ICAEW's director ID guide — what it means in practice for Gulf directors

ICAEW published this piece shortly after identity verification launched in October 2025. It's a solid overview, but it reads from a UK perspective. Here's our translation for Gulf directors.

The article explains two verification routes: directly through the government's One Login service, or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. For Gulf directors, the choice is simple. One Login requires a UK driving licence, UK passport, or HMRC records. Most Gulf directors have none of these. The ACSP route is the practical option — and it was designed specifically for directors who cannot use One Login.

ICAEW correctly notes that verification doesn't expire automatically. Once you've verified, you're verified — it stays on your Companies House record permanently. You don't repeat it annually. The only scenario requiring re-verification is if Companies House flags a discrepancy, which in practice is rare for legitimate directors.

One thing the article doesn't address: which documents from GCC countries are accepted? From our day-to-day verification work, the following all pass the biometric checks: biometric passports from any GCC country, Saudi national ID (هوية وطنية), Emirates ID, and national IDs from Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. The verification software is the same technology used at UK border control — it's robust and designed for international documents.

The public register point matters for Gulf directors particularly. If you don't verify, Companies House annotates your company's public record with an 'unverified director' notation. This is visible to anyone searching your company — including banks when you apply for UK business accounts, suppliers doing due diligence, and investors. Verification removes this risk entirely.