Proof of identity

Important information

Proving your identity

You will need to prove your identity to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if;

• You are starting work or looking for work and need a National Insurance (NI) Number; or
• You need an NI number in order to claim benefit, pension or allowance

DWP will accept a range of documents (originals, not photocopies) when you are proving your identity. The following list is not exhaustive and you should always bring as many identity documents as you can to your interview, for example:

• A valid passport (UK or foreign)
• A national identity card (UK or foreign)
• A residence permit or residence card (including biometric immigration residency documents)
• A full birth certificate
• An adoption certificate
• A full marriage certificate
• A civil partnership certificate
• A driving licence (UK or foreign)

If you do not have any of these (or any other) identity documents, then you can still apply for a National Insurance number and the information you supply will be checked and may be sufficient to prove your identity.

If you have a National Insurance number you should take it with you to any meeting or interview at a Jobcentre Plus office.

If you do not have a National Insurance number and want to:
Start work or make voluntary class 3 contributions you should call 0845 600 0643 (8.00 am - 6.00 pm Monday to Friday). If you need an NI number and you haven’t already got one, we will ask you to come to an interview.

We use this interview to check your identity and, if appropriate a National Insurance number will be allocated however, this will be several weeks after your interview.

If you need a National Insurance number to make a claim to benefit this will be done as part of the claim process. You should call 0800 055 6688 (8am - 6pm Monday to Friday) to make a claim to benefit. A textphone service is available if you have a speech or hearing impairment 0800 023 4888.’

You can read more about National Insurance numbers and the application process on the NI number section of the Directgov website.

Your National Insurance number is not proof of your identity.