If you are a director or a person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company and you hold a Vietnamese passport, Companies House identity verification starts with one simple check: look at the front cover. Whether your passport has a chip decides whether the free GOV.UK app can read it, and that decides which route you take. This guide explains the dates, the free route and what to do if your passport has no chip.
Why the chip matters for Companies House identity verification
Every director and every PSC of a UK company now verifies their identity with Companies House. You do it once, you receive an 11-character personal code, and that code belongs to you, not the company. One code covers every company you are connected to.
The free way to verify from outside the UK is the GOV.UK One Login app. It works by reading the chip inside your passport with your phone. If there is no chip, the app has nothing to read. GOV.UK’s own guidance for people outside the UK says this group can only use the app to prove their identity, and that they will also need a chipped passport.
So the chip is not a detail. It is the first fork in the road.
When did Vietnam start issuing chipped passports?
Vietnam began issuing ordinary passports with an electronic chip inside the country on 1 March 2023. At first the chip was optional, so people renewing could still choose a passport without one.
Vietnamese embassies and consulates abroad started later. The Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, for example, announced that it would accept applications for chipped passports from 1 April 2026, with chipless passports issued until then.
What that means in practice:
- A Vietnamese passport issued inside Vietnam before March 2023 has no chip.
- One issued inside Vietnam after March 2023 may or may not have a chip, depending on what the holder chose.
- One renewed at an embassy or consulate abroad before April 2026 has no chip.
Many Vietnamese founders who live abroad renewed their passport at a consulate, so a valid passport without a chip is common.
How to check your passport in ten seconds
Look at the front cover. A chipped passport carries a small symbol: a rectangle with a circle in the middle, near the top or bottom of the cover. If you see it, your passport has a chip. If you do not, it does not.
If it has a chip, the next question is your phone. The GOV.UK app needs a phone that can read the chip, which means NFC. GOV.UK lists iPhone 8 or newer, or Android 10 or later, but it does not mention NFC on that list. Open Settings and search for “NFC” to check. Our phone requirements page walks through it.
Checklist before you start:
- ☐ Chip symbol on the passport cover
- ☐ Phone with NFC switched on
- ☐ Passport valid (or up to 18 months out of date, with one other document, if you use an ACSP)
- ☐ One proof of address from the last three months, in any language
If your passport has a chip: try the free route first
If your passport has a chip and your phone has NFC, try the free GOV.UK app first. It costs nothing, and we would rather you used it than paid for something you do not need.
The other free routes are harder from abroad. The Post Office route needs a UK home address and a visit to a branch in person. The online questions need a UK bank account and a National Insurance number, or a UK credit history. Most directors living in Vietnam have none of these.
If your passport has no chip: use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider
If your passport has no chip, or your phone cannot read it, you can verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). A minister confirmed in Parliament on 7 September 2026 that people who cannot complete verification through One Login can use an ACSP instead.
Overseas Verify is run by Launchese Ltd, registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP number AP020671). We verify any passport or national identity card, with or without a chip, wherever you live. A person on our compliance team reviews every case, and we file the result with Companies House so you receive your personal code. Standard is £50 and takes up to three working days; Express is £99 for same-day verification. No VAT is added, and if we cannot verify you, you are not charged.
Our Vietnam page has the passport facts in one place, and support is available in Vietnamese.
What to have ready before you start
Whichever route you take, have these ready: your passport (or national identity card), a phone or computer with a camera for a selfie, and one proof of address from the last three months, such as a bank statement PDF or a utility bill. The proof of address can be in Vietnamese. It does not need to be a UK address.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vietnam “supported” for Companies House verification?
There is no government list of supported countries. What matters is whether your passport has a chip and whether your phone can read it.
My passport was renewed at a consulate in 2025. Does it have a chip?
Very likely not, since consulates abroad only began issuing chipped passports in 2026. Check the cover for the chip symbol.
Does my proof of address need to be in English?
No. It does not need to be in English or be a UK address.
When do I need to verify?
For directors, before your company’s next confirmation statement can be filed. PSCs who are not directors give their code in the first 14 days of their birth month.
My passport has the chip symbol, but the app still won’t read it. What now?
Check that NFC is switched on, take off any thick phone case, and hold the phone still against the back cover, where the chip sits in Vietnamese passports. If it still fails after a few tries, an ACSP can verify you instead.
In short
Look at your passport cover first. If you see the chip symbol and your phone has NFC, try the free GOV.UK app. If there is no chip, which is common for passports renewed at a consulate abroad before April 2026, you can still verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. Either way, you verify once and your personal code covers every company you are connected to.
Where Launchese fits in
Launchese has formed and run UK companies for more than 10,000 customers from more than 100 countries, and Vietnam is one of the places our founders know best. If you want help with your company’s filings after you verify, book your free 15-min advisory call today.
Check your passport, then verify
Any passport, any nationality, no chip needed.
See the Vietnam pageSources: Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, notice on chipped passports; Vietnam News, chip-based passports; GOV.UK, verify your identity for Companies House.
This is general information, not legal advice.
