Using the GOV.UK ID Check app
How to use the GOV.UK ID Check app to prove your identity, including how to download the app and how to scan your face and your photo ID.
The GOV.UK ID Check app is for proving your identity when you sign in to a government service with GOV.UK One Login. To use the app, you must start on the government service you are trying to access. You’ll be guided to the app when it is time to use it.
The app will check that:
- your photo ID is real
- you are a real person
- you are the same person as in your photo ID
Find out what to do if you’re having problems linking the GOV.UK ID Check app to GOV.UK.
Downloading the app
If you’re using an iPhone, it must be running iOS 14 or higher and be either:
- an iPhone 6s or newer if your photo ID is a UK driving licence
- an iPhone 7 or newer if you’re using any other type of photo ID
For an Android phone (for example, Samsung or Google Pixel), it must be running Android 10 or higher.
You also need one of the following types of photo ID:
- UK photocard driving licence
- UK passport
- non-UK passport with a biometric chip
- UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
- UK biometric residence card (also called a BRC)
- UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)
You can use an expired BRP, BRC or FWP up to 18 months after its expiry date.
Make sure you’re not using private browsing, also known as ‘incognito’, in your web browser when downloading the app.
If you need help to download the app to your phone, there is advice on:
If you prefer not to use the app, you can prove your identity in another way.
Scanning the QR codes
If you’re using a computer or tablet and you want to use the GOV.UK ID Check app to prove your identity, you’ll be shown how to switch to your smartphone.
You’ll need to scan a QR code to download the app. If you downloaded the app to your smartphone before, you can scan the same QR code to open it.
Linking the GOV.UK ID Check app to GOV.UK
You’ll need to link the GOV.UK ID Check app to GOV.UK when you open it.
This lets us know you’re the same person who signed in to a government service with GOV.UK One Login earlier.
To link the app:
- Tap ‘Continue’ when you open the app and accept any sign in prompts.
- Tap the ‘Link app to continue’ button on the ‘Link this app to GOV.UK’ screen.
If you’re using a computer or tablet
If you signed in to GOV.UK One Login on a computer or tablet before opening the app, you may be asked to go back to your computer or tablet and scan a second QR code. It will be on the same page as the first QR code but further down.
If you’re using a smartphone
If you signed in to GOV.UK One Login on your phone, you may be asked to go back to the browser window where you saw instructions to download and open GOV.UK ID Check. There will be a second button further down the page which says ‘Link GOV.UK ID Check’. Tap this button to link the app manually.
If you’re struggling to link the app to GOV.UK
If the app is still not linking to GOV.UK, try checking:
- adblock is turned off on your phone
- you’re using an iPhone 7 or newer and running iOS 14 or higher with Safari, Chrome or Firefox as your default web browser, or an Android phone (for example, Samsung or Google Pixel) running 10 or higher with Chrome or Firefox as your default web browser
- you’re not using private browsing, also known as ‘incognito’, in your web browser
If you’re still unable to link the app, you can return to the website of the service you want to use and look for other ways to prove your identity.
How to scan your photo ID
If you’re using a UK driving licence
You’ll be asked to take a photo of your driving licence. The photo will be taken automatically, so do not touch your screen while this is happening.
Make sure you:
- hold your driving licence in the palm of one hand and your phone with the other hand - if you’re having trouble taking a photo of the licence while it’s in your hand, place it on a dark matte background
- move the licence away from bright sources of light to reduce glare
- get your entire licence inside the white frame
If you’re using a passport
Make sure the passport you’re using has a biometric chip. To check if your passport has a biometric chip, look for the rectangular biometric chip symbol on the front cover.
You’ll be asked to:
- Take a photo of your passport.
- Scan the biometric chip in your passport using your phone.
- Scan your face using your phone.
If you’re using a BRP
If your photo ID is a BRP, you’ll be asked to:
- Take a photo of your BRP.
- Scan the biometric chip in your BRP using your phone.
- Scan your face using your phone.
Scanning the biometric chip in your passport or BRP
The scan can fail because:
- your phone is not touching your photo ID
- your phone has a case or accessory on it - try removing these and scanning your photo ID again
- internet connection has been lost briefly
- the phone was moved while the scan was happening
- another document, other than your passport or residence permit, is being scanned
You could try again and you should see a help animation. Follow the on-screen instructions and, when you’re ready, select ‘Start scan’ or place your phone on top of your passport to start the scan automatically.
Scanning your face
You’ll use your front-facing (selfie) camera to do this. To scan your face with the GOV.UK Check ID app, check that:
- your face is completely aligned with the oval on your screen
- you are looking straight ahead
- you keep as still as you can while the scan happens
What to do if the identity check on the app does not work
If you were not able to prove your identity with the first photo ID you’ve chosen, you can try again using another photo ID.
Go back to the service you were trying to access to start proving your identity again.
You can also try to prove your identity another way with GOV.UK One Login.
Contact GOV.UK One Login if you need more help.
Updates to this page
Published 26 October 2023Last updated 16 December 2024 + show all updates
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You can now use an expired BRP, BRC or FWP to prove your identity with the GOV.UK ID Check app, as long as it expired less than 18 months ago.
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Updated to clarify that the GOV.UK Check ID app works on phones that have Firefox as their default web browser.
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Updated guidance on linking app to GOV.UK service.
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Instructions on how to link the GOV.UK ID Check app to GOV.UK have been removed as there's now a separate piece of guidance about this.
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Updated the iPhone model and operating system for using the GOV.UK Check ID app.
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Update on how to link the app to your browser session, and on the mobile phones and operating systems that work with the app
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Added translation