ID Blog

UK ID Cards

Date Published: Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:24 By: Paul Bignell

The Government introduced the Identity Documents Bill to Parliament on 26 May 2010. The Bill makes provision for the cancellation of the UK National Identity Card, the Identification Card for EEA nationals and the destruction of the National Identity Register. The identity card for foreign nationals (biometric residence permit) is not being scrapped.

The Identity and Passport Service will be writing to existing cardholders at their registered address to inform them of the position.

Until the Bill is enacted, identity cards remain valid and as such can still be used as an identity document and for travel within Europe. However, if you have made travel plans and don't currently have a passport we would advise you to apply for a passport now. For information on how to obtain a passport please visit www.direct.gov.uk/passports or phone the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000 (between 7am - 11pm seven days a week).

Read the press release.

Identity cards - Old News

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has unveiled revamped plans for the introduction of identity cards in the UK.

What is the timetable for introducing ID cards?

Everyone over the age of 16 applying for a passport will have all their details - including fingerprints and facial scans - added to a National Identity register from 2011/12. The first identity cards have already been issued to non-EU foreign nationals coming to work in the UK. Later this year airside workers at London City and Manchester airports will be issued with ID cards. There will also be a voluntary pilot scheme in the Manchester area. From 2010 students will be encouraged to get ID cards when they open bank accounts. From 2011/2012 the Identity and Passport Service plans to issue "significant volumes" of ID cards alongside British passports - but people will be able to opt out of having a card if they don't want one.

How will I get one and how much will they cost?

The cost has been capped for two years at £30. People in Manchester who want an ID card can register their interest on the Directgov website. They will be told later in the year how to get their card, which will probably involve a visit to the Manchester passport office to be interviewed and have their fingerprints and photo taken. After two years the plan is that they will be able to register at Post Offices and some High Street chains, which will be equipped to take Biometric information. It will be up to them exactly how much they charge you, but it is estimated that it will be somewhere near £60.

Will it be compulsory to have an ID card?

Not initially. If Labour wins the next election it will give MPs a vote on whether to make cards compulsory for all UK citizens over the age of 16, depending on the success of pilot projects. It is not currently planned to make carrying ID cards compulsory. Both the Tories and the Lib Dems say they would scrap the scheme.

Where will you have to show your ID card?

The police, immigration officers, job centre and other public service staff will all eventually be issued with scanners enabling them to check a person's identity. You will also be able to use ID cards in shops, banks, pubs and other businesses but there are currently no plans to issue them with scanners. Staff will have to rely on visual checks. If they have suspicions about a person's ID they will be able to call a special phone line. Opponents say the lack of widespread biometric scanners will lead to a black market in fake ID cards but the Home Office insists anti-fraud measures will be built into the cards.

How much will the scheme cost the taxpayer?

The Home Office has estimated the scheme will cost £5bn but the London School of Economics says the true cost will be between £10bn and £20bn. The Conservatives say scrapping the scheme, as they plan to do if they win power, will save between £1bn and £2bn as they would keep biometric passports and much of the money for that scheme has already been spent.

How have the plans changed?

The widespread introduction of ID cards for all passport applicants has been put back by two years to 2012. Under the original plans the first British citizens would have been issued with ID cards in 2008, with the widespread roll-out taking place in 2010. People applying for passports will also no longer be forced to have an ID card whether they want one or not, although their details will still be entered in to a central identity database.

The government says the ID scheme will now cost £1bn less than originally planned. Plans to take iris scans of passport applicants have been ditched. Plans for enrolment centres have also been scrapped, with retailers such as Boots and the Post Office to be given the job of taking fingerprints and signing people up.

Why have the plans changed?

The Home Office is under pressure to cut costs. Public support for the scheme has also been hit by a series of data loss scandals, although the government claims the majority are still in favour of it.

Why does the government want identity cards?

The government says it wants to give people a sure-fire way of proving they are who they say they are. It argues ID cards will boost national security, tackle identity fraud, prevent illegal working and improve border controls.

What information will be on the cards?

The card will contain basic identification information including a photograph of the card holder, along with their name, gender and date of birth. The Home Office says the card will not hold an address. A microchip will link to a biometric database holding a person's fingerprints.

Are the details stored centrally too?

No. Plans for a single database holding the personal information of all those issued with a card have been scrapped due to cost and data security concerns. Instead, information will be held on three existing, separate government databases. The whole scheme will be overseen by a new independent watchdog.

What won't be stored?

The government has sought to allay some fears about ID cards by saying they will not store details about someone's race, religion, sexuality, health, criminal record or political beliefs.

What about foreign nationals wanting to enter the UK?

They will have to apply for "biometric residence permits" or "biometric visas" and their details will be entered into the national identity database. The government also wants all foreign nationals living in the UK to have identity cards and will make anyone applying to extend their stay register biometric details. The aim is that 90% of foreign nationals in the UK will have ID cards by 2015.

Who is against ID cards?

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have both said they would scrap the scheme if they came to power. Most other political parties in the UK, including the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and UKIP, are also against ID cards and there is a grassroots campaign against them, through groups such as NO2ID.

What are their objections?

Critics say identity cards interfere with civil liberties, are too expensive and will do little to tackle problems like terrorism and illegal immigration. There are also fears the cards will antagonise ethnic minority communities targeted by police stop and search operations. Some critics also claim the scheme will not work and that the cards will be too easily faked - something denied by the Home Office.

Do other countries have ID cards?

Several countries in the European Union now have some form of ID card, even if they are not compulsory. They have become widely accepted by their citizens. In France, for example, about 90% of the population carries one. But many other countries, like Japan, Australia and New Zealand, have not adopted the idea. Neither has the US, but it does intend to make visitors have cards to cover their visas.