Companies House has published guidance on how the registrar will assess whether applicants and existing Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) are fit and proper to carry out their functions. The registrar will consider the circumstances of each case, including the seriousness and timing of any concerns and whether they have been resolved. The assessment may cover eligibility and competence, criminal, regulatory and financial history, honesty and integrity, compliance with Companies House requirements, and any relevant aggravating or mitigating factors. ACSPs must be appropriately supervised for anti-money laundering purposes, but this requirement is separate from the registrar’s fit and proper assessment and does not demonstrate that an ACSP meets the test.

Companies House has published guidance on using and managing personal codes, which are 11-character identifiers issued following identity verification. From 18 November 2025, directors must provide their codes when filing their company’s next confirmation statement, while Persons with Significant Control (PSCs) will have a 14-day period to submit theirs. The guidance explains how codes can be obtained through GOV.UK One Login or Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs), how to save them to Companies House accounts, and the steps to follow if a code is compromised.

Companies House has published detailed guidance on protecting personal information on the Register of Overseas Entities (ROE) for beneficial owners, managing officers, and trust members of overseas entities who are at serious risk of harm or intimidation if their details are publicly accessible. The guidance outlines the process for these individuals to apply to protect their information from public disclosure on ROE. Trust members who meet the criteria for protection must apply before 31 August 2025, after which third parties will be able to request access to trust details.

Companies House has published guidance on how to remove an overseas entity from the Register of Overseas Entities. This guidance is applicable where an overseas entity is no longer a registered owner of property or land in the UK which was bought on or after 1 January 1999 in England and Wales, 8 December 2014 in Scotland and 5 September 2022 in Northern Ireland. The guidance provides that the overseas entity must have sold all of its land or property in the UK and change of ownership be reflected in the updated land registry records before submitting an application for removal to Companies House.

Companies House has published a list of UK-regulated agents who can complete verification checks on beneficial owners of an overseas entity. As a result of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 which came into force on 1 August 2022, overseas entities who wish to buy, sell or transfer property or land in the UK must register with Companies House and disclose information relating to their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers. A UK-regulated agent must complete verification checks on all beneficial owners and managing officers of an overseas entity before it can be registered with Companies House. To assist with this, Companies House has provided a list of agents who are able to verify the information on beneficial owners and managing officers of an overseas entity. These agents are based in the UK and supervised under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds Regulations 2017.

Companies House has published the Register of Overseas Entities Rules 2025, setting out the mandatory procedures for delivering documents related to the Register of Overseas Entities. These rules specify the required format, method of delivery, and authentication for both electronic and paper submissions. Standard documents must be submitted online via the Companies House Service using designated templates, while verification statements may be emailed in PDF format. Protected documents, which contain sensitive personal information, must be delivered in paper form using colour-coded templates obtained from the Registrar and authenticated according to strict criteria. The publication ensures consistent, secure, and legally compliant handling of all documentation associated with overseas entities.

Companies House has published new Registrar's rules, focusing on identity verification procedures and Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) applications, set to come into force on 25 February 2025. These rules include: the Registrar's (Identity Verification by the Registrar) Rules 2025, the Registrar's (Identity Verification by Authorised Corporate Service Providers) Rules 2025, and the Registrar's (Requirements Applicable to Applications to Become an Authorised Corporate Service Provider) Rules 2025.

Companies House has published a transitional plan outlining the timeline for the commencement of key provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023), which aims to reform the role of Companies House and improve transparency over UK companies and other legal entities. The timeline for implementation commenced on 4 March 2024 (with some changes already implemented) and is due to end at the end of 2026.

Companies House has published two guidance documents on identity verification. The first document outlines who needs to verify their identity, the available verification methods, and the consequences of non-verification, among other aspects. The second document provides guidance on when individuals need to verify their identity. From 18 March 2025, authorised corporate service providers (ACSPs) will need to verify their identity to apply to register as a Companies House authorised agent. From 8 April 2025, registered ACSPs can begin verifying their clients' identities. Directors and people with significant control can voluntarily verify their identities from 8 April 2025, with mandatory verification to be introduced at a later date. Currently, individuals who file at Companies House are not required to verify their identities, but this will become a legal requirement in the future.

Companies House has published a new version of the confirmation statement for a limited liability partnership (LL CS01) form. The form confirms limited liability partnership (LLP) details on the public Companies House register. The new form is applicable to LLPs with a confirmation date of the 5 March 2024 or later. LLPs with a confirmation date of 4 March 2024 or earlier must use the previous version. A new version of the form has also been published for Wales (form LL CS01c).

The National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), in collaboration with Companies House, HM Revenue & Customs, the Insolvency Service, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision, Home Office and UK police forces, has removed 11,500 companies from the Companies House register. The action followed a coordinated project targeting non-compliance with Registered Office requirements under the Companies Act 2006. The project focused on identifying and taking enforcement action against high-risk incorporation addresses and corporate entities suspected of enabling criminal activity in the UK and overseas.

Companies House has announced that 23 company directors were disqualified for a combined total of 70 years following successful prosecutions for persistent or serious non-compliance with their statutory filing obligations during the first six months of 2026. It says the courts also imposed fines totalling £17,810, including £15,600 for failing to file annual accounts and £2,200 for failing to file confirmation statements. Companies House says directors are personally responsible for ensuring that annual accounts and confirmation statements are filed on time under the Companies Act 2006. While companies that file accounts late automatically incur late filing penalties, persistent or serious non-compliance may lead to enforcement action against directors, including financial penalties, criminal prosecution and disqualification. Companies House adds that, between January and March 2026, courts convicted 360 directors of 332 companies of filing offences, including 355 convictions for accounts offences and 157 convictions for confirmation statement offences. It says the courts imposed fines totalling £183,270 and awarded Companies House costs of £31,075.