UBO Data for the UK: PSC Register and ECCTA Compliance

The UK has one of the more established public beneficial ownership frameworks globally, built around the Persons with Significant Control (PSC) register. But the rules around it are changing. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) is reshaping how Companies House verifies who's actually behind a UK company, and compliance teams relying on UK ownership data need to understand what's shifting.

What the PSC Register Covers

UK companies have been required to identify and file information on their Persons with Significant Control since 2016. A PSC is generally someone who holds more than 25 percent of shares or voting rights, has the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or otherwise exercises significant influence or control over the company.

The PSC register is public, which has made UK ownership data comparatively more accessible than in jurisdictions with closed beneficial ownership registers.

What's Changing Under ECCTA

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 gives Companies House new powers to verify — rather than simply record — the identities behind UK companies, and reforms are being phased in over an extended transition period.

Identity verification requirements began in autumn 2025. New incorporations now require directors and PSCs to verify their identity at the point of incorporation, using a process that matches a photo of the individual's face against their identity document through electronic likeness-matching technology.

Existing companies have a 12-month transition window to bring their directors' and PSCs' identity verification up to date, tied to the company's confirmation statement date. A PSC who is also a director generally has a 14-day verification window starting the day after the confirmation statement date; a PSC who isn't a director must complete verification within the first 14 days of their birth month.

A company cannot file its confirmation statement without verified identities for its directors and PSCs, which puts the company at risk of falling out of compliance with Companies House requirements.

This shift moves the UK from a largely self-reported disclosure model toward one with an identity-verification layer behind it — raising the reliability bar for UK ownership data, but also adding complexity for compliance teams tracking which entities have completed verification and which haven't.

What This Means for UBO Data Users

The PSC register's public status makes baseline UK ownership data more accessible than in many jurisdictions, but resolving full ownership chains — especially where a PSC is itself a corporate entity rather than an individual — still requires the same registry-first, multi-layer resolution used elsewhere.

As ECCTA identity verification rolls out, whether a UK entity's directors and PSCs have completed verification becomes a meaningful signal for risk assessment, separate from the ownership percentages themselves.

Because verification is being phased in against each company's confirmation statement date, UK ownership data used for compliance purposes should reflect current filing and verification status, not a static snapshot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a PSC under UK law?

A Person with Significant Control generally holds more than 25 percent of a company's shares or voting rights, can appoint or remove a majority of directors, or otherwise exercises significant influence or control.

Is the UK PSC register public?

Yes, the PSC register is publicly accessible through Companies House, which distinguishes it from jurisdictions with closed or restricted beneficial ownership registers.

When did ECCTA identity verification requirements take effect?

Identity verification for directors and PSCs began in autumn 2025 for new incorporations, with existing companies transitioning over a 12-month period tied to their confirmation statement date.

Does UK PSC data alone satisfy full UBO resolution requirements?

Not always. Where a PSC is a corporate entity rather than an individual, further resolution is needed to identify the natural persons who ultimately control that corporate PSC.

UBO Data from Techsalerator

Techsalerator provides licensed, continuously monitored UBO data for UK entities as part of its coverage across 195 countries, resolving full ownership chains for KYC, AML, and due-diligence teams.

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