No Photo ID DBS Check? Right to Work Without a Passport
No photo ID DBS check? How agencies complete DBS ID Routes 1 to 3 and right to work checks when a candidate has no passport or driving licence.
A candidate with no passport or driving licence can still get a DBS check and pass a right to work check. If you need a no photo ID DBS check, the DBS ID checking guidelines give three routes, and Route 1 can be met without photo ID. For right to work, a British citizen can use a UK birth or adoption certificate plus official evidence of their National Insurance number.
In short:
- No photo ID is not a dead end. Ask what the candidate does have before you tell them to apply for a passport.
- DBS Route 1 accepts a birth certificate issued within 12 months of birth as the main document, plus two more.
- If Route 1 is impossible, Route 2 needs external ID validation. Route 3 is the last resort before fingerprints.
- For right to work, British citizens can show a birth or adoption certificate with official NI number evidence. An expired British passport also counts.
- For a manual right to work check, your agency must hold the original document, even over video.
Why does "no photo ID" stall so many placements?
It stalls because most teams treat a passport or driving licence as the only way through, so the candidate is told to wait.
The candidate has never had a passport and does not drive. Someone tells them to apply for one, and the start date slips by weeks. Often that advice is wrong: the rules give people without photo ID a way through.
Can you get a DBS check with no photo ID?
Yes. The DBS ID checking guidelines for standard and enhanced checks give three routes, and none of them strictly requires a photo.
DBS asks you to seek photo ID first, but where there is none, the documents together must confirm the candidate's name and date of birth. Basic checks have their own ID rules.
Route 1: try this first, even without photo ID
DBS says you must use Route 1 where possible. It needs one Group 1 document plus two more from Group 1, 2a or 2b.
Group 1 is not only passports and licences. It also includes:
- an original UK birth certificate issued within 12 months of birth
- a UK adoption certificate
- an eVisa, viewed through the Home Office View and Prove service
Many British adults still have the short birth certificate issued when their birth was registered. If its issue date is within 12 months of birth, Route 1 is open.
Route 2: no Group 1 documents at all
Route 2 is only for candidates who cannot meet Route 1. It needs one Group 2a document plus two more from Group 2a or 2b, and an external ID validation check.
Group 2a includes a later-issued birth certificate, a UK marriage or civil partnership certificate and a paper UK driving licence issued before March 2000. External ID validation checks the candidate's details against independent data and returns a pass or fail. Ask your Registered Body or umbrella body whether it offers this.
Route 3: when external validation fails
Route 3 is for candidates who cannot meet Routes 1 or 2. It needs a UK birth certificate issued more than 12 months after birth, one Group 2a document and three more from Group 2a or 2b.
DBS routes at a glance
| Route | When you can use it | What you need | Extra step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 1 | Always try first | 1 Group 1 document + 2 from Group 1, 2a or 2b | None |
| Route 2 | No Group 1 documents | 1 Group 2a document + 2 from Group 2a or 2b | External ID validation |
| Route 3 | Routes 1 and 2 not possible | Later-issued UK birth certificate + 1 Group 2a + 3 from Group 2a or 2b | None |
| Fingerprints | No route works | Fingerprinting at a local police station | Likely to delay the certificate |
Group 2b documents that candidates usually have
Common Group 2b documents include:
- UK bank or building society statement, issued in the last 3 months
- UK utility bill, issued in the last 3 months (not a mobile phone bill)
- P45 or P60, issued in the last 12 months (original only)
- council tax statement, issued in the last 12 months
- benefit statement, such as Child Benefit, issued in the last 12 months
- a PASS-logo proof of age card
Documents printed from the internet are not acceptable.
Checking the documents in person, by post or over video
DBS prefers an in-person check. If that is impractical, you can check over video while holding originals the candidate has posted to you. As a last option, view scans or video first, then see the originals in person before the start date. Record why you used a remote option.
How do you do a right to work check without a passport?
For a British citizen, use a UK birth or adoption certificate plus official evidence of their National Insurance number.
The Home Office employer's guide to right to work checks lists these in List A. You can find a fuller walk-through in our UK right to work checks guide.
British and Irish citizens
These combinations work without a current passport:
- a long or short birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK, with official NI number evidence
- a birth or adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland, with official NI number evidence
- a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, with official NI number evidence
- a British passport, even an expired one
- an Irish passport or passport card, current or expired
Official NI evidence is a document showing the candidate's name and permanent NI number. It must come from a government agency or a previous employer, such as a P45, P60 or a letter from HMRC. The guide allows this one in digital form, including a screenshot on the candidate's phone or an email.
