Companies House Identity Verification Failed: What Should You Do?

If your Companies House identity verification has failed, you are not alone. Verification failures are relatively common and almost always have a straightforward explanation. This guide walks through the most common reasons for failure and what you should do next.

Why does Companies House identity verification fail?

Verification can fail at several stages. The most common reasons are:

• Name mismatch — the name on your identity document does not exactly match the name recorded on the Companies House register. Even small differences (middle names, initials, hyphens, accents) can cause a failure.
• Date of birth mismatch — your date of birth on the register does not match your identity document. This sometimes happens due to data entry errors when the company was formed.
• Expired identity document — your passport or driving licence has expired. Only current, valid documents are accepted.
• Poor document quality — the photo or scan of your identity document is blurry, cropped, glare-affected or otherwise unreadable.
• Liveness check failure — the facial recognition system could not match your live image to your document photo. This can happen due to lighting, camera quality or significant appearance changes.
• Technical issues — browser compatibility, internet connectivity or session timeouts during the verification process.

What to do if your verification failed

1. Check for name discrepancies

Search for your company on the Companies House register and compare the recorded name with your identity document. If there is any difference, you may need to file a change with Companies House (CH01 form for directors) before retrying verification.

2. Check your date of birth

Similarly, confirm your date of birth on the register matches your document. If there is an error on the register, this must be corrected before verification can succeed.

3. Use a valid, current document

Ensure your passport or driving licence is not expired. If it is, renew it before attempting verification again.

4. Improve your document image

If the failure was related to document quality:

• Use good, even lighting — avoid shadows and glare
• Place the document on a flat, contrasting surface
• Ensure all four corners of the document are visible
• Make sure all text is sharp and readable, especially the machine-readable zone

5. Retry the liveness check

If the facial recognition failed:

• Ensure good, natural lighting on your face
• Remove glasses, hats or other obstructions
• Look directly at the camera and follow the on-screen instructions
• Use a device with a higher-quality camera if possible

Consider the ACSP route

If you have failed verification through GOV.UK One Login, you can try the ACSP route as an alternative. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider may accept different identity documents and can provide guided support to help resolve issues that caused the initial failure.

Get help with your verification

Companies House ID Verification provides a guided verification service at a fixed £19 fee. The service includes document guidance and support to help you avoid the common issues that cause verification failures. Check the requirements before starting.