The Companies House personal code is 11 characters long, with three sets of characters separated by two dashes. 

An example of a personal code might be FT5-15ED-2223. - They always end in "2223".

Anyone performing one or more of the following roles, for one or many companies, will need to obtain a Companies House personal code:

• All individual directors of UK companies
• All individual LLP members of UK limited liability partnerships
• All individual persons with significant control (PSCs) of UK companies
• General partners of UK limited partnerships (further details to be confirmed)
• Those filing on behalf of companies as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP)

A code will be required for anyone holding these roles, whether or not they were already appointed before the new rules start to come into force from autumn 2025.

A personal code is required for those involved in UK companies, regardless of where in the world you are resident. A director of a UK company who is resident in Malta, for example, will still need to obtain a Companies House personal code.

How do you get a Companies House personal code?

To obtain a personal code, an individual’s identity needs to be appropriately verified.

There are a number of options, falling into two main categories:

1. The individual can verify their own identity directly:

• Using the Gov.UK ID Check app
• Using the Gov.UK One Login site
• In person at a Post Office

2. An ACSP can verify the individual’s identity:

• The ACSP can inspect physical documents provided by the individual (provided they have suitable training).
• The ACSP can use an electronic service to verify the individual (Such as Credas).
• ACSPs need to be registered and follow a number of requirements when verifying the identity of their clients, which we’ll cover in a separate article.

Whichever route is followed, a personal code will be provided by Companies House upon a successful check. (An ACSP will need to notify Companies House of the check they have completed on the individual for a code to be issued. This is done here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tell-companies-house-you-have-verified-someones-identity)

Unlike the Companies House company authentication code, there is no option to choose your own personal code. It will simply be allocated by Companies House.

Companies House will only send the allocated code to the individual checked, regardless of who has applied for it. That means a personal email address for the individual will need to be provided, even when the identity check has been undertaken by an accountant registered as an ACSP. It also means that an accountant looking to file for a verified individual will need to ask their client to supply them with the code.

Companies House is treating the personal code as a secure piece of information, similar to a password. Your code will therefore not be visible on the online public register. Individuals are encouraged to keep the code safe and secure, as you could for a PIN number or other unique codes, and only share it with people you trust to file on your behalf.