How to Appoint a Director at Companies House (AP01)

Bringing a new director into your company is a common change — a co-founder joining the board, a family member taking on a formal role, an investor taking a seat. The Companies House side is short, but since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act reforms there's an important new step that has to happen before you can file: identity verification.

Step 1: Check the Person Can Be Appointed

Most adults can be a director, but there are a few bars. A person must be at least 16 years old, must not be an undischarged bankrupt acting without permission, and must not be subject to a disqualification order. The company must also have at least one director who is a natural person (an individual, not another company).

Check the company's articles too — some bespoke articles set conditions on appointment (shareholding requirements, board approval thresholds). Standard model-articles companies appoint directors by an ordinary decision of the existing directors or the members.

Step 2: Verify the Director's Identity (New — Required First)

This is the step that catches people out. Since 18 November 2025, identity verification is part of becoming a director. A new director must have their identity verified with Companies House — and you'll need their Companies House personal code confirming verification — before you can file the appointment.

Identity verification is done either directly through GOV.UK One Login or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider. It's a one-off process for the individual, not per-company, but it has to be complete before the AP01 will go through. Factor it into your timing — don't promise an appointment date that doesn't leave room for the director to verify.

If you're new to the verification regime generally, our Companies House identity verification guide walks through how it works and who it applies to.

Step 3: Make the Appointment Decision

The directors (or members, depending on your articles) formally appoint the new director. Record the decision — for a board appointment, that's a board resolution or minute noting who is appointed and from what date. See our board resolution template guide for the wording, and the board minutes template for recording the meeting.

Step 4: File the AP01 Within 14 Days

You notify Companies House of the appointment using form AP01 — Appointment of a director (the equivalent for a corporate director is AP02). There is no filing fee for AP01.

The deadline is firm: under section 167G of the Companies Act 2006, notice of a person becoming a director must reach the registrar within 14 days beginning with the day the person becomes a director, and the notice must specify the date of appointment.

A note on the law: the old section 167 was replaced by sections 167G–167L as part of the ECCTA reforms, with effect from 18 November 2025. (The 167A–167F block that some guidance cites was the SBEEA 2015 central-register regime, repealed on the same day.) The 14-day notification duty itself is unchanged — it's the section number and the surrounding identity-verification requirement that are new. If you're reading older guidance that cites "section 167," that's why.

File the AP01 online through Companies House WebFiling — you'll provide the director's details and confirm their verified-identity personal code.

Step 5: Update Your Internal Records

There is no register of directors to update: ECCTA 2023 s.51 abolished the company-kept register on 18 November 2025, and the directors' information is now held centrally by Companies House from your filings. You should still keep your own internal records straight — the appointment decision, the director's service address and residential address, and the date they joined. This keeps your governance trail complete alongside your register of members and PSC information.

A Quick Worked Example

A growing company appoints a new operations director:

1. The board confirms she's eligible — over 16, not disqualified, not an undischarged bankrupt.
2. She completes Companies House identity verification through GOV.UK One Login and gets her personal code.
3. The directors pass a board resolution appointing her with effect from 1 September.
4. The company files the AP01 online (no fee), with her verified personal code, well inside the 14-day window — by 14 September at the latest.
5. The internal records are updated to reflect the new director.

Common Mistakes

Filing before identity verification is complete. Since 18 November 2025 the AP01 won't go through without the director's verified personal code — and verification can take time.

Missing the 14-day window. The deadline runs from the date of appointment, not the date you get round to filing.

Citing the wrong section. The duty now lives in section 167G, not the old section 167 — older templates and articles may reference the superseded provision.

Appointing without checking the articles. Bespoke articles can impose appointment conditions that standard model articles don't.

How CompanyMinder Will Help

CompanyMinder is being built to guide an officer appointment from start to finish — checking eligibility, prompting the identity-verification step before you file, generating the board resolution, pre-populating the AP01, and counting down the 14-day deadline. The aim is to make sure the verification-first sequence is followed in the right order, so a filing isn't bounced for a missing personal code.

A Note on Scope

This is general guidance based on the published Companies Act 2006 (as amended by ECCTA) and current Companies House procedure. Director eligibility, disqualification, and complex appointment arrangements can need specific advice — verify your position with Companies House or a solicitor. It is not legal advice.

Sources

• Companies Act 2006, s.167G — Duty to notify registrar of change in directors
• Companies Act 2006, Part 10, Chapter 1 — Appointment and removal of directors
• GOV.UK — Appoint a director (AP01)
• GOV.UK — Company changes you must report