Digital ID in the UK

What is digital ID?

Digital identity (ID) refers to a digital representation of a person used to verify who they are or facts about them in online and physical interactions.

Potential benefits

Digital identity systems can offer efficiency, fraud reduction and privacy protection (PDF).

These benefits derive in part from the fact that digital IDs can be ‘reusable’. A digital identity service provider verifies an individual’s documents, then issues them with a ‘verified credential’ confirming that facts about them (such as their name and age) are true. In the future, the individual will be able to share the verified credential, rather than their identity documents. If organisations accept that the digital identity service provider has authoritatively verified the individual’s identity, they do not need to do it again themselves.

Reusable digital IDs enable data minimisation. For example, a credential might confirm that an individual is over 18 without also revealing their date of birth or actual age.

These systems do not necessarily require a government-issued digital ID. They also do not necessarily need a centralised database. Rather, digital ID systems can be decentralised. Verified credentials are held on the user’s phone, while their personal data remains with the authority that issued their identity document.

Potential risks

Privacy groups including Privacy International and Big Brother Watch have highlighted the risks in digital identity systems, including: data breaches, user profiling, surveillance, exclusion and function creep (where a digital ID becomes mandatory in more scenarios than originally proposed).

Decentralised systems may mitigate some of these risks, but concerns remain about usage tracking and unique identifiers. Big Brother Watch stresses that even decentralised systems can behave like centralised ones if identifiers link data across platforms.

Existing UK Government policy on digital ID Regulatory support for the private sector

Digital verification services are already used in the UK. They are offered by the private sector on a voluntary basis. The UK digital verification services sector generated £2.1 billion in revenue in 2023/24.

Successive governments have sought to support the adoption of private sector digital IDs by developing the UK digital verification services trust framework. The trust framework sets standards for digital identity service providers in areas such as privacy, cybersecurity and inclusivity. It is intended to ensure that individuals and businesses can trust and rely on digital ID services. Only providers who are certified against the trust framework will be able to access government-held data for the purpose of identity verification.

The government is working on changes to legislation and guidance to clarify that digital IDs can be used in interactions such as purchasing alcohol and carrying out anti-money laundering checks.

Public sector initiatives

The government is developing two related digital identity services:

• UK One Login: a unified account system for accessing government services, replacing over 190 separate login systems.
• UK Wallet: an app for storing government-issued documents like driving licences.

These are separate to the digital ID scheme announced in September 2025, although that scheme will build on GOV.UK One Login and GOV.UK Wallet.

Immigration status and right-to-work checks

The government tells employers to check whether the people they hire have the right to work in the UK. While these right-to-work checks are not compulsory as such, companies found to have hired an unauthorised worker without checking their status can be fined up to £45,000 for a first breach.

For most migrants in the UK, the only valid form of right-to-work check is done online. The employee provides the employer with a ‘share code’ which can be used to view the person’s eVisa (a digital record of immigration status) through gov.uk. Physical residence permits are no longer valid.

Existing private sector digital identity services can currently be used for right-to-work checks for people with a British or Irish passport.

Proposals for a national digital ID

On 26 September 2025, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a digital ID scheme. The government initially said the digital ID would be mandatory for proving the right to work, as a way of tackling illegal immigration. However, the mandatory element of the scheme was dropped following a political and public backlash. The messaging around the scheme has since shifted to user convenience and improving public services.

The government published a consultation on the scheme in March 2026. It said the digital ID would be designed based on three principles: first, it must be useful, in terms of being widely usable across the economy and public services; second, it must be inclusive, in terms of being freely available and accessible to people who lack identity documents or are digitally excluded; third, it must be trusted, in terms of having “robust privacy, resilience and security measures that put people in control”.

The digital ID will be built ‘in-house’ by the government. There will be no centralised database containing everyone’s personal information: data will remain with the organisations that currently hold it.

The government has not said how much the scheme will cost, arguing that this will depend on design choices made following the consultation. It has rejected a cost estimate from the Office for Budget Responsibility of £1.8 billion. The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has been critical of the government’s failure to address questions about cost.

Political and public reactions

Proposals for a national digital ID scheme have previously been made by think tanks including Labour Together and the Tony Blair Institute. Editorials in national newspapers have expressed some support for these proposals.

Opposition parties and civil liberties groups spoke out against the government’s scheme. They cited concerns about surveillance, data breaches and digital exclusion. A parliamentary petition against mandatory digital ID gathered almost 3 million signatures. Critics have also questioned whether the scheme will help reduce illegal immigration, arguing that unscrupulous employers will have no more incentive to carry out right-to-work checks than they do today.

The tech industry has been critical of the government’s narrative surrounding digital ID, arguing that the private sector is already delivering privacy-preserving digital ID services. Trade groups have expressed concern that the government’s scheme could crowd out private sector alternatives.

Politicians, civil liberties groups, and industry stakeholders all welcomed the news that the digital ID would not be mandatory.