Forum Topic

Proof of Identity

It seems the preferred options for banks and employers are a passport or driving licence. But if neither are options for the person concerned what else can be suggested please?

James Petri ● 2329d22 Comments

I eventually opened a savings account for my Mum on the basis of an expired senior citizen bus pass. She had not a single one of the items needed for ID.

Tessa Russell ● 2329d

We had this problem with my mother whose passport had expired in 2013 and we just could not find where she had squirrelled it away.They really must find others ways of identifying an elderly person and it must be accepted by all the authorities and the banks/building socs.

Elizabeth Ross ● 2329d

Besides passports or driving licences, Metro Bank accepts a valid firearms certificate or shotgun licence! Otherwise various HMRC or Benefits documents, as well as proof of address. You'd think a bus pass would do it. Check with bank in question? At least, for lack of documents, your old mum wasn't deported!

Peter Evans ● 2329d

My husband sorted it out.  I do, however, think the “Tell us once” when notifying of a death, is excellent and has worked well.

Elizabeth Ross ● 2329d

Utility bill, leter from any government department or, if all else fails, GPs will issue a 'known to me' letter for a modest fee.

N V Brooks ● 2329d

This is why we should have had identity cards when it was proposed.

Nicholas Beard ● 2329d

Thank you everybody. Replies have been helpful, funny and interesting in equal measure.

James Petri ● 2329d

I always show them a copy of my criminal record.

Roger Talbot ● 2329d

I am sure your library card would suffice Roger !

Steven Trembath ● 2329d

My library card was an accessory to my criminal record, as you already know Steve.

Roger Talbot ● 2329d

What "Granddad by Clive Dunn"  - now that was a criminal record!

N V Brooks ● 2329d

PE: "Metro Bank accepts a valid firearms certificate or shotgun licence!"Did anyone else have a vision of someone walking into Metro Bank and declaring: "I couldn't find the bloody certificate, so I've brought the shotgun with me instead..."?Which in turn reminds me of the time Father Ted stopped to give local looney Tom a lift. Tom had his shotgun with him, as usual.Along the way, Tom asked Ted to stop at the Post Office, to make a withdrawal. Tom goes in and there's an almighty bang, followed by Tom running out, arms bulging with banknotes."Did you just rob the Post Office?" asks a shocked Ted."No", replies Tom, "it's my own money - I just hate filling out the forms!"

Richard Cathcart ● 2329d

I can't find who it was, but someone once apparently said of Sir Keith Joseph:"He has a permanent look on his face of someone whose finger has just gone through the toilet paper..."Though for brevity and directness if nothing else, possibly my all time favourite was the concession speech by Dick Tuck, after his loss in the California State Senate Election of 1966:"The people have spoken - the bastards!"

Richard Cathcart ● 2329d

Doh! The previous post should have been in the "Insults" thread - insert your own about me in either.

Richard Cathcart ● 2329d

Proof of identity?  'Don't you know who I am?' usually works...

Brian Coyle ● 2329d

Arriving at Heathrow from a Swiss ski tripI realised that I had lost my passport during the journey home. (Nicked at Geneva Airport?).The UK Border Control chap asked me "How many old pennies in a pound"  240 I replied. He waved me in!

Jim Lawes ● 2329d

That made me laugh!

Andrew Jones ● 2328d

Laughs aside, it can be a complete nightmare to provide proof of your identity. It sounds easy until you try to do it, I found this out when my Mum sold her house due to ill health after a long spell in hospital. She really only had an expired bus pass as photo ID. She no longer had council tax & utility bills within the right timescale. It was arcane, she had lived a life without credit cards, loans or mortgages and have never been on any benefits. Some institutions simply couldn't understand that it was feasible to exist in that way and take her really small savings  as what they were money scrimped and saved and most definitely not a money laundering operation

Tessa Russell ● 2328d

Its a terrible state of affairs. Its certainly no laughing matter as you say. I was once in a building society and the man in front was drawing some money out. The lady asked him what he wanted the money for? He turned round and said hear that? I said yes tell her you are going to buy a luxury yatch. He said oh yes right. So he said I am going to buy a boat. The lady wrote that on the form (pre comp days). Then she said the society like to know why clients are withdrawing money you see. Anyway he took his money and smiled at me I said enjoy your yatch. He laughed. My point is its always the people who obeyed all the rules that suffer as you say.

Nicholas Beard ● 2328d

I was asked for a utility bill once and couldn’t  provide one as they were all in my husband’s  name.  It caused all sorts of problems.

Maggie Dodge ● 2328d

This can be a nightmare.  Nearly 100 FIL was registered blind and had no current driving licence, no firearms licence and only an expired passport. There were two columns of suitable options for ID and proof of address and we needed one from each.  They were uninterested and unable to accept anything else.Apptmts had to be made to visit and we had to always check to make sure that the person we were meeting would be there and that the meeting would be in a ground floor room.  He was on the electoral roll but had no other electronic records.Utility telephone and TV licence all paid by direct debit and so had no paper bills.  Pension was paid directly into the bank. He was billed for Council Tax but that is only any good when recently issued as we later found out.  We did discover later that paper utility bills can be issued if requested. It was like a military manoevre to get to apptmts anywhere.Getting photos was a major project too.  Our own were not acceptable so we had to go out.  We were advised by the bank to get a new passport for ID. This was at a time when there were major problems at the Passport Offices and I wondered how many extra passports were being requested just for ID and would never be used for travel. Getting photos was a major project too.  Our own were not acceptable so we had to go out.  Then with Insurance companies we found that they all wanted something different and had different ideas of who was acceptable as counter signatories.

Philippa Bond ● 2327d

until it gets impossibly hard to get around.  It can get more difficult to get all the ID together and is even harder if you have other challenges.  You may not be driving yourself but it will make it easier for someone else to drive you to places.

Philippa Bond ● 2327d