Passports are not just for trips abroad.
They are a very useful piece of ID and, if possible, make sure you keep yours renewed even if you don’t think you’ll be travelling soon.
We have seen many cases recently of our clients needing to prove their identity to banks and this is often the only ID that can be accepted especially if you have stopped driving. Without it we’ve seen clients locked out of their own banking, even in branch, as they cannot prove who they are when something has gone wrong or when a fraud flag has been placed on their account.
If you are moving home soon you’ll need to prove your identity to your solicitor and this will be the easiest way. There are many organisations that are inflexible when it comes to ID requirements and keeping your passport renewed can take the stress out of things as you don’t always know you need it until you do.
And don’t forget, you can use it as ID for voting since there are now requirements for ID at polling stations. There is now of course a special voter ID you can get if you don’t have a passport, and other items you can use like your freedom pass or blue badge. You can of course always apply for a postal vote if going to the polling station is too stressful.
If you or a loved one need help doing the online passport renewal (or new passport) application, we would love to help.
