Retention period
Seven years from the date the identity verification is completed.
Buyer-intent answers
Companies House · ACSP · identity evidence
Companies House ACSP Records: Build a 7-Year Identity-Check Evidence File
A Companies House-backed operating checklist for authorised agents that need to retain identity-verification evidence, failed attempts and submission records for seven years.
Primary query: Companies House ACSP identity verification records keep 7 years · Updated 2026-09-07
Direct answer
What identity-verification records must a Companies House authorised agent keep for seven years?
An Authorised Corporate Service Provider must keep records of the evidence and information used to verify a person for Companies House for seven years from the date the identity verification is completed. Companies House says this includes copies of documents checked, evidence of the checks completed and records of failed verification attempts. When an ACSP tells Companies House it has verified someone, it must also retain the submitted verification details and be able to provide evidence if Companies House asks for it.
Practical sequence
What to do next
- 01
Create one evidence file per identity-verification case and record the completion date that starts the seven-year retention period.
- 02
Store copies of the identity documents or evidence used, the validation method, the checks performed and the result of each check.
- 03
Keep failed verification attempts as well as successful checks so the record reflects the full decision trail.
- 04
Save or print the details submitted through the Companies House verification service and link them to the same case record.
- 05
Set a retention-expiry date seven years after completion, with a review hold if a live enquiry, dispute or legal requirement means the record should not yet be destroyed.
- 06
Test retrieval periodically so the business can produce the requested evidence if Companies House asks for it.
Decision facts
Failed attempts
Companies House says records of failed verification attempts must also be kept.
Submission evidence
The verification service tells ACSPs to print or save a copy of the submitted details for their records.
Boundaries
- — The exact security, access-control and deletion process depends on the organisation’s wider legal, regulatory and data-protection obligations.
- — This is an operational evidence checklist, not legal advice and not a substitute for the current Companies House identity-verification standard.
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