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Company type | Community interest company |
---|---|
Industry | Photo identification issuer accreditation |
Founded | 2001United Kingdom | in
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Kate Nicholls, Miles Beale, Andrew Chevis, Anna Bennett |
Website | pass-scheme |
PASS (the Proof of Age Standards Scheme) is a government-backed scheme in the United Kingdom that gives citizens a valid and accepted form of proof-of-age identification. The scheme is supported by the Home Office, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC). It acts as an umbrella system: it does not itself issue identification cards, but various proof of age card schemes operate under the PASS umbrella, and issue cards which bear a PASS hologram as proof of authenticity and validity.
The scheme was set up in 2001 to develop a recognisable way of endorsing proof-of-age card schemes. Unlike many countries, the UK does not issue a national identity card that can be used to provide proof of age. As a result, those without a driving licence or passport had difficulty providing proof of age when purchasing age-restricted products, such as tobacco and alcohol.
In June 2014, the 18+ card designs were standardised (apart from the Young Scot card in Scotland) following feedback from police and retailers, in an effort to increase acceptance by venues, especially in the night-time economy. The only significant variation in appearance is the logo of the issuing organisation in the corner. [1]
In November 2016, PASS was reorganised to become a community interest company and its ownership by the British Retail Consortium was ended. [2] In January 2018, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) logo replaced the Association of Chief Police Officers' (ACPO) logo at the lower left corner of the standardised 18+ card design. [3]
As of 2018 [update] there are two types of card suppliers, national and regional. Regional cards often have requirements for residency in the area they are issued, where national cards can be obtained by anyone who can provide required information.
There are currently three councils that offer regional cards: Bracknell Forest Council (e+ card), Milton Keynes Council (All in 1 Card) and the London Borough of Southwark ("PAL").
The national suppliers are CitizenCard, Post Office Ltd, TOTUM, My ID Card, and ONEID4U. The Young Scot card is available to eligible individuals resident in Scotland.
Proof of Age Standards Scheme's goal is to become the preferred standard in proving the age of Britons, with 5 million cards issued since 2001 and 200,000 in 2017 to 2018. Several trade bodies currently support PASS: Association of Convenience Stores, British Beer and Pub Association, British Institute of Innkeeping, UK Hospitality and the Wine and Spirits Trade Association. In addition the Home Office, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, National Police Chiefs' Council and Security Industry Authority also support the organisation. [4]
It is the responsibility of retailers not to supply alcohol, tobacco, and other age-restricted products to people below the legal purchasing age. Checking a proof of age card protects them against inadvertently making sales to underage people who may look older than they really are. Some places requiring proof of age will not accept some cards, despite the PASS hologram. Retailers and licensees have the right to refuse to sell a product or deny entry to an individual even if they possess a PASS endorsed card. [5] In 2011, more than 500,000 holders of a PASS endorsed card were refused entry to pubs and clubs. [6] As a result, in 2014 the police and Security Industry Authority, which licences doorstaff, agreed to permit their logos to be displayed on PASS cards displaying a standardised design. In 2017, HM Passport Office urged passport-holders to leave their passports at home and use a PASS card on nights out.
In 2019, PASS agreed to develop Standards for the Presentation of Digital Proof of Age with the purpose of enabling the Home Office to amend the Mandatory Licensing Conditions so that approved forms of both digital and physical proof of age could be accepted by licensees for the purpose of demonstrating due diligence.
An identity document is a document proving a person's identity.
The Identity Cards Act 2006 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was repealed in 2011. It created National Identity Cards, a personal identification document and European Economic Area travel document, which were voluntarily issued to British citizens. It also created a resident registry database known as the National Identity Register (NIR), which has since been destroyed. In all around 15,000 National Identity Cards were issued until the act was repealed in 2011. The Identity Card for Foreign nationals was continued in the form of Biometric Residence Permits after 2011 under the provisions of the UK Borders Act 2007 and the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009.
Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are illegally copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those who would view the documents about the identity or status of the bearer. The term also encompasses the activity of acquiring identity documents from legitimate bodies by falsifying the required supporting documentation in order to create the desired identity.
An Irish passport is the passport issued to citizens of Ireland. An Irish passport enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as evidence of Irish nationality and citizenship of the European Union. It also facilitates the access to consular assistance from both Irish embassies and any embassy from other European Union member states while abroad.
The Hong Kong identity card is an official identity document issued by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong. According to the Registration of Persons Ordinance, all residents of age 11 or above who are living in Hong Kong for longer than 180 days must, within 30 days of either reaching the age of 11 or arriving in Hong Kong, register for an HKID. HKIDs contain amongst others the name of the bearer in English, and if applicable in Chinese. The HKID does not expire for the duration of residency in Hong Kong.
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer may return to the issuing country, and are often issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps into them.
The United Kingdom last had compulsory national identity cards during World War II when they were introduced for security purposes. Wartime ID cards were finally withdrawn by the Churchill government in 1952 because of the tension they created between the police and innocent citizens. Proposals to reintroduce them have been raised on a number of occasions since then. During the early 2000s and 2010s, organisations such as NO2ID campaigned against these proposals.
A Norwegian passport is the passport issued to nationals of Norway for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Norwegian citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Norwegian consular officials abroad.
There are several identity documents used in Sweden. None are compulsory by law, meaning that there is no formal penalty for not possessing one. Certified identification cards are issued by the tax agency. The Swedish police issues passports and national identity cards for Swedish citizens. A Swedish driver's license, issued by the transport agency, is also accepted as an identity document. Banks sometimes issue identity cards for established customers or their children.
The Bulgarian identity card is a compulsory identity document issued in Bulgaria. The document is issued by the police on behalf of the Ministry of Interior and is the main form of identification on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. All Bulgarians are obliged by law to carry their identity cards with them at all times and are subject to fines should they not.
The Finnish identity card is one of two official identity documents in Finland, the other being the Finnish passport. Any citizen or resident can get an identification card. Finnish citizens will get indication of citizenship on the card. It is available as an electronic ID card, which enables logging into certain services on the Internet, local computers or adding digital signatures into LibreOffice ODF documents or creating DigiDoc formatted containers that also allows encryption during content transfer. ID card is applied at a police station and it is issued by the police.
Citizen Card is a not-for-profit business in the United Kingdom that sells Home Office-recognised photo ID/proof-of-age cards available to any resident in the UK. Cards are issued in three age groups: Under 16, 16-17 and 18+.
A voter identification law is a law that requires a person to show some form of identification in order to vote. In some jurisdictions requiring photo IDs, voters who do not have photo ID often must have their identity verified by someone else or sign a Challenged Voter Affidavit in order to receive a ballot to vote.
The Greek identity card is the official national identification document for Greek citizens. It is issued by the Hellenic Police.
The Lebanese identity card is a compulsory Identity document issued to citizens of the Republic of Lebanon by the police on behalf of the Lebanese Ministry of Interior or in Lebanese embassies and consulates abroad free of charge. It is proof of identity, citizenship and residence of the Lebanese citizens.
National identity cards are identity documents issued to citizens of most European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) member states, with the exception of Denmark and Ireland. A new common identity card model harmonized the various formats in use from 2 August 2021 and older ID cards are currently being phased out according to EU Regulation 2019/1157.
A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public road. Such licenses are often plastic and the size of a credit card.
The Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC) is a Scotland-wide smart card scheme run by Scottish Local Authorities on behalf of the Scottish Government. It is predominantly operated as a concessionary travel pass, but can also act as Proof of Age for young people (Young Scot NEC) and give access to civic services such as libraries and leisure centres depending on the local authority.
Australia does not have a national identity card. Various Identity documents of Australia may be used or required to prove a person's identity instead of a national identity card, whether for government or commercial purposes such as: