Verifying your identity for Companies House at the Post Office

Short answer: the Post Office route lets you verify in person rather than through a phone app. It is available only if you live in the UK, and it is not a walk-in service — you start online, enter your photo ID details first, and then attend in person.

It exists for people who can't or won't complete the app-based check. If that's you, it is a genuinely good option.

How the route works

The order surprises people. You do not simply turn up with a passport.

1. Start online. GOV.UK is specific that "you'll need to enter your photo ID details in this service first." The Post Office visit completes a process you have already begun, it does not replace it.
2. Attend in person with the document whose details you entered.
3. The check is carried out and the result passed to Companies House.
4. You receive your personal code — the same 11-character code every other route produces.

Because you begin online, have your document in front of you when you start, and enter the details exactly as they appear on it.

Who can use it

You must live in the UK. That is the hard limit. GOV.UK lists the Post Office route, like the bank and building society check, under the options available "if you live in the UK."

If you live abroad, this route is closed to you regardless of your nationality or where your company is registered — see the alternatives below.

What to bring

The photo identity document whose details you entered online. In practice that is usually a passport or a photocard driving licence.

Take the physical document, not a photocopy or a photo on your phone. If your name has changed since the document was issued, take the certificate that bridges the two — a marriage certificate, for instance.

Check availability at your chosen branch before travelling. Not every Post Office offers every in-branch service, and it is a wasted trip to find out on arrival.

If you can't use the Post Office

You live outside the UK. Try GOV.UK One Login first. It accepts a biometric passport from any country and works from anywhere — the common claim that overseas directors have no free route is simply wrong. If that fails, an authorised agent can carry out the check remotely.

You live in the UK but can't do the app. You have three other options: the Post Office route described here, the bank or building society check (which needs a UK account, your National Insurance number, and answering security questions), or an authorised agent.

Your documents don't fit any of it. An agent using the person-based route can accept a wider combination — for example a photocard driving licence plus a recent bank statement or council tax bill.

Post Office or app: which is better?

Neither produces a "better" verification. Companies House issues the same personal code either way, and the register does not record which route you used.

The app is faster and can be done at 11pm on your sofa. The Post Office suits people who would rather hand a document to a human being, or whose phone won't cooperate with the chip read.

If the app has already failed for you once, don't keep retrying it in the hope of a different result — switch route.

Quick answers

Can I just walk in? No. Start online first and enter your photo ID details, then attend.

Is it free? The verification requirement itself carries no Companies House charge. Check current terms on GOV.UK before you go, as service arrangements can change.

Can someone else go for me? No. Verification is personal — the whole point is matching you to your document.

I live abroad but I'm a British citizen. Can I use it? The route is defined by where you live, not your nationality. Use One Login with your passport instead.