Companies House has recently published its outline transition plan for implementing the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, including updated timings for the roll out of the identity verification regime. Despite previous indications from Companies House that identity verification may become mandatory from early 2025 (see here), the transition plan reflects a more delayed timeframe in which:

• Eligible professional service providers will be able to register as authorised corporate service providers (ACSPs) from Spring 2025.
• Identity verification requirements will not begin to have mandatory effect until Autumn 2025, followed by a transition period of 12 months for existing companies.
• Whilst mandatory identity verification may not be in force for another year, Companies House still aims to enable individuals to voluntarily verify their identity by Spring 2025.

This latest timeline is not set in stone as all of the above is still subject to secondary legislation being passed. The transition plan is intended to be a live document which will be updated to reflect any future changes.