Best ACSP for Identity Verification UK (2026)

The best ACSP for Companies House identity verification is the one that accepts your documents first time at a price you are happy with. Every Authorised Corporate Service Provider ends with the same result: Companies House emails you an 11-character personal code. What differs is the price (from about £20 to £150 per person in Google on 29 October 2026), whether overseas or non-chip passports cost more, how fast it is, and whether a person looks at your application before it goes to Companies House. This guide shows which kind of provider fits which situation.

Best ACSP by Situation

Your situation	What to look for
UK passport or driving licence, no deadline	A low-cost digital service is usually enough. Or try GOV.UK One Login first: it is free, and a failed attempt does not stop you using an ACSP later.
Passport from outside the UK	A provider that charges the same for overseas documents. Some charge two or three times their headline price for non-UK documents.
Passport without a chip, or the app will not read it	An ACSP that checks documents manually. The GOV.UK app needs a readable chip.
Name differs between documents	A person reviewing your application before submission. Maiden names, transliterated names and missing middle names are the most common reason for a rejection. See name mismatch.
Confirmation statement due in the next few days	A guaranteed 1-business-day option and someone you can contact if a document needs replacing.
Already failed on GOV.UK One Login	Human review and free resubmission. See verification failed.
Many directors across a group or fund	Volume pricing, video or in-person options, and one point of contact.
Accountant or solicitor verifying clients	Register as an ACSP yourself, or refer clients to a provider. See ACSP registration alternative.

ACSP Providers Compared (2026)

These are the providers Google showed first for “best ACSP” on 29 October 2026, with the prices shown in their listings, adverts or Google’s AI summary. We have not checked them on each provider’s own site, and some listings disagreed with each other, so confirm the price before you pay. A longer price list of 15 providers is in how much ACSPs charge.

Provider	Price shown	Suits	Notes from the listing
121 Accounting	£24.99 standard (3–7 working days); £49.99 express (1–2 working days); £74.99 for non-UK documents	UK documents, no rush	Overseas documents are priced separately
Icon Offices	£24.99 per person in its advert; £49.99 including VAT in a Google summary	Low price, also sells virtual offices	Advert says no biometric passport is needed. Check which price applies before paying
Verify My Client	From £75 per director	Doing it yourself online in minutes	Says it is an ACSP itself and that the online check takes about 3 minutes
Law Debenture	From £150 per verification	Groups and funds wanting video or in-person checks	Digital, video-call and in-person options; says it covers 120+ jurisdictions
CorpAssist (not an ACSP itself)	£35.99 Standard (2–3 business days); £59.99 Fast Track (1 business day)	Overseas passports, passports without a chip, name differences, deadlines	A person checks every application before it is submitted through our Companies House-registered ACSP partner. Same price for passports from 190+ countries; free resubmission.

CorpAssist is not the cheapest name on this list. For a UK passport and no deadline, a £20–£25 service or the free GOV.UK route can be the better value. The difference shows up when something is unusual: a non-UK document that another provider prices at £74.99, a rejected application that has to start again, or a filing date next week.

How to Judge an ACSP in Five Minutes

Check it is on the GOV.UK ACSP list, or that it names the fact it works through a registered ACSP partner. Avoid anyone who will not tell you.
Find the real price for your documents. Look for surcharges for overseas, non-biometric or translated documents, VAT, and faster processing.
Ask who reviews your application. Fully automated checks are fast when everything matches and slow when anything does not.
Check what happens if it fails. Free resubmission, a refund, or nothing at all.
Check the turnaround in business days, and whether the fast option is a promise or a target.

The full checklist with eight points is in how to choose an ACSP. If a provider asks you for payment in an unusual way or contacts you first, read Companies House verification scams.

ACSP or GOV.UK One Login?

You do not have to use an ACSP. GOV.UK One Login is free and works well for many people with a biometric passport or UK photo driving licence and a phone that can read the chip. UK residents can also finish at a Post Office. It is harder for people who live abroad, hold a passport without a chip, or have no UK credit history. The two routes are compared in detail in ACSP vs GOV.UK One Login.

When CorpAssist Is the Right Choice

CorpAssist is built for the cases where the cheapest route tends to go wrong:

A person checks your documents, names and three-year address history before anything is submitted
Passports from 190+ countries at the same price, including passports without a chip
Free resubmission if a document needs replacing, and we contact you rather than sending an automatic rejection
Standard £35.99 in 2–3 business days, or Fast Track £59.99 in 1 business day
Submitted through our Companies House-registered ACSP partner; Companies House emails your personal code
Full refund if an issue on our side or at Companies House stops your verification

Start verification — £35.99 See How It Works

or Fast Track £59.99, 1 business day

Frequently Asked Questions

Which ACSP is best for Companies House identity verification?

There is no single best ACSP: they all give you the same 11-character personal code. Pick by your situation. For straightforward UK documents and no deadline, a low-cost digital service is enough. For a passport from outside the UK, a passport without a chip, a name that differs between documents or a deadline in the next few days, pick a provider that has a person check your application first and does not charge more for overseas documents.

Can an ACSP verify someone’s identity?

Yes. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider is a business registered with Companies House and supervised for anti-money laundering. It checks your identity documents and tells Companies House that you are verified. Companies House then emails you your personal code. It is the alternative to verifying yourself through GOV.UK One Login.

How do I check that an ACSP is genuine?

Look the business up on the List of Authorised Corporate Service Providers on GOV.UK. If a provider says it works through an ACSP partner rather than being one, it should say so plainly. Be careful with sellers on freelance marketplaces who describe themselves as “certified ACSP providers”: Companies House does not certify individuals, and you would be sending your passport to someone you cannot check.

Does the Post Office do identity verification for Companies House?

Only as part of GOV.UK One Login, and only in the UK. You start online, then take your photo ID to a Post Office that offers the service. It is not an ACSP service, and it does not help if you live outside the UK.

How can I verify my identity for Companies House?

Either verify yourself online with GOV.UK One Login, which is free, or use an ACSP, which charges a fee. GOV.UK One Login works best with a biometric passport or UK photo driving licence and a phone that can read the chip. An ACSP checks your documents for you and accepts documents the app cannot read.

Do I have to use an ACSP?

No. Using an ACSP is optional. Many people verify through GOV.UK One Login. People use an ACSP when the app does not accept their documents, when they have already failed, when they live outside the UK, or when they want someone to check everything before it is submitted.

Is CorpAssist an ACSP?

No. CorpAssist checks your application and submits it through our Companies House-registered ACSP partner. You receive the same personal code from Companies House as you would from any other route.

Competitor prices as shown in Google on 29 October 2026; check each provider’s site for current prices. CorpAssist is an independent commercial service. It is not an ACSP itself, and it is not Companies House or GOV.UK.