Voters urged to plan now for new photo ID requirement in order to vote

Post Office is urging voters intending to cast their ballot in-person at local elections across England on Thursday 4 May to plan now for the new photo ID requirement.

Thousands of passport and driver’s licence renewals are submitted via Post Offices every week for processing by His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) and the DVLA. HMPO require the old passport to be submitted as part of the application and says people should allow up to 10 weeks when it receives an old passport and any supporting documents for an application to be processed.

If submitting a driver’s licence renewal online, there is no need to submit the previous licence. However, people choosing to renew their driver’s licence at a Post Office, either via our tablet service or sending a paper application off by post while in a branch should allow three weeks for DVLA to process the application and are required to submit their current photocard.

The Post Office is warning customers to consider whether there is enough time for a new passport or driver’s licence to be returned to them if they are intending to use it as their photo ID in order to vote at the local elections.

A full list of accepted forms of photo ID is available to see on the Electoral Commission’s website and include a range of local travel documents, other government issued documents, a Post Office PASS card or a free Voter Authority Certificate.

Elinor Hull, Post Office Identity Services Director, said:

“No one wants to see someone turned away from voting at a polling station because they don’t have the required form of ID with them. Our Postmasters handle thousands of applications for passport and driver’s licence renewals every week as people still prefer to do this face to face and have peace of mind that their application has been checked and completed correctly. Many people with an expiring passport will be desperate to renew it before the summer holidays, but if you’re planning to do so around the 4 May local elections it’s important to consider what other form of photo ID you have to vote.”

One of the other acceptable forms of photo ID is a Post Office PASS card . Issued by CitizenCard, it enables access to a low-cost physical ID widely accepted throughout the UK for proof of age, domestic travel, applying for a new job or renting a home and for accessing services like transport, housing services and claiming benefits. The card is particularly popular amongst 18-24-year olds, accounting for over 50% of sales. The cost of the card is £15.

There is also the ability to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate if an individual doesn’t have any of the accepted forms of photo ID. They can apply online or by downloading a form, filling it in and sending it to their local council.

Elinor Hull continued:

“We know from sales of our own PASS card how popular it is amongst younger people. We want to do what we can to raise awareness amongst young people in particular that they may already have an acceptable form of photo ID that’s in their wallet, that they likely use it frequently in their day-to-day life and that they can use it to vote at May’s elections.”