The Student Room Group

ID - alternatives to passports and driving license?

Hello!
Bascially, is there any other alternative to passports and driving license’s to use as ID? Seeing as I don’t have a passport and I’m not going to be learning to drive for a very long time [and it’s £50!] does anyone know of any alternatives that are usually accepted? My friend was telling me about a citizencard? And how they’re like official ones that they should reject? Someone also said ‘the one you get from the post office’ I’ve no idea what this means and I wondered if that’s a citizencard as well? Basically, any advice would be good, and if anyone who has been in a similar situation could tell me what they did, that would be great! :biggrin:

Scroll to see replies

you can get a connexions card can't you? or a citizencard
Reply 2
foundintransmission
Hello!
Bascially, is there any other alternative to passports and driving license’s to use as ID? Seeing as I don’t have a passport and I’m not going to be learning to drive for a very long time [and it’s £50!] does anyone know of any alternatives that are usually accepted? My friend was telling me about a citizencard? And how they’re like official ones that they should reject? Someone also said ‘the one you get from the post office’ I’ve no idea what this means and I wondered if that’s a citizencard as well? Basically, any advice would be good, and if anyone who has been in a similar situation could tell me what they did, that would be great! :biggrin:


In all honesty most clubs and pubs will only take a driving license/passport. I've had friends get turned away with Citizencards in Newbury and Newcastle as fakes are easy to make. Your best bet would still be a citizencard though as far as other ID goes. Connexions cards etc come and go, but they've always been around. Just for god sake don't try and use a birth certificate, oh yes, people are that stupid.
Kerry350
In all honesty most clubs and pubs will only take a driving license/passport. I've had friends get turned away with Citizencards in Newbury and Newcastle as fakes are easy to make. Your best bet would still be a citizencard though as far as other ID goes. Connexions cards etc come and go, but they've always been around. Just for god sake don't try and use a birth certificate, oh yes, people are that stupid.

Aww :frown: I don't really have £72/£50 to pay for either to be honest xD. But I can see myself having to end up getting one. It's just silly because they cost so much money and I'm not going to be learning to drive/go abroad any time soon! :p:
I also started a thread the other day on boomerang cards. Which are basically bank cards, which second up as ID, and only cost a tenner, so I was thinking that might be a good idea? No one seems to know much about them though, and I think that if it’s a bank card aswell, it’s obvious it isn’t fake?
https://www.boomerangprepaidcard.co.uk/index.html
Reply 4
foundintransmission
Aww :frown: I don't really have £72/£50 to pay for either to be honest xD. But I can see myself having to end up getting one. It's just silly because they cost so much money and I'm not going to be learning to drive/go abroad any time soon! :p:
I also started a thread the other day on boomerang cards. Which are basically bank cards, which second up as ID, and only cost a tenner, so I was thinking that might be a good idea? No one seems to know much about them though, and I think that if it’s a bank card aswell, it’s obvious it isn’t fake?
https://www.boomerangprepaidcard.co.uk/index.html




You may as well try the Boomering thing, although I really don't know whether they'll accept it or not. TBH, I see SO many people who don't have their driving licence/passport on them turned away, even when they have another, valid kind of ID as the other kinds are too easy to fake (inc. the ones with the PASS logo).
Reply 5
Driving Lic's are JUST as easy to fake as other forms of ID.

Passports, more difficult.
Charlski
You may as well try the Boomering thing, although I really don't know whether they'll accept it or not. TBH, I see SO many people who don't have their driving licence/passport on them turned away, even when they have another, valid kind of ID as the other kinds are too easy to fake (inc. the ones with the PASS logo).

It's a pretty new thing you see and I just firgured it might work seeing as it's not going to be easy to fake. The only thing is, I've not actually spoke to anyone who's used one, so I don't know if they actually work. I suppose it depends from area to area though. Other than the boomerang card, anyone else got any other ideas? :biggrin:
Reply 7
Stick to driver's license or passport. With anything else you can expect to be turned away on a regular basis.
Reply 8
i have to get a new passport so i have to send off my old one so how am i gonna do clubbin. do u think theyll accept a phto copy?
Reply 9
b_b_b
i have to get a new passport so i have to send off my old one so how am i gonna do clubbin. do u think theyll accept a phto copy?

Most definitely not.
foundintransmission
Hello!
Bascially, is there any other alternative to passports and driving license’s to use as ID? Seeing as I don’t have a passport and I’m not going to be learning to drive for a very long time [and it’s £50!] does anyone know of any alternatives that are usually accepted? My friend was telling me about a citizencard? And how they’re like official ones that they should reject? Someone also said ‘the one you get from the post office’ I’ve no idea what this means and I wondered if that’s a citizencard as well? Basically, any advice would be good, and if anyone who has been in a similar situation could tell me what they did, that would be great! :biggrin:


Driving Licenses and Passports are the ONLY surefire way of getting in somewhere and/or buying something. Ok, they may be an expensive investment initially, but it is something which will last of the rest of your life, if you ever want to travel, or ever want to drive, you're going to need one or both, you might as well get the full benefit as early as possible. Just because you have a provisional license DOESN'T mean you have to start to learn driving straight away, many of my friends simply got them to use as ID.

