Press release -
Post Office secures new government contract for in-person identity checks
- Post Office secures new government contract to provide an in-person identity check for people who need additional support to use GOV.UK One Login.
- GOV.UK One Login will provide a single account for people to log in, prove and reuse their identity in order to access central government services.
- Contract a demonstration of Post Office strategy to embrace new technology and adds to its portfolio of identity products and services available digitally or in branch.
- Partnership secures new, additional revenue for Postmasters who continue to provide trusted and reassuring face-to-face advice and services to millions of customers each week.
- For those unable to use the app or browser journey on GOV.UK One Login for identity verification, this route offers an alternative.
- Post Office is the one stop shop for identity services – the only retailer that offers digital identity services, but also has the physical presence to support those who struggle or are unable to easily access online services.
The Post Office has secured a new government contract for in-person identity checks, adding to its portfolio of identity products and services available digitally or in branch.
The new contract with Government Digital Service (GDS) will involve Postmasters and their teams providing an identity check for people who need additional support to use GOV.UK One Login – those unable to use the app or browser journey for identity verification - so that they can access central government services.
GOV.UK One Login is already live with 22 services and has been used by over 2.19 million to prove their identity. It will replace hundreds of logins across existing services, so users only have to input information to prove their identity once.
The face-to-face service, which will be available soon for public use, will ensure that people can verify their identity when accessing public services. Around 1,000 Post Offices will provide this in-person identity check for people wanting to confirm their identity in order to use GOV.UK One Login.
Nick Read, Post Office Chief Executive, said:
“We are delighted to be extending our successful relationship with government in the identity services field. Postmasters provide a trusted and reassuring face-to-face service for millions of people each week, and this combined with our physical presence and long history of successfully enabling people to prove their identity, were all key to us securing this important new contract. This will generate additional revenue and footfall for those branches that provide a full range of identity checks.”
Elinor Hull, Identity Services Director, said:
“This contract reinforces that Post Office is the place for face-to-face identity verification in the UK. We will always remain committed to the principle that no one should be left behind in an increasingly digital world. Ensuring we support people and businesses with their identity requirements, whether via our EasyID app, online or in-branch means we are the one stop shop for identity services.”
This new contract follows the Post Office, and its partner Yoti, becoming the first certified identity services provider in the UKlast June. This has enabled people to digitally prove their Right to Work and their Right to Rent or complete their Disclosure and Barring Service application.
For further information about GOV.UK One Login, see this blog on the GDS website.
ENDS
How will the service work in-person for GOV.UK One Login
A user accessing the in-person service to help them prove their identity will go through the following steps:
- Provide basic details to create a GOV.UK One Login account online.
- If they need to prove their identity for the service they wish to access and don’t have a smartphone to access the app or need support to utilise the digital user journey, they can prove their identity using the in-person service.
- They can choose a Post Office branch local to them and visit it, taking along a photo ID document, which could be:
- A UK passport
- A non-UK passport (with or without a chip)
- A UK or EU driving licence
- An EEA national identity card
- A biometric residence permit
- Have their ID document scanned by the postmaster, and a photograph taken.
5. Once their identity documents have been processed, they will then be informed that a result is available through an email. They can then return to the service they began verification with.
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About the Post Office
- With over 11,500 branches, Post Office has the biggest retail network in the UK, with more branches than all the banks and building societies combined.
- Post Office is helping anyone who wants cash to get it whichever way is most convenient. Partnership with over 30 banks, building societies and credit unions means that 99% of UK bank customers can access their accounts at their Post Office.
- Cash withdrawals, deposits and balance enquiries can be made securely and conveniently over the counter at any Post Office; and the biggest investment by any organisation or company in the last decade is being made to safeguard 1,400 free-to-use ATMs across the UK.
- Post Office is simplifying its proposition for Postmasters with a focus on its cash and banking; mails and parcels; foreign exchange; and; bill payments services.
- Research has found that visits to the Post Office help drive another 400 million visitors to other shops, restaurants and local businesses equating to an estimated £1.1 billion in additional revenue for High Street businesses.
- 99.7% of the population live within three miles of a Post Office; and 4,000 branches are open seven days a week.
