Identity Theft Check

The utility of the British ID card programme is predicated wholly upon the success and efficiency of brand spanking new the National Identity Register (NIR) – started just this year (2008).

The system has been described by Government as being easy-to-use and extremely secure, containing personal identification for adults living in the UK – adults, in this case, being anyone over the age of 16 years.

The NIR scheme will be run by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). The Government predicts that it will take several years yet for the NIR to become fully operational with everyone registered on and with it. Although this year saw the first enrolments of foreign nationals into the scheme, ID cards for British citizens are not expected to be available for issue in the UK before 2009.

The initial stages of the ID card programme will see them being issued to British citizens who apply for passports, either for a first time or to renew and old one, although they will eventually be available to people who do not want passports as well.

 For those who are resident within the UK but who are not British citizens, all residency permits, registration certificates or residency cards will take the form of an ID card instead.

The NIR scheme will eventually become compulsory, although the exact timescale of this has not been ironed out yet. Once it does become compulsory, all British citizens over the age of 16 will be required to have an ID card by law, although we are told that it will not be compulsory to carry it around with us at all times.