Identity and Document Requirements
Proving who you are
The SIA needs to be satisfied that the applicant is who they claim to be before any criminal record or right to work check can mean anything. Identity verification is therefore the first step in the application, and everything else depends on it.
Applicants must provide original documents, not photocopies, and the documents must be current - an expired passport or out-of-date driving licence will not do. The standard approach is to show a primary identity document containing a photograph, such as a valid passport or a photocard driving licence, supported where necessary by secondary documents proving address or name change. Where the applicant's name differs from that on their documents (for example after marriage), a linking document such as a marriage certificate or deed poll is required so the chain of identity is unbroken.
Traps to expect
- Copies and certified copies: a certified copy of a passport is not the same as the original for identity purposes.
- Expiry: questions often plant an expired document and expect you to spot it.
- Name mismatches: an applicant who has changed their name without a linking document will fail verification even with a valid passport.
- Non-standard documents: a birth certificate alone proves identity poorly because it carries no photograph; it works only as supporting evidence.
Rule of thumb
Use the P-I-L chain: Photograph-bearing primary document, In date, Linked to any other name used. If any link in the chain is missing, verification fails.
Worked example
An applicant submits a valid passport in her maiden name and a utility bill in her married name, with no marriage certificate. Verification cannot be completed: the two names are not linked by any document, so the identity chain is broken even though each document is genuine and current.