If you own or control a UK limited company, you may be a Person with Significant Control (PSC), and since 18 November 2025 every individual PSC must verify their identity with Companies House under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA). To provide identity verification details for a person with significant control, you get a Companies House personal code, then link it to your PSC role using a separate online service inside your own 14-day window. Verifying alone is not enough.
This guide covers two things, in order. First, whether you are a PSC at all. Second, exactly what the identity verification requirement means for you, step by step, wherever you live. It is written for non-UK-resident founders, silent co-founders and investors who hold shares or control but may not sit on the board.
What Is a Person with Significant Control (PSC)?
A PSC is an individual who owns or controls a UK company, directly or indirectly. Most private companies have at least one PSC, and often it is the founder. Being a PSC has nothing to do with being a director. You can hold no board role at all and still be a PSC if you own enough of the company or control it in other ways.
Companies House keeps a public PSC register for this reason, so anyone can see who really sits behind a company. A person is a PSC if they meet one or more of five conditions. If you tick even one, you are in scope.
Example: you set up a UK Ltd and hold 100% of the shares. You are a PSC under the ownership test, whether or not you are also a director. A friend who later buys 40% of your shares becomes a PSC too.
The 5 PSC Conditions Explained
You are a PSC if you meet any one of these five conditions. They are set out in the Companies Act and used by Companies House to decide who goes on the register.
1. Holding more than 25% of the shares
Own more than a quarter of the issued shares and you are a PSC. This is the most common route. If you and a co-founder split a company 60/40, both of you are PSCs because each holds more than 25%. See our UK company shareholders guide for how shareholdings are recorded.
2. Holding more than 25% of the voting rights
Voting rights can differ from share count where a company has different share classes. If one person controls more than 25% of the votes, they are a PSC even if their share percentage looks lower. How you structure this depends on your share issue, covered in how to issue shares in a UK limited company.
3. The right to appoint or remove most of the board
If you can appoint or remove a majority of the directors, you control the company at board level and you are a PSC. This often applies to investors with board-control clauses in a shareholders’ agreement.
4. Significant influence or control
This is a catch-all. Even without shares or votes, a person who exercises significant influence or control over the company (for example through a binding agreement) can be a PSC. It is used less often but it exists to stop people hiding real control.
5. Control over a trust or firm that meets any of conditions 1 to 4
If a trust or firm meets one of the first four conditions, the individuals who control that trust or firm are PSCs. This covers indirect ownership structures.
PSC Identity Verification: What Every PSC Must Do (2026)
Every individual PSC of a UK company must verify their identity with Companies House, get a Companies House personal code, and then link that code to their PSC role using the “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service within their own 14-day period. Verifying alone is not enough: the code must be linked separately.
Who has to verify as a PSC
Every individual who meets one or more of the PSC conditions must verify, wherever they live. You do not need to be a director. If you own 30% of a UK Ltd but have no role on the board, you still must verify as a PSC.
Not yet in force: officers of corporate PSCs (relevant legal entities) are not yet required to verify. Only individual PSCs are in scope now. Source: gov.uk/guidance/when-you-need-to-verify-your-identity-for-companies-house (“Other roles”), checked 4 Nov 2026.
No need to verify: a deceased PSC.
Step 1: Get your Companies House personal code
Verify once using GOV.UK One Login (free, online, works from abroad with a photo ID such as a passport) or through an ACSP (an authorised agent). The result is your personal code. You only do this step once, even if you hold roles at multiple companies.
If you have no chip passport or NFC phone, see our guide on verifying without a chip passport or NFC phone for the alternative routes.
For the full verification walk-through, see the Companies House identity verification step-by-step guide.
If you are an overseas director, our guide to identity verification for overseas directors covers what documents work from abroad.
Step 2: Link your code using the PSC service
Getting a personal code is not enough on its own. You must also link that code to your PSC role using the separate “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service on GOV.UK.
You will need:
- the company number
- your personal code
- a ticked verification statement confirming you are verified
The company or an ACSP can submit this on your behalf. You can only submit once your 14-day window has opened (see the next section).
Important: if you are both a director and a PSC of the same company, giving your personal code on the confirmation statement covers your director role only. It does not cover your PSC role. You must use the separate PSC service for the PSC link. This is the most common mistake. Source: gov.uk/guidance/provide-psc-verification; Companies House blog 16 Jan 2026.
When your 14-day window opens
Your 14-day window is the period in which you must link your code. When it opens depends on your situation.
| Your situation | Your 14-day window |
|---|---|
| PSC and director of the same company (registered before 18 Nov 2025) | Starts the day after the company’s confirmation statement date. Filing the statement early does not move the window. |
| PSC but not a director (registered before 18 Nov 2025) | The first 14 days of your birth month. Example: born on any day in January, your window is 1 to 14 January. |
| Became a PSC after 18 Nov 2025 | When you are added to the register, or within 14 days of being added. |
You can check your company’s confirmation statement date and your own PSC record on the Companies House register. For how the statement itself works, see our guide to the UK company confirmation statement.
