Common use of Verification of Identity Clause in Contracts

Verification of Identity. 3.1 The individual’s full name; signature; date of birth and full permanent address should be corroborated using as many of the following qualifying documents as is considered necessary on a case-by-case basis. Only original documents should be used for identification purposes – copies are not appropriate. Where a signature has not previously been provided (e.g. because of an e-application), the individual should be asked to provide it at a later date (e.g. at interview), for checking against relevant documentation: Current signed full passport, travel document, National ID Card and/or other documentation related to immigration status and permission to work (see further guidance on verification of nationality and immigration status in Section 5 of this Schedule); Current UK photocard driving licence; Current full UK driving licence (old version); Current benefit book or card or original notification letter from the Department of Work and Pensions confirming the right to benefit); Building industry Sub-Contractor’s certificate issued by HMRC; Recent HMRC tax notification; Current firearms certificate; Birth certificate (long version only); Adoption certificate; Marriage certificate; Divorce, dissolution or annulment papers; Civil Partnership Certificate; Citizencard (xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx); Gender recognition certificate; Police registration document; HM Forces identity card; Proof of residence from a financial institution; Confirmation from an Electoral Register search that a person of that name lives at that address*; Recent original utility bill or certificate from a utility company confirming the arrangement to pay for the services at a fixed address on prepayment terms*; Local authority tax bill (valid for current Year)*; Bank, building society or credit union statement or passbook containing current address*; Recent original mortgage statement from a recognised lender*; Current local council rent card or tenancy agreement*; Court Order*.

