Barclays Identity Service Launches, Providing a Secure and Simple Way for UK Residents to Access Government Services Online

UK residents using GOV.UK Verify to access government services online will now be able to choose the Barclays Identity Service to quickly and securely verify their identity, giving them easy access to services such as viewing their driving licence, completing a self-assessment tax return online or claiming a rural payment.

The GOV.UK Verify service works by giving people the option to choose from a range of certified companies to prove and manage their identity. It not only makes accessing public services a much faster and more pain free process by removing the need for paper based identity evidence, its offers a simple way to login and provides people with the assurance that there are strict limits to the amount of information held about them with no one company having more information than the minimum required to perform their checks, and no central store of information by the government.

The new Barclays Identity Service is available to everyone, whether they are a Barclays customer or not. People simply need to go through a one off registration process which requires them to provide a UK passport, UK driving licence and bank account which Barclays checks with third party sources. Finally the user will also be asked questions about themselves to which only they should know the answer. Once registration is complete, they will then be able to log on to any government services which display the GOV.UK Verify logo using just a user name, password and their mobile.

Peter Simon, Head of Information at Barclays said, “Modern life is busy so personal admin can often fall down the to-do list unless it can be undertaken easily, quickly and at a convenient time. The Barclays Identity Service will help those looking to access government services do just this, allowing people to register an account without completing long forms or lengthy paperwork or even leaving the house; and then log in through a quick and secure process.”

The launch of the service follows Barclays’ appointment by the Government’s Digital Service as a chosen provider in March 2015.