Appoint a director online at Companies House (AP01)

An individual does not have to live in the UK to be a director of a UK limited company. The company must still have its UK registered office, and the director must meet the eligibility and identity-verification requirements.

Give the director’s actual country of residence, home address and public service address. An overseas address does not remove the need for a Companies House personal code or permission to act. This request records an appointment already properly authorised by the company.

AP01 is the Companies House form for appointing an individual as a director of a limited company. Appointments are filed online. Companies House only asks for a paper form in two cases: when a company is being restored to the register, or for a UK Societas. Those cases are not covered by this service.

The company must tell Companies House within 14 days of a change to its directors. That includes a new appointment. The appointment date is the date the person actually became a director, not the date you file.

A new director cannot be added on the strength of a name and address alone. Companies House now needs the director's personal code, confirmation that they have verified their identity, and confirmation that they have agreed to act.

1. The new director verifies their identity with Companies House, either free through GOV.UK One Login or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, which may charge, and receives their 11 character personal code.
2. The person agrees to act as a director. The appointment filing includes a statement by the company that they have consented.
3. Collect their details: full name, any former names used for business, date of birth, nationality, country of residence, service address and home address.
4. File AP01 online with the company authentication code, the director's personal code and the date they became a director, within 14 days of that date.
5. Check the new director appears on the public register once Companies House has accepted the filing.

Every director must verify their identity with Companies House. For a new director, the personal code is given as part of the appointment filing, so they need to verify before you file the AP01.

A person can verify for free through GOV.UK One Login. Depending on their answers, they do this with an app, by answering security questions online, or by entering their photo ID details in One Login and then going to a participating Post Office. They can also use an Authorised Corporate Service Provider, who may charge. Once verified, they receive a Companies House personal code.

The personal code is 11 characters long. It belongs to the person, not the company. It is not the same as the company authentication code, which is the 6 character code sent to the registered office and used to file for the company. You will need both: the authentication code for the company and the personal code for the new director.

Use the director's name as it appears on the ID they verified with. If it differs, for example after a legal name change, tell us when you start so we can check it before anything is filed.

See also: Companies House identity verification guide

• The appointment date. It cannot be in the future.
• The director’s full forenames and complete surname separately, plus confirmation of any former names used for business in the last 20 years.
• Their full date of birth. Only the month and year appear on the public register; the day is kept private.
• Their nationality and the country or state where they usually live, using Companies House's accepted names.
• A service address. This is the public correspondence address and can be the company's registered office if the director agrees.
• Their usual home address. This is not normally shown on the public register. It cannot be a PO Box, DX or LP number.
• Their 11 character Companies House personal code, and confirmation that they have verified their identity.
• Confirmation that the person has agreed to act as a director of the company.
• The company authentication code, so the filing can be made for the company.

A director must be at least 16 years old. They must also be allowed to act, so a person who is disqualified, or an undischarged bankrupt without court permission, cannot be appointed. Check the company's articles of association too, as they may set out how directors are appointed.

AP01 is only for individuals. A company or other legal entity acting as a director uses a different form and has its own eligibility rules. A private limited company must always have at least one individual director.

See also: who can be a company director · what company directors must file

Find your company and enter the appointment date and the new director's details. We check them against the AP01 requirements and ask about anything missing or unclear, such as a name that differs from the one they verified with. You approve the filing before it is submitted.

The public register changes only when Companies House accepts the filing. Payment, or a submission receipt, does not on its own mean the appointment has been accepted. Keep a copy of the approved filing with the company's records.

Since 18 November 2025, companies no longer keep their own register of directors or register of directors' residential addresses. The Companies House register is the record, which is why the appointment filing needs to be right. Board minutes or a written resolution recording the appointment can still be kept with the company's papers.

• Filing before the new director has verified their identity and has a personal code.
• Mixing up the director's personal code with the company authentication code.
• Putting a home address in the service address box. Anything there appears on the public register.
• Leaving out former names used for business, such as a maiden name.
• Missing the 14 day window because the appointment was agreed weeks before anyone filed.
• Using AP01 for a change to an existing director. Changes to a current director's name, address, nationality or country of residence use CH01 instead.

If the person is already a director and only their details have changed, use our change director details service (CH01). If someone has stopped being a director, the end of the appointment is reported separately with TM01.

Being a director and being a person with significant control are separate roles. If the new director also owns or controls the company, the PSC notification and their PSC identity verification details are separate filings.