Identity Verification UK: How to Prove Who You Are, and How Firms Check

Updated October 2026

Identity verification UK, in short: it means proving you are who you say you are. In most cases, you scan your photo ID with your smartphone and the app matches it to a scan of your face. For government services, you do this through GOV.UK One Login. When a business needs to check your identity, it will usually use a certified provider.

GOV.UK accepts any of the following:

• a UK passport
• a UK photocard driving licence
• a non-UK passport with a biometric chip
• a UK biometric residence permit (BRP), biometric residence card (BRC) or Frontier Worker permit (FWP)

The process takes three steps:

1. Have your photo ID to hand.
2. Open the app the service points you to.
3. Scan your ID, then your face.

This guide starts with the GOV.UK routes, then explains how property firms such as conveyancers, estate agents and landlords check their clients, and where Veyco fits in.

Contents

• Which ID you can use, and what you need before you start
• Online identity verification UK: the GOV.UK steps
• If you can't use the app: other ways to prove your identity
• Why a check fails and how to fix it
• What identity verification online actually checks
• Confidence levels and the UK rules behind them
• How property firms verify client identity in the UK
• Free or paid: which identity check do you need?
• Identity verification UK: common questions

Which ID you can use, and what you need before you start

Most failed checks come down to using the wrong document or the wrong phone, so it is worth running through this list first.

Accepted photo ID. Under GOV.UK's guidance on the ID Check app, you can use:

• a UK photocard driving licence
• a UK passport
• a non-UK passport with a biometric chip
• a UK BRP
• a UK BRC
• a UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)

A biometric chip is the small chip inside a modern passport or permit that stores your photo and personal details.

Expiry rules. GOV.UK says:

• you can use a DVLA driving licence that expired in the last 90 days
• you can use a BRP, BRC or FWP that expired in the last 24 months
• you cannot use an expired passport

Phone. GOV.UK says you need an iPhone 8 or newer running iOS 16.7 or higher, or an Android phone running Android 10 or higher.

Practical needs.

• A well-lit room and a plain background behind you.
• Your ID taken out of any wallet or cover.
• A few uninterrupted minutes, as some steps time out.

Online identity verification UK: the GOV.UK steps

Online identity verification in the UK follows the same basic flow for most government services:

1. Start from the service that asked you. This could be Companies House, HMRC or another GOV.UK service. Sign in to your GOV.UK One Login, or create one if you don't have one yet.
2. Download the app it points you to. Use the link the service gives you.
3. Choose your ID type. The GOV.UK ID Check listing on Google Play explains that for a passport, BRP, BRC or FWP, the app photographs the document and uses your phone to read its chip. For a driving licence, it photographs the licence and then scans your face.
4. Take the face scan. Follow the on-screen prompts for distance and lighting.
5. Go back to the service you started from. Your verified identity is now linked to your One Login, so you can carry on.

Companies House identity verification for company directors and people with significant control (PSCs) also runs through GOV.UK One Login, so directors follow this same flow.

GOV.UK ID Check app or GOV.UK One Login app?

There are two apps, and people often mix them up.

• GOV.UK ID Check app: GOV.UK says this app is for proving your identity to access some HMRC services through Government Gateway. It is also used to change how you receive One Login security codes.
• GOV.UK One Login app: since 28 November 2025, GOV.UK has advised using this app to prove your identity with GOV.UK One Login.

As a rule of thumb, use the ID Check app for HMRC services through Government Gateway, and the One Login app for everything else on GOV.UK. If you are unsure, follow the link the service gives you rather than searching the app store.

If you can't use the app: other ways to prove your identity

Not everyone has a suitable phone or accepted photo ID. GOV.UK's guidance on proving and verifying identity says checks can be carried out digitally, over the phone, by post, by email or face to face. Here is how the main routes compare.

