What do colleges need to know about Companies House identity verification and company register changes?

Companies House is introducing various changes under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 which will impact on companies and their filing obligations. This includes the introduction of compulsory identity verification for individual director and individual persons with significant control (“PSCs”). These changes will come into force from 18 November 2025. 

Other key changes are expected to proceed next year regarding who can file at Companies House on behalf of a company and identity verification for corporate PSCs (known as relevant legal entities (RLEs)). 

In addition to the changes to the ID verification, from 18 November 2025 there are also changes to the statutory registers which a company is required to hold and maintain at its registered office, single alternative inspection location (SAIL), or if the company has elected to do so, on a central register held at Companies House. From 18 November 2024, companies will no longer need to hold the following registers:

• register of directors;
• register of directors’ residential addresses
• register of secretaries; and
• register of persons with significant control.

Companies are still required to register this information with Companies House though and keep this updated. From 18 November 2025, companies will also still be required to hold a register of members and this will need to be kept either at the company’s registered office address or at a SAIL (it can no longer be held on a central register at Companies House). 

How do these changes impact on colleges?

Although colleges are statutory corporations rather than companies, many colleges will have established trading subsidiaries as companies and may have other companies associated with the college. The changes will therefore impact on these companies and so it is prudent for colleges with such associated companies to also familiarise themselves with the upcoming changes. In particular, the need for identity verification checks for directors of those companies and the upcoming changes on who can file on behalf of those companies.

Further information on identity verification can be found here

Further information on the changes to the statutory registers is available on Companies House here.