Watchtower/Law library/ID checking guidelines for.../Checking driving licences
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ID checking guidelines for Standard/Enhanced DBS check... · Guidance on Checking Documents

Checking driving licences

id checking guidelines for standardenhanced dbs check applications from 22 april 2025 guidance on checking documents checking driving licences · in force: unknown

Captured source text (L5)

Checking driving licences

Do not accept licences, other than those stated in the list of valid identity documents.
English, Welsh, and Scottish driving licence numbers contain information about the applicant’s name, sex, and date of birth. This information is written in a special format but can be decoded as explained below and matched against the information provided by the applicant.
Please note that the date of birth on English, Welsh, and Scottish driving licences, issued before 1977, is not recorded as a separate entry on the licence. The date of birth can be deciphered from the driving licence number and checked against the date of birth field on the application form.
For example, the format of the number for Christine Josephine Robinson, born 2 July 1975:
R O B I N 7 5 7 0 2 5 C J 9 9 9 0 1
N N N N N Y M M D D Y I I C C C C C
N = 1st five letters of the surname (if the surname begins MAC or MC it is treated as MC for all)
Y = Year of birth
M = Month of birth (In the case of a female, the number represented by the first M will have the value 5 added to the first digit, for example, a female born in November (i.e. 11) would display ‘61’ in the MM boxes or if born in February (i.e. 02) would display ‘52’
D = Day of month of birth
I = Initial letter of the first two forenames - if only one, then 9 will replace the second letter; if the licence indicates that the applicant has a middle name, ensure that one has been provided in section A
C = Computer generated
For Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, and Jersey driving licences the licence number is in a different format. The licence number is unique to the driver and the ‘name’ or ‘date of birth’ verification, as shown above, cannot be used.
Full captured verbatim text
Do not accept licences, other than those stated in the list of valid identity documents.

English, Welsh, and Scottish driving licence numbers contain information about the applicant’s name, sex, and date of birth. This information is written in a special format but can be decoded as explained below and matched against the information provided by the applicant.

Please note that the date of birth on English, Welsh, and Scottish driving licences, issued before 1977, is not recorded as a separate entry on the licence. The date of birth can be deciphered from the driving licence number and checked against the date of birth field on the application form.

For example, the format of the number for Christine Josephine Robinson, born 2 July 1975:

R O B I N 7 5 7 0 2 5 C J 9 9 9 0 1

N N N N N Y M M D D Y I I C C C C C

N = 1st five letters of the surname (if the surname begins MAC or MC it is treated as MC for all)

Y = Year of birth

M = Month of birth (In the case of a female, the number represented by the first M will have the value 5 added to the first digit, for example, a female born in November (i.e. 11) would display ‘61’ in the MM boxes or if born in February (i.e. 02) would display ‘52’

D = Day of month of birth

I = Initial letter of the first two forenames - if only one, then 9 will replace the second letter; if the licence indicates that the applicant has a middle name, ensure that one has been provided in section A

C = Computer generated

For Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, and Jersey driving licences the licence number is in a different format. The licence number is unique to the driver and the ‘name’ or ‘date of birth’ verification, as shown above, cannot be used.

What this provision means

Model summary, checked against the text on the left.

Relevance to Signicat: 3/3 · detailed summary (L4) Status: not needed for a short provision · Stored artifact; current recipe verification unavailable

ID checkers must decode English, Welsh, and Scottish driving licence numbers to cross-check name, sex, and birth date details.

Only the one-line summary above is stored for this provision; the text itself is the evidence.

Refers to

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Referred to by

No captured references.

Part summaries

0 of 0 parts have a verified summary.

L1 unavailable for current verification: the overall summary needs every part verified. Provisions and the verified summaries remain readable.

Verification findings (60)

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 introduction

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-introduction

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 right-to-work

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-right-to-work

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 identity-check-rules

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-identity-check-rules

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 how-to-view-id-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-how-to-view-id-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-how-to-view-id-documents-option-one

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-how-to-view-id-documents-option-two

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-how-to-view-id-documents-option-three

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 what-if-there-are-discrepancies

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-what-if-there-are-discrepancies

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 transgender-applicants

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-transgender-applicants

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 applicants-who-have-been-adopted

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-applicants-who-have-been-adopted

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 the-3-route-id-checking-process

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-the-3-route-id-checking-process

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-the-3-route-id-checking-process-route-1

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-the-3-route-id-checking-process-route-2

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-the-3-route-id-checking-process-route-3

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 document-lists

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-document-lists

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-document-lists-group-1-primary-identity-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-document-lists-group-2a-trusted-government-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-document-lists-group-2b-financial-and-social-history-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-document-lists-what-if-the-applicant-s-identity-cannot-be-established-using-one-of-the-three-routes

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 guidance-on-checking-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-how-do-i-check-for-indicators-of-fraud

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-a-passport

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-driving-licences

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-a-photo-driving-licence

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-an-old-style-driving-licence-no-photograph

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-an-evisa-using-view-and-prove

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-a-biometric-residence-permit

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-a-birth-certificate

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-an-eea-photo-identity-card

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-a-hm-forces-id-card-or-hm-armed-forces-veteran-card

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-checking-a-firearms-licence

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-guidance-on-checking-documents-other-types-of-id

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 what-should-you-do-if-you-suspect-false-identity-or-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-what-should-you-do-if-you-suspect-false-identity-or-documents

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 where-to-go-for-help-to-check-non-uk-issued-identity-and-travel-documents

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-where-to-go-for-help-to-check-non-uk-issued-identity-and-travel-documents

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 external-verification-service

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-external-verification-service

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 how-can-i-access-an-external-id-verification-check

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-how-can-i-access-an-external-id-verification-check

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 how-do-i-decide-whether-an-applicant-has-passed-or-failed-an-external-id-verification-check

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-how-do-i-decide-whether-an-applicant-has-passed-or-failed-an-external-id-verification-check

synthesis coverage: missing/unverified L2 easy-five-step-guide-to-accessing-an-external-id-verification-check

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-easy-five-step-guide-to-accessing-an-external-id-verification-check

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-easy-five-step-guide-to-accessing-an-external-id-verification-check-step-1

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-easy-five-step-guide-to-accessing-an-external-id-verification-check-step-2

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-easy-five-step-guide-to-accessing-an-external-id-verification-check-step-3

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-easy-five-step-guide-to-accessing-an-external-id-verification-check-step-4

synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025#id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025-easy-five-step-guide-to-accessing-an-external-id-verification-check-step-5

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Instrument
uk:govuk/dbs-id-checking-guidelines-2025
Part
Guidance on Checking Documents
Version
febaa24e10df10d6ffbae7c3…
Content hash
sha256 453ee6566289a3a5d3addf68…
Source
gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-identity-checking-guidelines/id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025