Method	How it works	Who it suits	Typical speed	Relative confidence
App with chip read	Photo of ID, chip read by phone, face scan	People with a chipped passport or permit and a recent phone	Fast, done in one sitting	Stronger
App with driving licence	Photo of licence plus face scan	People without a chipped document	Fast, done in one sitting	Good
In person at a Post Office branch	Staff check your documents in branch	People who can't use the app	Depends on a branch visit	Good
Security questions (knowledge-based verification)	You answer questions drawn from your records, such as credit history	People without photo ID	Fast, but may need extra steps	Lower on its own
Manual document checks by a firm	Staff inspect original or certified documents	Firms checking their own clients	Slower	Varies with the checker's skill

The routes on offer change over time, so check the current options on the GOV.UK service you are using before travelling to a branch.

GOV.UK One Login's product information says its current identity journeys give a medium level of confidence. In general, chip-based checks give stronger evidence than answering questions alone, because the chip holds data that is very hard to fake.

Why a check fails and how to fix it

Most failures have a simple fix.

• Glare or blur on the ID photo. Tilt the document away from the light, use natural light where you can and turn off the flash.
• Chip won't read. Take your phone out of its case, hold it flat against the photo page or card and keep still. If nothing happens, slowly move the phone around the back of the document. On Android, check that NFC is switched on in your settings.
• Face scan fails. Remove any glasses or hat, face the light and hold the phone at eye level.
• Document rejected. Check the expiry rules. An expired passport will not be accepted, a driving licence must be no more than 90 days past expiry, and a BRP, BRC or FWP no more than 24 months. Also check that your phone meets the minimum requirement of iOS 16.7 or Android 10.
• Stuck at the step that links the app back to the service. Update the app, then start again from the original service link on the same device.

What identity verification online actually checks

GOV.UK's guidance breaks identity checking into five parts:

1. Get evidence of the claimed identity.
2. Check the evidence is genuine or valid.
3. Check the identity has existed over time.
4. Check whether the identity is at high risk of fraud.
5. Check the identity belongs to the person claiming it.

An identity app covers all of these in a few seconds of scanning:

• Document checks look for security features and signs of tampering.
• A chip read compares the data and photo stored on the chip with the printed page.
• A liveness check confirms a real person is in front of the camera, not a photo or a video.
• A face match compares your face with the photo on your ID. GOV.UK says the ID Check app confirms that your photo ID is genuine, that you are a real person and that you are the person shown on the ID.
• Fraud signals compare the identity against known fraud and impersonation patterns. These include synthetic identities, which are made up from a mix of real and fake details.

Why does this matter? According to Experian, 26% of Brits have experienced online identity theft.

Privacy. Ask any provider what it stores, how long it keeps it and who sees the result. Reputable services limit how long they hold data and share only what the organisation requesting the check needs.

Confidence levels and the UK rules behind them

GPG 45 is the government's guidance on how confident you can be in someone's identity. It defines four levels of confidence (low, medium, high and very high) and was last updated on GOV.UK on 14 November 2024. GOV.UK One Login currently gives medium confidence, with low and high levels planned.

The UK digital identity and attributes trust framework sets the rules for certifying Digital Verification Services (DVS). Experian, for example, states that it is a certified DVS provider under the framework. Two other terms you may come across:

• IDSP (identity service provider): a company that carries out identity checks for others.
• IDVT (identity document validation technology): software that checks whether an ID document is genuine.

The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017) require regulated firms, including conveyancers and estate agents, to carry out customer due diligence. In practice, this means verifying who their client is and assessing the risk before acting for them.

Right to work and right to rent checks for British and Irish citizens with valid passports can be carried out through certified IDVT providers. For the full detail, see the current GOV.UK guidance for employers and landlords.

How property firms verify client identity in the UK

Several parties check identity during a property transaction:

• Conveyancers verify their client, whether buyer or seller.
• Estate agents verify both buyer and seller under MLR 2017.
• Landlords and letting agents run right to rent checks on tenants.
• Lenders verify borrowers.

