Challenges with the Companies House Identity Verification
23rd April 2026
Since the introduction of the Companies House identity verification requirements on 18th November 2025, a number of challenges have emerged, making it difficult for individuals to complete the verification process and meet the required deadlines.
We’ve identified that most issues stem from Companies House either retaining an incorrect date of birth on file or discrepancies in middle names.
Incorrect Date of Birth
If you discover that the date of birth held on record is inaccurate, it must be corrected before you can proceed with the identity verification process. To amend this, you will need to submit a replacement filing for the original document that contained the incorrect information. This can be done via post or through your Companies House WebFiling account, depending on which correcting form is required. For more details on which correcting form you will need, please read the following guidance from Companies House – Correcting your date of birth with Companies House – GOV.UK.
Discrepancies in Middle Names
Another issue that has come to light is a mismatch in names, where middle names are missing from Companies House records but included on identification documents, or vice versa. This discrepancy can result in Companies House treating the records as belonging to two separate individuals, causing issues with the verification process. To resolve this, you will need to submit the appropriate form to amend the Companies House record so that it matches the details shown on your identification documents. You can start the process to make an amendment here – Tell Companies House about changes to your limited company – GOV.UK.
Once the relevant corrections to any incorrect details have been processed and accepted, you will be able to continue with your identity verification requirements. Please note that Companies House are currently experiencing a high demand and it may take up to 20 working days for your correction to be processed.
Get In Touch
If you’ve encountered any issues with verifying your identity with Companies House, please get in touch with your usual Whitings LLP contact and we’d be happy to discuss how we can help.
Disclaimer - All information in this post was correct at time of writing.