Non-British candidates
Most non-British candidates prove their right to work online with a share code. They do not need a physical photo ID for this. You check their share code on GOV.UK using their date of birth. British and Irish citizens cannot get a share code.
How the manual check works
A digital check through an identity service provider needs a valid British or Irish passport, so here you are doing a manual check. From 1 October 2026, the agency supplying the worker is their employer for right to work purposes, so the check is yours. As before, you must be in physical possession of the original documents, in person or over a live video call. A scan or photo is not enough, except for the digital NI evidence above.
Complete the check before the candidate starts work. Make a clear copy, record the date and keep it for the employment plus two years.
If the candidate cannot show anything
Use the Employer Checking Service when the candidate has an outstanding Home Office application, or arrived before 1988 and has no documents.
Can one set of documents cover both checks?
Often, yes. Here is a hypothetical example, not a real candidate.
Worked example: a care worker with no passport or licence
Sam is British, has never had a passport and does not drive. Sam has the short birth certificate issued at birth, a P60 from a previous employer, issued in May and a bank statement from last month.
| Check | What Sam shows | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| DBS ID check | Birth certificate (Group 1), P60 (Group 2b), bank statement (Group 2b) | Route 1: one Group 1 plus two more |
| Right to work | Birth certificate plus P60 | List A: UK birth certificate with official NI evidence |
Three documents cover both checks. Had Sam's birth certificate been reissued last year, it would be Group 2a, and DBS would need Route 2. If you place into care, our social care staffing page covers the wider checklist.
What should you tell the candidate?
Tell them what they can use, in plain words, in one message.
A message you can copy
Hi Sam, no problem if you don't have a passport or driving licence. Please send me photos of these, then post or bring the originals:
- your birth certificate (check the issue date at the bottom)
- something showing your National Insurance number, like a P60, P45 or HMRC letter
- one bank statement or utility bill from the last 3 months, with your current address
If you've ever had a British passport, even an expired one, let me know too.
Checklist for your team
- Ask what the candidate has before telling them to get a passport.
- Check the birth certificate issue date against the date of birth.
- Confirm nationality, so you know whether a share code applies.
- Ask about expired British passports.
- Arrange to hold the originals before any manual right to work check.
- Record which DBS route you used and why.
Our guide to DBS checks for agency workers covers check levels and the Update Service.
Where does Amy fit?
Amy, our AI document agent, asks candidates for the right documents and keeps chasing only what is still missing. For the candidate it is a conversation on WhatsApp or email, with no portal and no login. When a candidate says they have no passport, Amy can answer in the thread with the documents your agency accepts instead.
Blurred photos, cut-off pages and wrong documents are rejected and asked for again. Accepted documents are filed to the candidate's record in your ATS. Your team still holds the originals and completes the checks.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get a DBS check without a passport or driving licence?
Yes. DBS Route 1 accepts other Group 1 documents, such as a UK birth certificate issued within 12 months of birth or an eVisa. If the candidate has no Group 1 document, Route 2 uses external ID validation and Route 3 is the next fallback.
Is a short birth certificate acceptable for a DBS check?
Yes, if it is the original and was issued within 12 months of the date of birth, it counts as a Group 1 document. A birth certificate issued later counts as Group 2a. Check the issue date before you choose a route.
What can a British citizen use for right to work without a passport?
A UK birth or adoption certificate, together with an official document showing their name and permanent National Insurance number. That NI evidence must come from a government agency or a previous employer. A certificate of registration or naturalisation with NI evidence also works.
Is an expired British passport acceptable for right to work?
Yes. Home Office List A includes a British passport, current or expired. For a DBS ID check, a UK passport can be no more than 6 months expired.
What happens if a candidate cannot meet any DBS route?
DBS guidance says applicants who cannot provide the necessary documents will be asked to go for fingerprinting at their local police station. This is likely to delay the certificate. Start the ID check early so you know before the start date.
Want the no-passport conversations handled for you?
If your coordinators keep stalling on candidates without photo ID, book a call. We will show you how Amy asks for the right documents and files them to your ATS, and give you a custom quote. Book a call with GettingDocs.
Please note: this article is general information, not legal advice, and was correct at the time of writing (October 2026). Rules and guidance change, so please check the latest guidance from the Disclosure and Barring Service and the Home Office before relying on it.