need passport for work can't afford one

Legacy_user

My friend's 17 year old step son is looking for part time work. All employers he has looked at require a passport for proof of eligibility to work.

Unfortunately he does not have a passport. Friend does not have £70 spare. Employers do not accept birth certificates.

What can they do?

WillowCat

The employer should accept a birth certificate in conjunction with NI documentation.

"A full birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder's parents or adoptive parents, together with an official document giving the person's permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer"

See section 8 on page 14 of https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311668/Code_of_practice_on_preventing_illegal_working.pdf

bargainbetty

Show the employer this:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/313849/employers_guide_to_acceptable_right_to_work_documents.pdf

They must accept a birth certificate where it meets the requirements of the UK government.

Edit: Beat me to it!

Mudd14

And if they don't have a long birth certificate they can order a new one for about £8.00 online

RichardD1970

bargainbetty wrote: »

Show the employer this:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/313849/employers_guide_to_acceptable_right_to_work_documents.pdf

They must accept a birth certificate where it meets the requirements of the UK government.

Edit: Beat me to it!

Although they could/should, AFAIK there is no legal requirement to force them to accept just a birth certificate.

They can stipulate what they like as a requirement for their recruitment process (baring the usual protected stuff).

For my present job I had to havea form of photo ID and changed my driving licence to a photo card (quickest and easiest to sort) or, despite having the legally required documents, they wouldn't interview me at all. But it does vary between employers.

My wife has just signed up for a part time job at Aldi and doesn't have a passport and needed to take, full birth cert, proof of NI number, marriage cert and any other documents relating to a change of name and proof of address.

Saying that it is worth pointing out to potential employers what is legally required as a lot of (especially smaller) companies may be being over zealous for fear of falling foul of large fines for employing illegal workers.

DigForVictory

As an aside, the number of places thast accept a Costco card as photo ID is a delight.

guardianangel

Working in HR, instead of a passport we would accept his full birth certificate and his NI Card.

General_Grant

guardianangel wrote: »

Working in HR, instead of a passport we would accept his full birth certificate and his NI Card.

You would find that a 17 year old would not have an NI card. They haven't been issued since 2010. (It was a cost saving measure - they just send a letter now.)