Verification of Identity. 3.1 The individual’s full name; name and signature; , date of birth and full permanent address should be corroborated using as many of the following qualifying documents as is considered necessary on a case-by-case basis. Only original documents should be used for identification purposes – copies are not appropriate. Where a signature has not previously been provided (e.g. because of an e-application), the individual should be asked to provide it at a later date (e.g. at interview), for checking against relevant documentation: Current signed full passport, travel document, National ID Card and/or other documentation related to immigration status and permission to work (see further guidance on verification of nationality and immigration status in Section section 5 of this Scheduledocument); Current UK photocard driving licence; Current full UK driving licence (old version); Current benefit book or card or original notification letter from the Department of Work and Pensions DWP confirming the right to benefit); Building industry Subsub-Contractorcontractor’s certificate issued by HMRC; Recent HMRC tax notification; Current firearms certificate; Birth certificate (long version only); Adoption certificate; Marriage certificate; Divorce, dissolution or annulment papers; Civil Partnership Certificate; Citizencard (xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx); Gender recognition certificate; Police registration document; HM Forces identity card; Proof of residence from a financial institution; Confirmation from an Electoral Register search that a person of that name lives at that address*; Recent original utility bill xxxx or certificate from a utility company confirming the arrangement to pay for the services at a fixed address on prepayment terms*; Local authority tax bill xxxx (valid for current Yearyear)*; Bank, building society or credit union statement or passbook containing current address*; Recent original mortgage statement from a recognised lender*; Current local council rent card or tenancy agreement*; Court Order*. Not all documents are of equal value. The ideal is a document that is issued by a trustworthy and reliable source, is difficult to forge, has been dated and is current, contains the owners name, photograph and signature and itself requires some evidence of identity before being issued (e.g. a passport). Those marked with an * should be recent (at least one should be within the last six months unless there is a good reason why not) and should contain the name and address of the applicant. Where individuals do not have photo ID, they should be asked to provide additional identifying documents from the list. Where they are unable to provide adequate identifying documents (e.g. because of age, lack of residence, etc), discretion should be exercised, taking into account all other material obtained through the recruitment process. Where this appears genuinely to be a problem, the individual should be asked to provide a passport sized photograph of him/herself endorsed on the back with the signature of a person of some standing in the individual’s community (e.g. a JP, medical practitioner, officer of the armed forces, teacher, lecturer, lawyer, bank manager, civil servant, etc) and accompanied by a signed statement, completed by the same person, stating the period of time that the individual has been known to them (minimum 3 years). The statement, itself, should always be checked to ensure that the signature matches the one on the back of the photograph and that it contains a legible name, address and telephone number. The signatory should be contacted to check that he or she did, in fact, complete the statement. The following techniques can be used to help confirm the authenticity of identity documents provided by the individual: Examine the documents carefully to make sure that they are originals and not copies or photocopies; Where possible, compare with examples of known original documents, checking paper type, typeface, watermarks and the like (e.g. passports and driving licences contain a number of design features); Examine the documents for alteration or signs that the photograph have been tampered with or replaced (a bright light or the more sophisticated ultra-violet lamp can be useful for this purpose); Check that any signature on the documents compares with other examples and, if practicable, ask the candidate to sign something in the presence of an authorised individual; Check that details given on the documents correspond with what is already known about the individual; Take a note of the condition of documents in relation to issue dates, particularly where they appear to be new and referee coverage is barely adequate. Guidance on ID documentation checks is available from the Centre for the Protection of the National Infrastructure (CPNI) 2007: xxxx://xxx.xxxx.xxx.xx/Docs/Document_verification_guidance_released_July_2007.pdf National Insurance Number (NINO) National Insurance Numbers (NINOs) can be acquired fraudulently and therefore they should not be accepted as a sole means of identification or as a wholly reliable indicator of entitlement to work in the UK. Verification of Employment History Although the Contractor may continue to seek suitable references if they wish, they are not required as part of the Standard. To satisfy themselves that prospective employees have been honest and are not concealing associations or gaps, the Contractor should, as a minimum, verify recent (minimum of past 3 years) employment history. Approaches to a previous and/or current employer should not be made without the individual’s prior written permission. For periods of self-employment, the individual should be asked to co-operate in providing evidence (e.g. from bankers, accountants, solicitors, trade or client references etc), as appropriate, confirming that the individual’s business was properly conducted and was terminated satisfactorily. Where the Contractor continues to seek references, reasonable steps should be taken to ensure they are genuine, especially where they appear less than convincing (e.g. are provided on poor quality paper or contain basic spelling or grammatical errors). Such checks might include: Telephoning the author to confirm they provided the reference. In these circumstances the telephone number should be ascertained independently. A telephone number supplied by the individual being checked should not be relied upon; Checking the existence of the employer (e.g. that it appears in the phone book or relevant business directories). The Contractor may wish to use the Employment History/Reference Report Form provided at Annex B when seeking verification of employment history/references. It is designed to help former employers provide relevant information about the individual and minimise the effort involved to prompt a quick response. Alternatively, for speed and to keep delays in the process to a minimum, the Contractor may wish to e-mail former employers for confirmation of an individual’s employment history. In these circumstances, email addresses should be ascertained independently. An email address supplied by the individual being checked should not be relied on. The telephone can be used to check details already provided (e.g. in writing or by email), but it is not recommended as an initial or sole means of verifying employment history and/or obtaining references unless it is clear that the person on the other end is who they claim to be. Where the telephone continues to be used for this purpose, the details should still be recorded. Depending on the individual’s circumstances, the following actions may also be required: Where an individual has been overseas for 6 months or more during the previous 3 years, every effort should be made to verify employment details or obtain a reference from an overseas employer; Where for any reason, confirmation of employment history or an employer’ reference is not available, a personal reference should be obtained from a referee of some standing in the individuals community (e.g. a JP, medical practitioner, officer of the armed forces, teacher, lecturer, lawyer, bank manager, civil servant, etc). (This is not necessary if the period of coverage is less than 6 months). Where an individual has been in full time education during the period, confirmation or a reference should also be obtained from the relevant academic institution(s). It may also be possible to make use of an electronic CV checking service to assist with this process; there are a number of commercial products and service providers available.

Verification of Identity. 3.1 The individual’s full name; signature; date of birth and full permanent address should be corroborated using as many of the following qualifying documents as is considered necessary on a case-by-case basis. Only original documents should be used for identification purposes – copies are not appropriate. Where a signature has not previously been provided (e.g. because of an e-application), the individual should be asked to provide it at a later date (e.g. at interview), for checking against relevant documentation: Current signed full passport, travel document, National ID Card and/or other documentation related to immigration status and permission to work (see further guidance on verification of nationality and immigration status in Section 5 of this Schedule); Current UK photocard driving licence; Current full UK driving licence (old version); Current benefit book or card or original notification letter from the Department of Work and Pensions DWP confirming the right to benefit); Building industry Sub-Contractor’s certificate issued by HMRC; Recent HMRC tax notification; Current firearms certificate; Birth certificate (long version only); Adoption certificate; Marriage certificate; Divorce, dissolution or annulment papers; Civil Partnership Certificate; Citizencard (xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx); Gender recognition certificate; Police registration document; HM Forces identity card; Proof of residence from a financial institution; Confirmation from an Electoral Register search that a person of that name lives at that address*; Recent original utility bill xxxx or certificate from a utility company confirming the arrangement to pay for the services at a fixed address on prepayment terms*; Local authority tax bill xxxx (valid for current Yearyear)*; Bank, building society or credit union statement or passbook containing current address*; Recent original mortgage statement from a recognised lender*; Current local council rent card or tenancy agreement*; Court Order*.