Companies House Transition Plan for Economic Crime Act

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Published October 16th, 2024

Detected February 11th, 2026

Summary

Companies House has published an outline transition plan for the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The plan details the indicative timeline for commencing key provisions, with updates indicating potential postponements for certain measures to prioritize identity verification and stakeholder feedback.

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What changed

Companies House has released an outline transition plan detailing the indicative timeline for implementing key provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The document, first published on October 16, 2024, and last updated on January 19, 2026, outlines a phased approach to legislative changes. Notably, the Spring 2026 due date for presenter measures has been postponed to no earlier than November 2026 to prioritize identity verification for directors and PSCs and to address stakeholder feedback. Other updates include the confirmation of a March 18, 2025 launch date for the Companies House authorised agent registration service, following an earlier postponement.

Regulated entities, particularly those involved in corporate registration and compliance, should review this transition plan to understand the phased implementation of new requirements under the Act. While the plan provides an indicative timeline, the postponement of presenter measures highlights the need for ongoing monitoring of updates. Companies should prepare for the eventual implementation of identity verification for directors and PSCs, and the registration of authorised corporate service providers. Specific deadlines for these measures will be confirmed through future updates, and adherence to these upcoming requirements will be critical for compliance.

What to do next

Review the Companies House transition plan for the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.
Monitor future updates for confirmed implementation dates, particularly for identity verification and authorised agent registration.
Prepare internal processes for upcoming requirements related to director and PSC identity verification.

Source document (simplified)

Policy paper

Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: outline transition plan for Companies House

A transition plan outlining our indicative timeline for commencing the key provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (2023).

From: Companies House Published 16 October 2024 Last updated 19 January 2026
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Documents

Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: outline transition plan for Companies House

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Details

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill was introduced into Parliament on 22 September 2022 and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023.

Updates to this page

Published 16 October 2024 Last updated 19 January 2026 show all updates
1.
19 January 2026

The Spring 2026 due date for presenter measures will be postponed until no earlier than November 2026, to prioritise the completion of the identity verification transition period for directors and PSCs and to give us more time to address stakeholder feedback.
2.
5 August 2025

Summary of changes updated.
3.
12 March 2025

Overview – The new launch date for the service to register as a Companies House authorised agent has been confirmed as Tuesday 18 March 2025 after a short delay.
4.
24 February 2025

Summary of changes – The launch of the service to register as a Companies House authorised agent has been postponed. We’ll update this page when a new date is confirmed.
5.
21 January 2025

Added implementation dates for: suppression of home address where used as a registered office, service to register Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs), and allowing individuals to voluntarily verify their identity.
6.
16 October 2024

First published.