Photo ID Dilemma

Cryoman196

This is bizarre. I'm sorting out some stuff for my Mother in Law who is in her mid 70's and is recently widowed.
At every turn I need photo identification. Credit card applications, savings account application, Cash ISA - you name it, no photo ID, no deal.
She hasn't got a driving license and her passport expired a few years ago.
So now, because the do-gooders saw off the national identity card some while back, she has to pay £70+ for a replacement passport just so she can open a building society savings account.
As a result she will not be able to use this years ISA allocation, because of the time it will take to get the passport.
Just when you need everything to be straightforward you hit these bloody jobsworths who have to make life impossible.

droopsnoot

I have the same issue sometimes - I'm not planning on going abroad in the near future, and I'm sort-of proud of having a green driving license because it shows I've never had to send it in to have any points applied. But because neither have a photo on them, it's a problem. Some places will accept an out-of-date password as long as the photo is quite similar. I opened a Coventry account on-line, and although they said they might ask for proof of ID, they didn't want any in the end and just opened the account.

Wouldn't a photo verified by a solicitor or such like (someone who would be able to verify identity for your passport application) be suitable? That's often a lot less expensive, I had one done for an ID proof and I think they charged me £25.

cos69

Have you considered getting her a bus pass - its free and a lot of institutions accept it as photo id. she might have one already

thenudeone

Photo ID is not usually a requirement. Some form of ID but not always Photo ID.
For a postal account, Photo ID is no better than any other ID, because they can't check the applicant looks like the person on the ID.

If she's on the electoral roll and has a bank current account (which creates a credit record) she'll probably get a postal account without needing to send any ID.

mazza111

Have to agree with thenudeone. Bus passes are an approved form of ID and are free, apart from the photographs.

Cryoman196

In applying for a credit card with HSBC (where she's had a joint account with her late husband for at least 100 years) we did offer her Freedom Pass as this was the only form of photo ID she had. Not acceptable they said, although the guy at the bank is trying to sort it out and we are due to go back this afternoon to see if we've had any success. In his defence, he was a bit embarrassed by the bank's rigid approach. I'll update you with the outcome. I have also just realised my wife is now in the exact same situation. In fact it gets worse - you can't actually renew your old style pink driving license without a passport as proof of id!
Its a good job you don't need photo id to renew a passport or the whole thing will grind to a halt!

qpop

I'm not sure how people with privacy concerns about the national ID database scheme would be labelled as "do-gooders", but I must apologise on behalf of them for causing an individual such hardship. I mean, we really should have been more considerate of the marginal cost of a passport when considering our institutional privacy!

That aside, it is worth noting that many staff-members at branches are sadly mis-informed about acceptable forms of ID. There will be an "acceptable forms of ID" document contained in the compliance manual (on HSBC's online system), or on the procedures manual if the staff member has an easier time navigating to that. A search on the internal systems for ID & VA tends to work.

Also, management at branches have the power of discretion in these kind of situations, although they will rarely use it.

McKneff

Ive had many ISAs in my lifetime and have never had to use Photo ID, a couple of utility bills etc to prove I live where I say I live but never anything else

whitewing

Can't she just have a photo with the approved wording from the passport site on it with the signature of someone on the list of people who can authorise the photo for passport reasons.

I mean she doesn't have to have the passport, just a photo that would meet passprt criteria on the wording/signature.

Cryoman196

We've just returned from the local branch of HSBC, having sat across the desk from one of their people for close on 45 mins doing an application for a credit card with a limit of up to £2000. We still have not got a decision from them. They are now saying they would like a notice of coding from HMRC, but as she has no employer and is not drawing an occupational pension, she does not have a tax code.
If they had been setting all these hoops to jump through for me I'd have told them exactly where they could place their credit card.
But its for my mother in law who thought it would be easier as she'd had an account there for 25yrs ++.
So we now heve to wait for a decision to be handed down from the mountaintop.
Bloody HSBC - I've spent less time on a mortgage application. We were both shaking when we came out of there. I guess that's why they invented pubs...

xylophone

Does she not have her annual state pension notification?