CitizenCards/Boomerangs/whatever may be 'official' but they are not widely accepted. I have had one for several years, so far I have yet to find somewhere that accepts it, London, Bristol, banks, bars, clubs, supermarkets, even places with the posters up, WON'T accept it.

Look at it this way, you're going to be really gutted when you go out with your mates and they all have Driving Licenses/Passports and get into a bar/club and you can't because you chose to get a free, crap, easily faked ID.

Yes, Citizen Cards/whatever, are far easily faked than Passports/DLs. An old trick when I was at school was to slip the Post Office worker £20 to sign you off as being older than you actually was and/or changing the dates after it had been signed off.
ch0c0h01ic
Driving Licenses and Passports are the ONLY surefire way of getting in somewhere and/or buying something. Ok, they may be an expensive investment initially, but it is something which will last of the rest of your life, if you ever want to travel, or ever want to drive, you're going to need one or both, you might as well get the full benefit as early as possible. Just because you have a provisional license DOESN'T mean you have to start to learn driving straight away, many of my friends simply got them to use as ID.

CitizenCards/Boomerangs/whatever may be 'official' but they are not widely accepted. I have had one for several years, so far I have yet to find somewhere that accepts it, London, Bristol, banks, bars, clubs, supermarkets, even places with the posters up, WON'T accept it.

Look at it this way, you're going to be really gutted when you go out with your mates and they all have Driving Licenses/Passports and get into a bar/club and you can't because you chose to get a free, crap, easily faked ID.

Yes, Citizen Cards/whatever, are far easily faked than Passports/DLs. An old trick when I was at school was to slip the Post Office worker £20 to sign you off as being older than you actually was and/or changing the dates after it had been signed off.

Well that's stupid :p: I don't wanna have to fork out £72 for a passport [which I presume in my case I would actually use at some point in the next few years, supposed to a provisional], it's just because they cost so much money which I can't really afford - the reason i'm not learning to drive/gone abroad in the first place! :p: The irony. Oh well, thanks for your advice everyone, it doesn't look like I'm gunna be able to go out for my 18th, I might be alright if I'm with work though [hopefully]. :smile:
Driving licenses will last until you're 60, so think of it as an investment =)
But yeah, driving licenses make good ID. Or an old passport can work, too :smile:
Reply 13
even old passports are a risk. we accept them where I work so long as the photo is recent, but alot of places won't.

just get a driving license, if you ever want to learn to drive in your life you're going to need one anyway so why put it off?
foundintransmission
Hello!
Bascially, is there any other alternative to passports and driving license’s to use as ID? Seeing as I don’t have a passport and I’m not going to be learning to drive for a very long time [and it’s £50!] does anyone know of any alternatives that are usually accepted? My friend was telling me about a citizencard? And how they’re like official ones that they should reject? Someone also said ‘the one you get from the post office’ I’ve no idea what this means and I wondered if that’s a citizencard as well? Basically, any advice would be good, and if anyone who has been in a similar situation could tell me what they did, that would be great! :biggrin:


ISIC are usually well recognised. Try that also they get you studnet discount on loads of junk!
Ari_ben_ami
ISIC are usually well recognised. Try that also they get you studnet discount on loads of junk!


1. I've never heard of this well recognised form of ID, therefore I doubt a UK bouncer/bar staff will.

2. For the vast majority of places these days they will only accept a Driving License and/or a Passport, some places even reject Provisional Driving Licenses.

As I will say again, if you have a DL or Passport, you WILL get in, come along with any other crappy alternative and get ready to get disappointed.
Reply 16
Don't try and get another form of ID, just get a provisional. And think about it, when you go out, you can easily spend £50 (ok, you can spend £20), but it's only two/three nights out at that. It's really not a lot of money on the whole grand scheme of things.
Okay, well reading what everyone has said, I'll probably get a passport in January, at least there's more of a chance I'll be using that soon than a provisional at least. It's just a shame I have to spend so much money on ID, esp when I don't even drink much. Looks like I'm not going to have ID for my birthday either =[ Oh well.
arisk01
you can get a connexions card can't you? or a citizencard


Connexions cards are not made anymore and they are not acceptable ID either, my friend has tried countless times to use it as ID and it is always rejected despite it having her photo and DOB on it.
post office do driving licenses? just get a passport, you're gonna need to get one eventually.
i don't know of anywhere that accepts anything other than passports/driving license, even a local pub rejected someone i know with a citizen card.