Overview
Legl offers Customer Due Diligence (CDD) tools that include identity verification checks designed to support regulatory compliance. While it remains your firm's responsibility to determine whether your processes meet the Companies House standard, this article explains how Legl's technology supports robust identity verification.
What Legl's CDD checks include
Included in the Standard CDD workflow:
Security features checked: Legl's Standard CDD checks evaluate security features of government-issued identity documents to help assess authenticity.
Biometric checks: Facial recognition and liveness tests compare the document photo to a selfie to confirm the individual's identity.
Database screening: The ID document is checked against databases (such as the database of lost or stolen documents) to flag potential fraud risks.
Identity validation: The report surfaces how many instances of the individual have been registered with the given name, address, and date of birth (for example, electoral roll, credit agencies, telephone database). For the full list, see Understanding identity validation data sources in CDD reports.
Identity fraud screening (DIATF-certified plans only): Five checks are run against the SIRA national fraud database, covering fraud markers, impersonation, deceased identity, identity document fraud, and synthetic identity.
For firms opting for Enhanced CDD, Legl's technology also:
Reads the chip using NFC chip reading capabilities for compatible biometric passports and performs cryptographic checks to validate the document's authenticity.
These features help support firms in verifying the identity of directors and other individuals in line with Companies House IDV standards.
Your firm's responsibilities
Legl's technology is designed to assist with the identity verification process for individuals and can be used for assurance levels 1, 2 and 3 outlined in the government guidance, but it does not replace your firm's risk based approach. As the ACSP, you remain responsible for ensuring that the IDV process you use meets the regulatory standards.
We strongly recommend that you review the full Companies House guidance and assess how your use of Legl fits within your firm's compliance framework for registering as an ACSP.
How Legl can help your firm meet the Companies House identity verification standard
Companies House step | How Legl supports this step |
Step 1: Ask for information about the person
Collect the necessary personal details, including:
| Legl collects personal details during the onboarding journey, including:
These are required fields and feed into identity verification and risk assessment workflows.
Note: Former names and address history are not requested by default. To collect these, use Legl's customisable form functionality to add the necessary fields. |
Step 2: Get evidence to verify the person's identity
Ask for a current, government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. | Legl prompts clients to upload a government-issued photo ID, typically a passport or driving licence, which meets the UK government's "strong evidence" requirement.
The uploaded ID is stored securely until deletion is requested by either your firm or the client.
If you conduct in-person CDD, you can upload a second document manually using Legl's additional document functionality. |
Step 3: Check the evidence is real
Confirm the ID is genuine and untampered. | Legl's automated document verification performs:
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Step 4: Check it is a real identity and it belongs to the person claiming it
Use facial recognition and liveness detection to confirm the ID belongs to a live person. | Legl:
Address history or name change exception handling: If a client is unable to confirm their address history or has changed their name, you should request additional supporting documentation.
You can configure Legl to automatically request proof of address as part of the verification process. |
Step 5: Keep records of the identity checks
Maintain a clear audit trail showing steps taken, evidence collected, and outcomes. | Legl automatically:
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Step 6: Decide if you can verify the person's identity
Assess whether the evidence meets the required medium confidence level. | Legl helps firms meet the "medium level of confidence" standard by combining:
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Useful links
If you have any questions about using Legl as part of your CDD process, please contact our Support team.