Identity Documents (FOI)

​Request

Please can the Government confirm what constitutes an official document to confirm an individual’s identity in Jersey? 

Would a 'Utility Bill' be considered official document to confirm an individual’s identity in Jersey?

A list of documents would be fine.

Response 

There is no official policy in place in Jersey regarding confirming your identity, and the documentation required would differ depending on the circumstance. The information requested is therefore not held by the Government of Jersey, and Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 therefore applies.

However, please find below information from Customer and Local Services ‘CLS’ which outlines their policy:

Customer and Local Services Response 

Customer and Local Services (CLS) has a legal obligation to protect all data and personal information held by the Department in relation to any customer. 

The level of identification required to correctly verify the identity of all customers in any interaction which would lead to the sharing of data and personal information held by the Department will depend on the nature of the enquiry. If a customer has a general enquiry relating to themselves, official photographic ID such as a valid Passport, Driving Licence or Parish ID are acceptable as sole proof of identity. Customers can also identify themselves by answering formal security questions and providing two alternative sources of evidence, such as Birth Certificate, Bank Statement in own name, Bank or Bus Card.

In relation to obtaining a registration card, following Brexit the nationality of a customer must first be confirmed, and where that is not British or Irish, evidence of a valid immigration permission to live and work in Jersey must also be provided before a registration card can be issued. Therefore, for the purposes of obtaining a registration card under the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012, a valid Passport or National identity document (where appropriate) will be requested for proof of nationality, rather than as proof of identity, and where the nationality is not British or Irish, evidence of a valid immigration permission to live and work in Jersey will also be requested, for example, a letter issued under the EU Settlement scheme granting pre-settled or settled status.

A 'Utility Bill' on its own would not be sufficient official documentation to confirm an individual’s identity at CLS.

Article applied 

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.