What is an ACSP and why does it matter for UK Director ID verification?

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) is a business that has been authorised by Companies House to provide certain services on behalf of companies and their directors. The ACSP regime was introduced as part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which overhauled how Companies House verifies the identity of directors and persons with significant control.

For Gulf-based directors, ACSPs matter for one specific reason: identity verification. From November 2026, all UK company directors must verify their identity with Companies House. The two routes are: verify directly through the UK Government's One Login service (requires a UK passport, UK driving licence, or HMRC records — documents most Gulf directors do not have), or verify through an ACSP. The ACSP route is the practical option for directors based outside the UK.

What an ACSP does during verification: the ACSP checks your identity documents (passport, national ID), conducts a biometric verification check (usually a short video or selfie-with-document process), and submits a verification confirmation to Companies House on your behalf. Companies House then marks your record as identity-verified. The whole process takes under 15 minutes.

Not every accountant or company formation agent is an ACSP. To become an ACSP, a firm must apply to Companies House, meet anti-money laundering supervision requirements, and be registered with an approved AML supervisory body. Fileminder Ltd is registered as an ACSP with Companies House and is supervised for AML purposes by AAT.

You can verify that a firm is a genuine ACSP by searching the ACSP register on the Companies House website. Always check before handing over identity documents — only verified ACSPs can submit identity confirmation to Companies House.