# Director identification

**URL:** <http://forum.companieshouse.gov.uk/t/director-identification/1198>\
**Category:** API Question\
**Created:** [June 16, 2017, 8:38am UTC](http://forum.companieshouse.gov.uk/t/director-identification/1198 "2017-06-16T08:38:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 5

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**Author:** ![voracityemail](http://forum.companieshouse.gov.uk/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/b77776/32.png) [@voracityemail](http://forum.companieshouse.gov.uk/u/voracityemail)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](http://forum.companieshouse.gov.uk/t/director-identification/1198/5 "2017-06-19T18:20:11Z")

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As @ash says (multiple John Smiths) plus your particular John Smith might be represented by more than one ID. I think there may be different IDs for different combinations of name / age / address.

Examples (BTW I don’t have **proof** that any of the following are identical but I’m pretty sure! You be the judge):

Lance AIKMAN GREEN  
[https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/p7q8j67Tb279vRIqO3sXgdo6K3U/appointments](https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/p7q8j67Tb279vRIqO3sXgdo6K3U/appointments)  
Lance AIKMAN GREEN  
[https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/RP0vk9IdLogXNHUkhPxqZaLJZ7E/appointments](https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/RP0vk9IdLogXNHUkhPxqZaLJZ7E/appointments)  
(These two have the same name, age and address but the addresses differ by a comma).

Dominic Joseph Andrew CHAPPELL Born November 1966. There are several different IDs, and possibly one under Dominic CHAPPELL Born November 1966. Try searching [Dominic CHAPPELL](https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/search?q=dominic+CHAPPELL)).

The scope / consistency of officer IDs seems to be a serially unanswered question.  
An example with useful analysis:  
[http://forum.aws.chdev.org/t/how-is-officer-id-scoped/935](http://forum.aws.chdev.org/t/how-is-officer-id-scoped/935)

[http://forum.aws.chdev.org/t/finding-related-directorships-same-human-being-but-different-officer-id/822](http://forum.aws.chdev.org/t/finding-related-directorships-same-human-being-but-different-officer-id/822)

It’s the same but more so with PSC IDs (if you’re interested in those) - they don’t seem to be transferrable anywhere:  
[http://forum.aws.chdev.org/t/using-psc-id-in-api/648](http://forum.aws.chdev.org/t/using-psc-id-in-api/648)

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