Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what forms of photographic identification are accepted from applicants who do not hold a UK passport or driving licence during the PIP application process.

All PIP customers are required to verify their identity during the application process. This can be done using a variety of evidence, including photographic identification if appropriate.

The following documentation can be used by British Nationals making a PIP application as part of the process to verify their identity:

• British Passport
• UK Driving Licence

• Armed Forces ID card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
• Police warrant card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
• National Health Service (NHS) ID card containing a biometric chip (can only be accepted face-to-face)
• ID cards carrying the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) accreditation logo (UK and Channel Islands)
• HM Armed Forces Veteran Card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
• A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, which indicates the holder is entitled to take up employment in the UK

In some circumstances - where they fully meet the lay conditions - someone who is not a British national can claim PIP. The Eligibility criteria to claim PIP for someone who is not a British National can be found here: Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Eligibility - GOV.UK

You must:

• normally live in or show that you intend to settle in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
• not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)

If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get PIP. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply.

If a customer meets this eligibility criteria, then the following documents can be provided to prove their identity:

• Passport of European Union (EU) or other nationalities
• Identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country that follow Regulation - 2252/2004 - EN - EUR-Lex (link is external)
• A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office to a national of an EEA country or Switzerland
• A permanent residence card issued by the Home Office or the Border and Immigration Agency to the family member of a national of a EEA country or Switzerland
• A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control and either:
• is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK
• has the right of abode in the UK
• has no time limit on their stay in the UK

• An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office or the United Kingdom Border Agency to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom

• EU or other nationalities photo-card driving licence accompanied by an international driving permit, valid up to 12 months up to the date of when the individual entered the UK (can only be accepted face-to-face)
• ARC (Application Registration Card) and Home Office Decision Grant Letter. These documents can be used together if the information is the same and confirmed by the Home Office to verify ID, but only by exception, when a refugee has not had their UKVI account created by the Home Office to access their eVisa. One without the other cannot be accepted
• Home Office ‘View and Prove’ eVisa service (can only be accepted face-to-face).

Please note that although a document is listed, there may be a need for accompanying evidence alongside any of these to sufficiently prove someone’s identity.