Who Is Allowed to File for Your UK Company? Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs), Explained for Non-Residents

If you run a UK limited company from abroad, you have probably relied on an agent — a formation company, an accountant, or a solicitor — to file documents with Companies House for you. Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), the rules about who is allowed to do that are changing. The new gatekeeper is something called an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, or ACSP. Here is what it is, why it matters for non-resident founders, and what you should check before the next big deadline.

What an ACSP Actually Is

An ACSP — also called a Companies House "authorised agent" — is a business or sole trader that has registered with Companies House to file information or verify identities on behalf of clients. According to Companies House, the role exists to help it know "who's filing information on the public register."

Crucially, you cannot simply declare yourself an ACSP. To register, the agent must be supervised by a UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervisory body. There are 25 such bodies in the UK. Companies House is explicit: if an individual or firm is not supervised in the UK, or supplies incorrect membership details, the ACSP application will be rejected.

Typical ACSPs are company formation agents, accountants, solicitors, and chartered secretaries — exactly the kind of professionals most non-resident founders already use.

Why This Matters If You Live Outside the UK

For an overseas founder, this rule has a practical consequence: you almost certainly cannot be your own ACSP. AML supervision is a UK regime, so unless you are a UK-supervised professional, you will rely on an agent who is. That makes the choice of agent more important than ever.

There are two parts to the change worth keeping in mind.

First, identity verification. Under ECCTA, directors and people with significant control (PSCs) must verify their identity with Companies House. You can do this directly through GOV.UK One Login, or you can have an ACSP verify it for you. Since 8 April 2025, registered ACSPs have been able to tell Companies House they have verified a client's identity. If you verify through an agent rather than yourself, that agent must be a registered ACSP.

Second, filing. From no earlier than November 2026, any agent that files with Companies House on behalf of clients will need to be a registered ACSP to do so. This requirement was originally planned for spring 2026 but was postponed, to give priority to the identity-verification transition for directors and PSCs. In other words, the agent who submits your confirmation statement or your accounts will soon need to be on the official register.

What an ACSP Has to Do — and What Happens If It Slips

Becoming an ACSP is not a one-time box-tick. Companies House places ongoing legal duties on authorised agents, including:

• staying registered with at least one AML supervisory body at all times
• telling Companies House about any change to its details within 14 days
• providing further information about its filings or identity checks if asked
• keeping records of any identity checks for 7 years

If an agent fails to meet these duties, it is committing an offence, and the sole trader or the company directors behind it could face a fine or criminal prosecution. Companies House can also suspend or cease the agent's authorised status. That is the part founders should care about: if your agent is suspended, people whose identity that agent verified may have to verify again, and the agent will not be able to file for you until the issue is resolved.

How Registration Works: the £55 Fee, the Account, and the Unique Number

For professionals who do want to register, the process is straightforward. A person in a senior role — a director, or the individual themselves if a sole trader — applies, completes their own identity verification, and provides information about the business. There is a one-off £55 registration fee.

Once approved, the agent receives a digital Companies House account and a unique identity number. The account owner can then add colleagues as users with different permission levels — and, importantly, those added users do not each need to verify their identity separately.

What Non-Resident Founders Should Do Now

There is no need to panic, but a few checks are worth making. Ask your formation agent or accountant a simple question: are you a registered Companies House ACSP, or are you on track to be one before the November 2026 filing requirement begins? Companies House publishes a public list of registered ACSPs, so the claim is verifiable.

If you are verifying your own identity, decide which route suits you: GOV.UK One Login directly, or through a trusted ACSP. And whichever route you choose, keep your own copies of any confirmation and of your Companies House personal code, so that a change of agent never leaves you locked out of your own company filings.

The underlying point of ECCTA is transparency: Companies House wants to know exactly who is acting on a company's behalf. For honest founders, the ACSP system is mostly a reason to make sure the people filing on your behalf are properly registered and supervised — long before a deadline forces the issue.

Have Questions About Your Own Situation?

Every company's setup is a little different, and the right approach depends on your agent, your role, and your filing deadlines. If you would like to talk it through with the MP Partner experts team — no pressure, no hard sell, just clear answers — we are happy to help.

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