What ACCA's verification guidance means — and why your accountant's registration matters

ACCA published this guidance for accounting firms — for practices like Fileminder. Reading it from a director's perspective, the key question it answers is: what does it actually mean when your accountant is ACSP-registered, and why should you care?

An ACSP — Authorised Corporate Service Provider — is an accountant or firm that has applied to Companies House, been approved, and taken on ongoing compliance obligations in order to provide identity verification services. Not every accountant is an ACSP. Registration is not automatic — it requires an application, a fit-and-proper check, and continued compliance with government standards. Fileminder is registered as an ACSP.

The practical implication for you as a director: when Fileminder verifies your identity, the verification meets the same legal standard as if you had walked into a government office in the UK. ACCA's guidance confirms that ACSP firms must use approved biometric software and follow specific document-checking procedures. The verification we issue is not informal — it's filed with Companies House and attached permanently to your record.

ACCA also clarifies an important point that gives directors peace of mind: your verification is tied to your Companies House record, not to your accountant. If you change accountants later, your verified status moves with you. You don't re-verify because you switch firms.

One thing the ACCA article doesn't cover: what documents from Gulf countries are accepted? From our verification work: GCC passports, Saudi national IDs (هوية وطنية), and Emirates IDs all clear the biometric checks. The verification software is the same system used at UK border control — international biometric documents are standard for it.