Digital Identity Checks are the new government-approved method to digitally verify the identity of individuals applying for a job in the UK. When you verify your applicants’ identities digitally, you no longer need to meet them in person or check and copy their original identification documents. This feature is now available through our app.

The current price for the digital identity check is £4.99, taking the total DBS cost to £50.99 if you'd like to include this.

Please Note: For DBS checks, the digital pathway will be possible for anyone holding an in-date passport from any country, as long as their address can also be verified by a UK driving licence and/or a digital verification with a credit referencing agency for example. Further information regarding the check itself can be found at the following link: Verifile - Digital Identity Check

How To Access the Check

To gain access to DBS Digital Identity Verifications, you will first need to set up an account to be able to order external checks through Sign In Central Record if you don't yet have one. Please see the following guide for this: Accessing Checking Services

If you already have an account for external checks, please send us an email at help@signincentralrecord.com and we will enable the feature on your account. Once this has been set up, please see the following help guide on Ordering Enhanced DBS Checks

 

Verifile's Frequently Asked Questions

• Why has this change come about?

The temporary remote measures that were in place due to the pandemic, while more convenient, impacted security and increased the risk of fraud. Digital ID Verification was approved as there is now certified technology to check the authenticity of documents, including checking security features, which makes the ID-checking process more robust and reliable.

• What is Yoti's relationship with the Post Office?

Yoti and the Post Office have created a unique partnership in the UK to provide a holistic and accessible ID verification mobile app. The EasyID provides a growing network of reusable Digital ID wallets.

• How does this impact employers?

Digital ID checks can potentially impact any employer in the UK, but the end of temporary measures on September 30th 2022 has the most impact on employers recruiting remotely. Organisations had to go back to face-to-face identity checks for Right to Work and DBS Identity Verification checks from October 1st 2022 unless they embraced digital identity checks.

Digital ID checks will also be very helpful for any organisation recruiting staff to work in more than one location across the UK. It has traditionally been challenging for many such businesses to ensure consistency and good practice when it comes to RTW and DBS checks and Digital ID checks will significantly alleviate the problem.

• What actually changed after 30th September 2022?

Right to Work ID checks can be carried out over video calls Job applicants and existing workers can send scanned documents/photos of documents for checks rather than sending originals The temporary measures below that were in place for Right to Work checks from 30th March 2020 to 30th September 2022 will no longer be allowed:

• Right to Work ID checks can be carried out over video calls
• Job applicants and existing workers can send scanned documents/photos of documents for checks rather than sending originals

Therefore, employers must carry out face-to-face ID verification with original copies of documents if they are not utilising Digital ID verification. The new legislation only impacts Right to Work checks, while temporary measures are still in place for DBS checks. No end date has been given for DBS temporary measures and the DBS have confirmed that they are likely to become permanent in the next iteration of the DBS ID check guidelines.

• Will expired passports be valid for DBS Digital ID checks?

No. Only valid and in-date passports (of any nationality) will be accepted for DBS checks.

Please note that NO expired passports, from any country, can be used as an identity document for DBS check purposes.

• How can candidates complete Digital ID verification?

Candidates can either:

1. Download the free Yoti app on their smartphone and create an account. This will give them a reusable digital ID that they can use for a multitude of other purposes including buying age-restricted goods in selected supermarkets/kiosks. They will be able to scan their documents and carry out a liveness test on their mobile phone.
2. Candidates can complete a one-time Digital ID process by continuing on the Verifile portal, and can use their mobile phone camera or laptop/desktop webcam to scan their documents and to carry out a liveness test.
3. Candidates who are unable or unwilling to use Digital ID verification can fill in their details manually and upload relevant documents on the Verifile portal for checks, as required by the employer.
    

• Is there a cost to the candidate to use the Yoti Easy ID service?

No, the mobile app is free for candidates, and the employer will pay for the digital check(s) for eligible candidates.

• What happens to candidate information, how is it stored and what's the security around the verification process?

Yoti’s highly secure technology, data storage and data privacy approaches are fundamental to building trust with governments, businesses, charities and the individuals that use their services. The Yoti app stores every item (attribute) of personal information (date of birth, first name, surname, telephone number, passport number etc.) in its own layer of bank-grade encryption, where only the individual has access to that data. The encryption keys are stored in the secure element of their smartphone.

Furthermore, there is no ‘profile’ of a user in the Yoti app, and as such, we hold a ‘sea’ of attributes that have no relationship between them unless that real, authenticated individual requires it. In this way, Yoti does not – and cannot – access personal information. We just now that one attribute is a type – ie. type = DOB or first name – but not the actual content.

The technology and security are highly audited and include ISO27001 and SOC2 Type 2 certifications. As such, Yoti were the first IDSP to be certified by the government for DBS, RTW and Right to Rent checks. Yoti users are in total control of their data and can download or delete data at any time they wish. Verifile retains the data that the candidate shares with them in exactly the same manner as they do at the moment, and likewise with the employer. For data deletion, the same process would still apply.

• What does the candidate process look like?

Verifile has provided a short video showing the candidate's side of the process for digital identity checks: