UK Company Formation Without a Passport: ID Card Registration via ACSP Explained (2026)

"Can I open a UK company without a passport?" — until recently, most formation agents would simply say no. In 2026, the honest answer is: yes, in many cases you can — if you use the right verification route.

This changed because of the biggest reform Companies House has seen in decades. Since 18 November 2025, every new director and person with significant control (PSC) of a UK company must complete mandatory identity verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA). Existing directors have a transition period running until November 2026.

That sounds like more bureaucracy — and it is. But hidden inside this reform is an opportunity for people without a passport: the rules created two separate verification routes, and one of them accepts far more identity documents than the other.

The Two Verification Routes (and Why They're Not Equal)

Route 1: GOV.UK One Login (self-service)

This is the free, do-it-yourself route. You verify directly with Companies House using the GOV.UK ID Check system. The catch: the list of accepted photo ID is short and heavily UK-oriented — a biometric passport, a UK photocard driving licence, a UK biometric residence permit, and a handful of similar documents.

If you're a non-resident without a biometric passport, this route is effectively closed to you. Even non-residents with passports frequently hit problems: photo quality rejections, address mismatches, and facial-recognition failures on the automated app are common complaints.

Route 2: ACSP Verification (the door most people don't know exists)

An Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) — also called a Companies House authorised agent — is a professional firm registered with Companies House and supervised under UK anti-money laundering regulations. ACSPs are legally authorised to verify your identity on Companies House's behalf, following the official identity verification standard.

Here's the part that matters: the ACSP route accepts a broader range of identity documents than the self-service route. Under the Companies House verification standard, an ACSP can accept:

• Biometric or machine-readable passports (any country)
• Photocard driving licences
• Identity cards with biometric information from the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• Other photographic ID documents listed on PRADO — the EU's official register of authentic identity documents, which includes national identity cards from countries around the world

That last category is the key. Modern biometric national ID cards — including, for example, the new-generation Turkish chip ID card — appear on PRADO. This means an ACSP can use them as valid identity evidence where the DIY route would reject you at the first screen.

What the ACSP Verification Actually Looks Like

If you register your company through an ACSP-verified process, here's what to expect:

1. Document submission — you provide your national ID card (and, since non-UK residents must supply at least one government-issued document, your ID card typically anchors the file; a second supporting document such as a bank statement or utility bill may be requested).
2. Identity checks — the ACSP validates your document either with identity document validation technology (which reads the chip's cryptographic features) or through a trained manual review, plus a likeness check to confirm the document belongs to you. This is done remotely — no embassy, no notary, no travel.
3. Verification filed with Companies House — the ACSP submits a verification statement on your behalf.
4. You receive your Companies House personal code — a unique identifier that connects all your company roles. You verify once; the same code covers every current and future directorship.
5. Your company is incorporated — with the new £100 Companies House fee (doubled from £50 in February 2026) included in any honest package price.

The ACSP is legally required to keep verification records for seven years and can lose its authorised status for doing sloppy checks — which is exactly why this route is trusted: a regulated professional is putting their licence behind your verification.

Important: What an ID Card Can and Can't Do

Let's be precise, because overselling this helps nobody:

✅ What it can do: get you through Companies House identity verification and company incorporation via an ACSP, without a passport.

⚠️ What to check case by case: banks and payment platforms (Wise, Stripe, PayPal, Amazon) run their own KYC checks with their own document policies. Many accept national ID cards from supported countries; some prefer passports for certain checks. This is exactly why the order of operations — and having someone experienced on a live call with you during each application — matters so much. (We cover the platform-by-platform reality in our guides on Stripe and Wise verification for non-residents.)

❌ What it can't do: an expired, damaged, or old-format non-biometric ID card won't pass. The document must be current and machine-readable/chip-enabled.

The practical rule: confirm your specific ID card is eligible before you pay anyone. A serious agent will check your document type for free before you order — get in touch and we'll check yours.

Why Most Formation Agents Don't Offer This

Fair question. Three reasons:

1. They aren't ACSP-registered. Registration requires UK AML supervision, a formal application, and ongoing compliance duties — many volume-focused agents haven't done it, or route everything through the passport-only self-service flow.
2. Manual document checks are work. Validating a PRADO-listed ID card properly takes trained review. Cheap formation is a volume business; anything manual breaks the model.
3. The rules are new. Mandatory verification only began in November 2025. Much of the industry is still catching up — and from late 2026, agents will need ACSP registration just to file on clients' behalf at all, which will thin the field further.

The result: "no passport, no company" is still the default answer across the industry — even though the regulations say otherwise.

Cost: What Should ID Card Registration Cost in 2026?

Expect ID-card-based formation to cost more than standard passport-based formation. That's not a markup for the sake of it — the ACSP route involves regulated verification work, document validation, record-keeping obligations, and real professional liability. As a reference point, even Companies House charges ACSPs £63 just to register as verification agents, before any actual verification work begins.

Anything suspiciously cheap should make you ask who exactly is doing the regulated verification — and what happens if it's rejected.

And remember the ongoing side: whatever route you use, plan around £300–£400 per year for keeping the company compliant (address renewals + the confirmation statement, whose Companies House fee rose to £50 in February 2026). Full cost breakdown in our [complete non-resident formation guide].

Frequently Asked Questions

Is registering with an ID card legal? Yes — it's an explicit part of the Companies House identity verification standard. ACSPs may accept PRADO-listed photographic identity documents as evidence. The route is regulated, not a loophole.

Which countries' ID cards work? Biometric ID cards from the EU/EEA are named directly in the standard, and other countries' national ID cards can qualify via the PRADO list — including modern chip ID cards such as Turkey's. Eligibility is document-specific, so have your exact card checked before ordering.

Will I get the same company as passport applicants? Identical. Same Ltd, same certificate, same rights. The only difference is which document verified your identity.

Can I open Wise/Stripe with only an ID card afterwards? Often yes, but each platform runs its own checks. This is where live, guided account-opening support earns its keep — applications fail on small inconsistencies, not big ones.

How long does it take? ACSP verification is typically completed within a day; incorporation usually follows within 24–48 hours.

What if my ID card is rejected? A proper agent checks eligibility before charging you. Send us a message with your document type and country — we'll confirm whether the ACSP route works for you before you spend anything.

The Bottom Line

Since November 2025, identity verification is mandatory for everyone — but the ACSP route quietly made UK company ownership accessible to people the old system locked out. If a passport is the only thing standing between you and your UK company, it doesn't have to be anymore.

ID card registration through an ACSP is possible in principle — contact us to discuss your options.