How users can prove their identity

There are multiple ways we can check a user’s identity. Users need to both:

  • say who they are, for example by telling us their name, date of birth and recent address history
  • prove that they are that person, for example making sure they look like their picture on their photo ID, or answering some security questions

Evidence users can provide

The evidence a user can provide determines the route the user takes through GOV.UK One Login and how they prove their identity.

Users can currently prove their identity with GOV.UK One Login using their:

  • web browser and the GOV.UK ID Check app
  • web browser and at the Post Office
  • web browser to answer security questions

Using the GOV.UK ID Check app

Users can prove their identity using the GOV.UK ID Check app.

We’ll check that:

  • their ID documents are real
  • they’re a real person (also known as a ‘liveness’ check)
  • they’re the same person as in the document photos (also known as a ‘likeness’ check)

Users will need one of the following types of photo ID:

  • UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence
  • any passport with a biometric chip
  • UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
  • UK biometric residence card (BRC)
  • UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)

Users can use an expired BRP, BRC or FWP up to 18 months after its expiry date. 

Online and at a Post Office

Users will be asked to:

  • enter details from their photo ID on GOV.UK
  • go to a Post Office to have their photo ID scanned

Users will need one of the following types of photo ID:

  • UK passport
  • non-UK passport
  • UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence
  • European Union (EU) photocard driving licence
  • national identity photocard from an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

Answering security questions online

Users answer security questions online (also known as knowledge-based verification questions) about things like their mobile phone contract and bank account.

The questions asked are based on their credit record and are answers only they should know.

Users can use one of the following types of photo ID:

  • UK passport
  • UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence

Users without photo ID can instead use their UK bank account details and HMRC tax record to prove their identity.