Property is a high-value target for fraudsters. One well-known risk is seller impersonation, where a fraudster poses as the owner of a home and tries to sell it. Empty and mortgage-free homes are particularly at risk.

A typical property check combines:

• ID verification
• AML screening against politically exposed persons (PEPs, meaning people in public office and their close family), sanctions lists (people and companies under legal restrictions) and other risk watchlists
• proof of address
• source of funds and wealth checks, showing where the money for the purchase came from

Many firms now send clients a link to verify on their phone instead of asking them to bring documents into the office.

Safe Harbour and the HM Land Registry Digital Identity Standard

The HM Land Registry Digital Identity Standard sets out the requirements for checking identity digitally in property transactions registered with HM Land Registry.

Safe Harbour is the protection that comes with following it. If a conveyancer follows the standard and a fraud still gets through, they can show they took reasonable steps.

Our Smart Harbour checks cover Requirements 1 and 2 of the standard and then go further, combining biometric checks, chip reading, extra digital verification and ongoing fraud monitoring.

No check removes all risk, and firms still apply their own professional judgement to every client.

What a Veyco check looks like for your client

1. The firm sends a link from our portal, or from its case management system through our API.
2. The client verifies their identity in the Veyco app, powered by Onfido. This covers a chip read, a face scan, proof of address and uploading source of funds documents.
3. The firm receives a report and a case record, including Express AML screening results.
4. The client signs deeds and transfer forms in the app with a qualified electronic signature (QES). A QES is the highest level of electronic signature, backed by a verified identity.
5. Firms can run the service under their own brand or co-branded with us. Clients can get help from our UK-based team, as well as WhatsApp and AI support from Ella through Veyco Chat.

Free or paid: which identity check do you need?

• Individuals: proving your own identity to GOV.UK services through One Login or the ID Check app is free.
• Businesses checking clients: you can't use One Login to check your own clients. The free alternative is checking original documents by hand, which is slower and harder to defend under MLR 2017.
• Paid certified providers give a recorded level of confidence, an audit trail and AML screening. Regulated firms usually need all three.

Quick decision guide:

• Individual dealing with HMRC, Companies House or another GOV.UK service: use the GOV.UK app the service points you to.
• Employer: use the GOV.UK right to work routes or a certified IDVT provider.
• Landlord or letting agent: use the right to rent routes or a certified IDVT provider.
• Regulated property firm: use a certified provider that adds AML screening and source of funds checks.

Identity verification UK: common questions

What documents can I use as proof of identity in the UK? GOV.UK accepts a UK passport, a UK photocard driving licence, a non-UK biometric passport, or a UK BRP, BRC or FWP. A DVLA licence can be up to 90 days past expiry and a BRP, BRC or FWP up to 24 months past expiry, but an expired passport cannot be used.

Which phone do I need for the GOV.UK ID Check app? GOV.UK says you need an iPhone 8 or newer running iOS 16.7 or higher, or an Android phone running Android 10 or higher. Your phone must be able to take photos and, for chipped documents, read the chip. On Android, make sure NFC is switched on before you start.

What is a TrustID check? TrustID is a commercial provider of document and identity checks, often used by employers for right to work. What it covers depends on the service the organisation has bought, so ask them which documents they need and which checks they will run.

How do I verify my identity online in the UK? Start from the service that asked you and sign in to GOV.UK One Login. Download the app it points you to, scan your photo ID, then scan your face. For HMRC services through Government Gateway, use the ID Check app. For everything else, GOV.UK has advised using the One Login app since 28 November 2025.

How do property firms verify client identity? Most send clients a link to verify on their phone. The check usually combines ID verification, AML screening, proof of address and source of funds. Conveyancers follow MLR 2017 and the HM Land Registry Digital Identity Standard. Our property ID verification, KYC and AML guides cover each step in more detail.