Identity problem

peter021072

I decided to take my occupational pension last month, so I sent the relevant forms to my pension administrator. 

A letter dated a week ago has just landed on my doorstep, which states they can't find my identity! They need an original of my birth certificate, which means sending it by post!  (There are other options which are not relevant).  This is amazing since I've lived at my address for 31 years & not changed my name or anything, and they should have full records from my employer which is ex civil service.  Neither have I ever been refused credit or anything else due to identity issues. Is this normal? 

I wonder if it's due to a decision to change the postcode of my area 20 years ago, a rather silly local decision, which simply increased insurance!  It's never caused identity problems though.

eskbanker

Aren't they just looking for verification that the person requesting the money is definitely the one in whose name it is?

westv

or it could perhaps be which electoral role you are on - the open or the "non open" one.

Marcon

peter021072 said:

I decided to take my occupational pension last month, so I sent the relevant forms to my pension administrator. 

A letter dated a week ago has just landed on my doorstep, which states they can't find my identity! They need an original of my birth certificate, which means sending it by post!  (There are other options which are not relevant).  This is amazing since I've lived at my address for 31 years & not changed my name or anything, and they should have full records from my employer which is ex civil service.  Neither have I ever been refused credit or anything else due to identity issues. Is this normal? 

Yes, perfectly normal. All you need to do is comply with their request.

dunstonh

A letter dated a week ago has just landed on my doorstep, which states they can't find my identity!

It happens.  The electronic check is only good as the data is available.  Not everyone passes sufficiently.

That assumes they are using the electronic method.   It could be that they don't use that method and rely on existing records (sometimes people provide prove of age/ID earlier).

This is amazing since I've lived at my address for 31 years & not changed my name or anything, and they should have full records from my employer which is ex civil service.

Your employer doesn't upload personal data to the credit reference agencies and data search companies).  Your employer may never have obtained data that meets the requirements.

Is this normal? 

yes.

ian16527

I've had to do this recently, although the information was to send through the post, there was another sheet stating that scanned copies could be sent in due to COVID.
The electronic files then had to be password protected. It was a bit of a faff on but easier and cheaper than sending recorded delivery

Silvertabby

Where did you get the 'relevant forms' from?  From the pension provider, or did you download them?  When did you leave the Civil Service?

peter021072

What is surprising is that no-one else has ever asked for an original birth certificate. 
I recall making copies for banks and brokers. 

Brie

Did they say why it needed to be an original birth certificate??  Have you phoned them about it??  If you send it to them recorded delivery will they return it the same way??

I used to work in pension admin for a large company and we often got sent birth certificates, passports, etc but would accept properly certified copies.  The post office was the go to for this as they would certify up to 3 documents for a flat fee of £7 (may have increased).  Legally this was the only place to get these documents certified - if they were British.  Other countries will have their rules but the post office will be happy to certify other countries docs as well.   I've had my foreign passport certified by a solicitor for a bank overseas so if your birth certificate is foreign a solicitor may be able to certify it but potentially the pension scheme may not accept it.

dunstonh

What is surprising is that no-one else has ever asked for an original birth certificate. 

We frequently have to supply the original birth certificate.  Mainly with the pension administration companies using old fashioned methods.  Rare with insurance companies/platforms nowadays.

p00hsticks

Brie said:

Did they say why it needed to be an original birth certificate??  Have you phoned them about it??  If you send it to them recorded delivery will they return it the same way??

All birth certificates are actually certified copies of the original entry in the register.

It's probable that by 'original' they mean a copy dated within a year of the birth - that is, the copy originallly given to the parent at the time of initially registering the birth.

As in the UK anyone can order a copy of anyone elses birth certificate for a small fee, only posession of this first copy is really of much use for verifying id, and when a birth certificate is listed as a possible proof of id you'll usually see the qualification of it being dated within the first twelve months of the birth date.