Certifying your documents

Which documents need to be certified?

To confirm your identity, we need one of the following Government issued documents to be correctly certified:

• Valid, signed and in date passport*
• Valid, in date UK photo card or old style paper driving licence*
• Firearms certificate or shotgun licence*
• HMRC Tax notification (Excluding Self Assessment)
• Recent evidence of entitlement to a state or local authority benefit (e.g. state pension, tax credit or housing benefit)

* For your own protection, we advise not to send original documents through the post and recommend sending certified photocopies. All documents received will be sent back to your home address when your identity has been confirmed.

Who can certify my documents?

A certified document is a copy of the original signed by specific 'Professional Persons'.

We accept copies certified by:

• a solicitor/lawyer
• an accountant
• a bank or building society official
• an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA)
• a mortgage broker
• a medical doctor

Please note, documents cannot be certified by yourself and we do not accept documents certified by a family member, or those with educational professions such as teachers and university tutors.

How to certify your documents

The certification MUST be dated within the last 12 months and include:

• Date of certification
• The specific wording “Certified to be a true copy of the original”
• Full name, job title, signature, company address and contact details of the certifier.