If you are a non-director PSC (a silent co-founder or investor), your window is tied to your birth month, not the company calendar. This group is the most likely to miss it. Source: gov.uk/guidance/when-you-need-to-verify-your-identity-for-companies-house (last updated 30 Jul 2026).
Missed it or cannot make it? Ask for a 14-day extension
Request an extension through the same “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service before your window closes. While the extension is in force you remain compliant. After two digital extensions, further requests go to a Companies House examiner. Source: gov.uk/guidance/provide-psc-verification; non-compliance guidance.
What happens if a PSC does not verify
The PSC may be committing an offence and face a financial penalty or fine (gov.uk wording). Companies House sends a default letter to the PSC and shows an annotation against their name on the register. Banks, payment providers and partners can see that annotation.
Liability sits with the PSC, not with the company or its other directors. Law firm Brodies notes that for PSC failures, only the PSC is named as the offender under ECCTA 2023, contrasting with director failures where the company and other directors can also be liable (Brodies, September 2026).
For what happens if you have already missed your deadline, see our guide on what happens if you miss your Companies House identity deadline.
When the transition ends
Companies House began the 12-month transition on 18 November 2025. Most existing PSCs should have completed verification by mid-November 2026. Companies House data showed 65.6% of individual PSC appointments were verified at 30 September 2026 (gov.uk management information, identity verification July to September 2026). What counts for each PSC is their own 14-day window, not a single universal cut-off.
Common snag: data mismatch
The date of birth on the Companies House register must match the date of birth on the ID you use to verify. If they differ, the link fails. Fix the register entry before you start the verification process.
What Information Goes on the PSC Register?
The PSC register records who controls the company and how. Each PSC entry includes their name, month and year of birth, nationality, country of residence, a service address, and the nature of their control shown as bands.
The nature of control uses set bands rather than exact figures:
- ownership of shares: over 25% up to 50%, more than 50% up to 75%, or more than 75%
- voting rights: the same three bands
- the right to appoint or remove the majority of the board
- significant influence or control
The PSC’s residential address is held by Companies House but is not shown publicly. The service address is public. You must update the PSC register when anything changes, for example when someone crosses a share band or stops being a PSC.
How to File PSC Information at Companies House
You file PSC information using set forms. You use these to add a PSC, change existing PSC details, or remove a PSC.
- PSC01: notify Companies House of an individual PSC
- PSC02: notify of a relevant legal entity (corporate PSC)
- PSC03: notify of another registrable person
When details change, you must update the register and tell Companies House. You have 14 days to record a change in your own register and must tell Companies House within 14 days of confirming the change.
Launchpad handles the initial PSC filing and registered address for you. If you are forming the company yourself, see our walkthrough on how to register a company in the UK.
Special Considerations for Non-Resident Founders
Being based outside the UK does not change whether you are a PSC, and it does not exempt you from verification. The rules apply the same wherever you live.
Address: you can use a service address rather than your home address on the public record, but Companies House still needs your residential address for its private records. The company also needs a UK registered office. A UK registered address and mail forwarding service can supply both, keeping your personal address off the public register.
Identity verification: GOV.UK One Login works from abroad with a photo ID such as a passport. If your documents will not work through the digital route, an ACSP can verify you instead. The same two-step process applies: get your personal code, then link it to your PSC role.
FAQ
Do I have to verify my identity if I am already on the PSC register?
Yes. Existing PSCs are in scope during the transition that runs to mid-November 2026. Each PSC must complete verification within their own 14-day window, not by a single universal date.
Is getting a personal code the same as completing PSC verification?
No. The personal code is step one. You must also link that code to your PSC role using the separate “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service. Without the link, your PSC role is not verified.
How long does PSC identity verification take?
The online verification through GOV.UK One Login can be done in one sitting if your ID works with the digital check. Linking the code through the PSC service is a short online submission once your 14-day window is open.
What is the nature of control on the PSC register?
It describes how a person controls the company, shown in bands rather than exact figures: share ownership bands, voting right bands, the right to appoint or remove most of the board, or significant influence or control.
Can a company have more than one PSC?
Yes. Any individual who meets one or more of the five conditions is a PSC, so a company can have several. Each individual PSC must verify separately.
Do I need to verify if I am a PSC but not a director?
Yes. If you meet any PSC condition, for example owning 30% of shares, you must verify, whatever role you hold. Your 14-day window is the first 14 days of your birth month if you were a PSC before 18 November 2025.
I am both a director and a PSC. Do I need to give my personal code twice?
Yes. Giving your personal code on the confirmation statement covers your director role. You must also use the separate “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service to link your code to your PSC role. One submission does not cover both.
Can I verify as a PSC from outside the UK?
Yes. GOV.UK One Login works from abroad with a photo ID such as a passport. If you have no chip passport or NFC phone, an ACSP can verify you instead. Living outside the UK does not exempt you.
What if I miss my 14-day PSC window?
Request a 14-day extension through the “Provide identity verification details for a PSC” service before your window closes. If you have already missed it, see the missed-deadline guide.
I am buying an existing UK company from abroad. Do I need to verify before I am appointed?
A new director must give a personal code in the appointment filing. A new PSC has 14 days from being added to the register to link their code. Verify before or immediately after any appointment to stay compliant.
