentication code	A six-character code that authorises online filings for a company. Can be shared with people you trust, for example, formation agents or accountants.
Company Registration Number (CRN)	Identifies a company. It’s issued at incorporation and never changes.
HMRC reference numbers (such as UTRs)	These numbers identify tax records, not Companies House filings or identity checks. Used when dealing with HMRC, not for company verification. Learn how Companies House and HMRC work together.

Staying compliant: what to do next

The Companies House personal code is part of an important UK Government initiative to prevent fraud and money laundering in UK businesses. You must verify your identity and submit your personal code to stay compliant and avoid a criminal penalty.

You’ll only need to go through the verification process once. Once you have it, your personal code will become another important reference code to keep on file, like a company number or an authentication code.

If you’re setting up a company or updating your details and would rather not navigate these requirements on your own, we can help. 1st Formations supports directors and PSCs through company registration, identity verification, and ongoing compliance, so you can be confident everything is done correctly. Explore our company formation packages for more information.

What is a Companies House personal code? Find and use yours

Table of Contents

Key takeaways

What is a Companies House personal code?

Why do you need a personal code from Companies House?