Tide ID and Verification Explained: What Documents Are Usually Needed and Why

Tide uses “supporting documents” as an umbrella term for evidence that verifies identity, address and (where relevant) the business.

Tide also treats supporting documents as relevant both at onboarding and during routine reviews, depending on what needs to be verified, as set out in How to provide your supporting documents.

A key implication is that a request for “supporting documents” is not necessarily “passport only”. It can be a targeted request designed to close a specific gap (for example, address evidence outside the accepted timeframe, or business evidence that does not match the declared activity).

Tide outlines the kinds of ID it can use (including passport and driving licence pathways) in What ID will I need to open a bank account with Tide?.

Edge cases usually come from document validity and capture quality: expired documents, older formats that do not scan reliably, or images with glare/blur/cropping. Tide’s troubleshooting summary is in I’m having trouble scanning my ID.

Address evidence adds an independent trail connecting a person to a location, typically using documents with issuance timeframes. Tide’s accepted types and timeframes are described in How to provide your supporting documents.

Where there are multiple relevant addresses (home address, trading address, registered office), address checks often become about ensuring the evidence aligns with the specific address being recorded for the individual, rather than proving the business location.

Tide notes that business proof can be harder to verify than ID or address and provides example evidence options in How to provide your supporting documents.

The complication is structural: businesses do not share a single universal evidence trail. A newly formed company can lack statements and invoices, while a sole trader can have activity evidence without formal corporate filings. Reviews often focus on whether the evidence coherently supports the declared activity.

Tide explains that supporting documents can be requested during routine reviews, not only at onboarding, as part of checking ongoing eligibility and safety controls.

In practice, repeat requests can also be triggered by changes (ownership/control updates, business model shifts, or observed activity changes) or by periodic refresh cycles.

Where that happens, the document request is often trying to re-establish that the recorded details still match reality, rather than re-running onboarding from scratch.

In passport-based identity checks, “scan the biometric chip” refers to reading the chip embedded in the passport. GOV.UK describes the passport flow (photo, chip scan, face scan) and common failure causes (for example, the phone not touching the document or a case interfering) in Using the GOV.UK ID Check app.

“NFC” is the phone capability that enables that short-range chip read. That is why the on-screen step often asks for the phone to be placed on the passport during the scan.

Companies House issues a personal code once identity is verified, and the code is used to link an individual to company roles such as director and PSC. GOV.UK summarises how personal codes work in Companies House personal codes for identity verification.

For PSCs, GOV.UK states there is a defined 14-day period in which the personal code must be provided, and the dates depend on circumstances. GOV.UK’s timing examples include:

• If someone is a PSC but not a director of the same company, the code must be provided within the first 14 days of the person’s birth month
• If someone became a PSC after 18 November 2025, the code can be provided when first added or within 14 days of being added (see When you need to verify your identity for Companies House).

The practical implication is that “verified” and “linked to the PSC role” can be two distinct steps. Even if identity verification is completed, the PSC role-linking step can be delayed if the personal code is not provided within the applicable window.

For directors, GOV.UK indicates the personal code is provided via the company’s next confirmation statement filing (for existing directors from 18 November 2025) or as part of appointment/incorporation filings (for new directors from 18 November 2025).

Companies House explains there are two routes to verify identity: directly via GOV.UK One Login or via an ACSP, in Making identity verification simple, secure and trusted.

Tide states that, in its company registration journey, it can verify identity as an ACSP and store the personal code in the Tide account, in File your confirmation statement.

Those Companies House steps are distinct from Tide’s business-account onboarding checks (identity, address and business evidence).

Where a business is being formed through Tide, these steps can feel adjacent in the overall setup journey, but they remain separate compliance outcomes: Companies House verification status and personal codes on one side, and provider onboarding decisions on the other.

Whether a product is a bank account or an e-money account is separate from verification. Verification is about identity and evidence quality; product status is about the regulatory model and how funds are held.

Verification does not create or remove deposit cover; any FSCS deposit cover depends on the underlying product and arrangements. For the product-model distinction, see Safeguarding vs deposit cover: EMI protections vs FSCS bank accounts, and for the “bank or e-money?” check approach (including FCA register checks), see App business accounts: bank or e-money? Check FCA register.

For the regulator’s own guidance on checking authorisation status, see How to check a firm or individual is authorised.

Even after onboarding, changes in ownership/control or perceived risk can trigger re-checks or requests for updated evidence under ongoing monitoring and periodic refresh practices. This can happen even where the original onboarding was completed successfully.

For Tide-specific control-change patterns (directors/PSCs) and how they can trigger re-verification requests, see Tide director and PSC checks: when ownership changes trigger re-verification.

Where Companies House identity verification is in play at the same time, the key is distinguishing “provider onboarding evidence” from “Companies House role-linking” so that the request being made is correctly identified.