What we need from you

This page is safe to send to a client. It carries no authentication codes, no Gateway identifiers and no other client's details. It is the only page in this folder that may leave the practice — every other page here is internal. Print it to PDF, or copy the email below.

Why we have to ask

Every UK company must have at least one director, and by law we have to know who that person is before we act for them. Two separate rules apply: anti-money-laundering checks, which every firm doing this work must carry out, and Companies House identity verification, which became compulsory for directors during 2026. Neither is optional and neither is us being difficult — a company cannot be filed for without them.

Sending everything in one go is what makes this quick. Sent piecemeal, it usually takes weeks; sent complete, it is normally same-day.

The checklist

What we will never ask you for

If anyone asks you for any of the following while claiming to be us, stop and phone us on a number you already have.

How to send it

Photograph documents flat and in colour

All four corners visible, no glare, nothing cropped. A photo of a screen is usually rejected. Black-and-white scans are not accepted for photo identity.

Send everything in one message

One email or one message with every item attached. Partial sends are the single biggest cause of delay.

Tell us how you would prefer to send it

Email is fine. If you would rather not send identity documents over WhatsApp, say so and we will send you a secure upload link instead.

Keep your own copies

Particularly your Companies House personal code. It belongs to you, not to the company, and you will need it again for any future company.

What happens next

We check everything is present and readable, normally the same working day.
If something is missing or unclear we tell you exactly what, once — not in a series of separate emails.
We confirm in writing what we hold and what we are doing with it.
Where a filing is needed at Companies House or HMRC, you approve it in writing before we submit. Nothing is filed in your name without your say-so.
You get confirmation and a copy of anything filed, for your own records.

Your data

Your documents are held securely and used only for the identity checks and filings described here. They are not shared with anyone else without your written approval, and they are never uploaded to third-party services. You can ask us at any time what we hold about you, ask for it back, or ask us to delete it — and we will confirm in writing when we have.

The email to send

Subject: What we need from you to get started — [Company name]

Hello [name],

Thanks for your time today. So we can get moving, here is everything we need from you in one list. If you can send it all in a single reply it is usually same-day; sent in pieces it tends to drag on for weeks, which helps nobody.

Identity
• Passport photo page, or both sides of a full UK driving licence — colour, in date, all corners visible
• Proof of address dated within the last 3 months — bank statement, utility bill or council tax
• If you are not a British or Irish citizen: a right-to-work share code from gov.uk, or your BRP or eVisa

Your details
• Full legal name exactly as on your ID, date of birth, National Insurance number
• Home address with postcode, and how long you have lived there
• Nationality and occupation

Companies House
• Every UK director now has to verify their identity personally at identity.company-information.service.gov.uk
• You will be given a personal code that looks like XXX-XXXX-2223 — please send it over and keep your own copy. It belongs to you rather than the company and follows you to any future company.

About the business
• Which company you are buying, or what trade you want it for
• What the business will actually do — we need this for the SIC code and for banking
• Your expected turnover in the first 12 months, and whether you want VAT registration from the start

We will never ask you for a bank card number, a PIN, or any password — including your Government Gateway password. If anyone asks you for those claiming to be us, please stop and call me directly.

If you would rather not send identity documents by email or WhatsApp, tell me and I will send you a secure upload link instead.

Any questions, just reply or call me.

Best regards,
[your name]
Supreme Advisory

Internal notes — remove before sending

Confirm the mailbox belongs to this client before you send. Nine clients share a mailbox with another client and twenty-one mailboxes are unusable. Sending one client's request to another client's inbox is a data breach, not a typo.
Never attach another client's documents as an example of what is wanted. Describe it instead.
Log what arrives the same day into the client's own ID & KYC subfolder — never loose in the client root and never on the Desktop.
Record a personal code against the PERSON, not the company. A person has exactly one and it follows them between companies. Filing it under a company is how we ended up with one person's code sitting on four other people's records.
Check before you chase. If a code looks like a duplicate, check whether it belongs to somebody else in the estate before contacting the client — that has already been the answer twice.
Never normalise a security answer. Mother's maiden name and town answers are per-account. One director legitimately has three different ones across three companies. Normalising them locks us out.
Chase weekly for three weeks, then escalate. Do not let a client sit unchased — that is exactly how four people ended up in the nominee store with their passports on file and nothing delivered.