GovWire

Guidance: How to prove and verify someone's identity

Government Digital Service

January 15
10:12 2024

Details

This guidance will help you decide how to check someones identity. Some existing identity checking services already follow this guidance.

This guidance was written by Government Digital Service (GDS) with help from organisations across the public and private sectors. Key contributors include:

  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
  • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
  • Home Office
  • Ministry of Defence (MoD)
  • National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
  • Barclays
  • Digidentity
  • Experian
  • IDEMIA
  • Post Office

This guidance aligns with these international standards and regulations:

This guidance does not explain the practical ways you can check someones identity. Youll need to decide what tools or processes you want to use based on whats appropriate for your service. For example, you might decide to accept a passport as evidence of someones identity if you know:

  • the users of your service are likely to have a passport
  • staff in your organisation have equipment they need to check the document effectively
Published 6 January 2014
Last updated 15 January 2024 +show all updates
  1. Added a new section on: Why y

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