Companies House has issued a timeline for ID verification, which will affect more than seven million company directors who in future will have to provide proof of their identity before filing information on the register to reduce abuse and fraud.

Identity verification is a major component of the reforms set out in the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023, which kicked off in March when Companies House was given more powers to remove fraudulent information from the register.

The first registration point for ID verification will be for accountancy firms and solicitors registered for anti money laundering, which will kick off in early 2025.