The Student Room Group

Acceptable forms of ID for nightclubs

Hi,

One of my close friend's 18th birthday is comming up and they've decided to go to Sound in leciester square. This will be the first time i've gone to a club (i turned 18 a month ago) but im not sure what will be ok as a form of ID. I haven't applied for my provisional, been too busy with college to even think about driving. If i apply now, i doubt i'll get it in time because i'll be going next Saturday. I'd feel a bit uneasy taking my passport, just in case it gets lost, but if there's no other option then i will. So will a passport work? Or even better i renewed my passport recently and i still have my old one. Would i be able to use the old one? Problem is, it has a picture of me as a child...

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Don't take an old one, loads of places won't take it. Take the new one and just be careful.


And if you're going to Sound, take pocketfuls of cash too!
Respectable nightclubs will only accept a valid Driving License (full or provisional) or a valid Passport. Take the new one and be careful with it :smile:
Reply 3
NUS cards sometimes work if you have one?...
Reply 4
KSP
Hi,

One of my close friend's 18th birthday is comming up and they've decided to go to Sound in leciester square. This will be the first time i've gone to a club (i turned 18 a month ago) but im not sure what will be ok as a form of ID. I haven't applied for my provisional, been too busy with college to even think about driving. If i apply now, i doubt i'll get it in time because i'll be going next Saturday. I'd feel a bit uneasy taking my passport, just in case it gets lost, but if there's no other option then i will. So will a passport work? Or even better i renewed my passport recently and i still have my old one. Would i be able to use the old one? Problem is, it has a picture of me as a child...


i wouldnt risk the old one. these days they have scanner that lets them know if they are in date/ real etc. i got turfed out of somehwere the other month cos i had my old passport (i am 18, she said she cant take it as valid ID!?!) i know its mental, cos the whole point of ID is to prove your age; and if you can show that it is real ID, and you in the photo, does it matter when it was issued? load of bs, if u ask me.

but to summarise, def bring new passport, big change they wont do old one, especially in central london.

or you could get one of those new '18' ID's but i dunno who takes em, and if its work it.
Reply 5
If your old passport still seems valid (ie. the "valid until" date is in the future), you can use that one. The clubs have no way of knowing it's not valid, as they have neither the machines nor the legal authority to check this.

I've used my passport that's supposedly expiring in 2009, with a picture of me when I was 10.

Usually I take my ID card, though. Unfortunately Britain doesn't have a national ID card so you can't take one.. :s-smilie:
Reply 6
Koconut
NUS cards sometimes work if you have one?...



Some places yeah but any top place will laugh you out the building. I learned the hard way :biggrin:
I have found that clubs are now getting stricter with ID, same goes for shops etc.

Your only option, without risk of being refused entry, is to take your passport. Other forms of ID are easily copied and this is why many places won't accept them now... I am not learning to drive but getting my provisional through soon as I really don't like taking my passport out with me.

As for sound, I've been there and had a wicked time, but like Rob said. Take a fair bit of money :p:
tompark
or you could get one of those new '18' ID's but i dunno who takes em, and if its work it.


I wouldn't bother, i've had one for years and have yet to find somewhere that will accept it as ID. Places like banks won't take it, even if it has the little 'Pass' hologram and you are required to show your passport to the people to get it authorised, a complete waste of money.
Reply 9
Passport, CitizenCard or Driving License are official ones.

I tried to use a NUS card once...it didn't work.
Koconut
NUS cards sometimes work if you have one?...


Generally only if the place runs a student night, otherwise they won't accept it (which accounts for (90+% of places these days).
Democracy
Passport, CitizenCard or Driving License are official ones.

I tried to use a NUS card once...it didn't work.


They are useless and a complete waste of money, as i will say again, i've had one for years and even with the places with big 'CitizenCard' posters on the walls they refuse to accept it because they are so easily forged and/or defrauded.

Some places are even picky enough to refuse provisional drivers licenses these days.
Some places say they accept anything with the "Pass" hologram, but you never know really. And as ch0c0h01ic said, some places won't take provisional - a bunch of us got kicked out of a pub once, as we only had provisional licences. Crazy, I know.
Reply 13
Terryw
Also its illegal to use an old passport for ID.


Absolute rubbish.
Driving license or valid passport are the only forms of ID they accept.

Student cards should only be used to accompany driving license or valid passport on student nights.

Hope you have a great night!
Reply 15
Rob764
Some places yeah but any top place will laugh you out the building.


In my experience, any half-way decent bar or nightclub would rather not make unnecessary problems for their customers. In my experience, it's usually the rather less pleasant places that ask for ID or try to make people jump through hoops.
Reply 16
Terryw
No its not, an old passport it not valid ID, and so you would be committing an offense by providing invalid ID to door staff.


More absolute rubbish.

There's no such thing as 'valid ID', nor would there be any such offence even if there was.
Reply 17
L i b
In my experience, any half-way decent bar or nightclub would rather not make unnecessary problems for their customers. In my experience, it's usually the rather less pleasant places that ask for ID or try to make people jump through hoops.


Sounds great and I wish places near me were so accommodating. But in my experience, top-end clubs and bars (like Sound) will not take Student ID unless it's accompanied by a passport/driving license on a student night. They get enough people wanting to get in to be able to turn away customers they aren't 100% sure of because they don't want to get fined/lose their license by serving underage people.
Reply 18
so if you don't drive or plan on driving (and so don't have a provisional) you pretty much have to take your passport as ID? :s-smilie:
As mentioned, for the future it is worth getting a provisional license.

I got mine when I turned 17 and was able to use it to get in straight away. I'm almost 19 now and still haven't started to learn to drive (actually want a motorbike but nevermind) but I always have it with me for buying stuff you need ID for. It is worth the £40ish quid just for the peace of mind.

Anyway, enjoy yourself.

=D