From 18 November 2025, identity verification will become a legal requirement for all UK company directors and persons with significant control (PSCs) under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCT / ECCTA).

As a registered Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) and regulated agent of Companies House, we are authorised to carry out identity verification on behalf of our clients and submit confirmation directly to Companies House.

Why identity verification is required ?

The new ECCT rules are designed to strengthen transparency, prevent economic crime, and ensure that individuals behind UK companies are properly identified. Directors and PSCs must complete identity verification before Companies House filings can continue.

This process must meet the IDVT (Identity Document Validation Technology) standard, meaning:

• Electronic validation of a biometric passport or BRP
• Facial (selfie) verification using approved technology

Scanning the biometric chip is not strictly required, but can be used as an additional security measure. Photo-only uploads or manual checks must still comply with the IDVT standard to pass verification.

Our ECCT / IDVT verification service

We now offer ECCT-compliant identity verification exclusively to our existing clients as an additional service.

Our ECCT / IDVT identity verification service is provided as a simple, cost-effective solution for existing clients. The service is offered at an extremely low cost, designed only to recover the additional compliance, technology, and processing expenses involved, and is not a government fee. Compared with market rates—where many providers charge £100–£150 or more per verification—our approach is intentionally kept affordable and straightforward, making it one of the easiest and most practical ways to meet ECCT requirements.

Important requirements

To successfully complete the verification, you should:

• Use a biometric passport or BRP, and download the mobile app
• Scan the passport chip and or take photos of your passport using your smartphone
• Complete biomertic verification

Although the system may allow photo uploads or skipping the chip scan, you should not choose these options if possible. They may not meet ECCT / IDVT requirements and may cause failure. Photo scanning need to meet IDVT technologies and requirements.

Priority for existing clients

Existing clients will be given priority access to this service until 31 December 2025.
After that date, the service will remain available for purchase via our website and may be offered to the public.

Next steps

If you would like us to handle your ECCT identity verification, please complete the form provided or contact us to proceed. We recommend starting early, as verification for existing clients will be processed in batches.

Seek Professional Help

In many cases, you may be unable to complete ECCT authentication and will need an ACSP who knows how to assist you with the process.

If you are unsure how to complete the ECCTA identity verification or which method meets the new IDVT requirements, speak to your accountant before proceeding. At Elaga Accountancy, our experienced UK compliance advisers support directors and PSCs with ECCTA-compliant identity verification, including ACSP submissions to Companies House.

Let us handle the verification process for you so you can focus on running your business with confidence. Contact us today to make your ECCTA identity verification simple, compliant, and stress-free.

***Contact us to learn more.

#ECCT #ECCTA #ACSP #CompaniesHouse #IdentityVerification #IDVT #IDVTVerification #AccountantIDCheck #AML #KYC #DirectorVerification #PSCVerification