Identity verification documents - Private customers

Information about the documents we will accept and what to do if you don’t have them.

All financial services firms within the UK follow guidance on the documents that are acceptable to verify the identity of its customers.

As an M&G customer we will always try to verify your identity using an electronic verification system first. However, if this is not possible we will then ask you to provide two pieces of documentation:

One to prove your personal identity such as a driving licence or passport
One to prove your address such as a utility bill or bank statement

I don't have the documents

I don’t have the documents you have requested. What should I do?

Who can certify copy documents

At M&G, we usually request a UK passport or driving licence and utility bill to check your identity and address. However, we understand that our customers may not have these documents or may be unwilling to send them to us in the post.

We’ve put together a list of documents that we can accept for verification purposes.

We require you to supply one document from each section below. Some documents appear in both sections. We’ll need to see two separate forms of identity, so you can’t use one document to cover both sections. Where address details are displayed this must reflect your current residential address.

We recommend that you don’t send original documents through the post using a non-secure service as we can’t accept liability for their safety en route to us.

We’re happy to accept copies of documentation if they’re certified by a professional person. See below for details of who can certify copy documents for details.

We return all documentation to you using a recorded delivery service.

Personal identity evidence - List 1

Passport

Full current UK or overseas passport
The passport must be signed

Driving licence

Full current UK driving licence
EEA/EU photocard licence

Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and other benefits-related documents

Original notification letter from the Benefits Agency confirming your right to benefits
Letter confirming your right to a state pension

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

HMRC notifications of:

Child Tax Credit
Disabled Person’s Tax Credit
Working Family Tax Credit
Tax code

Child benefit

Self-employed registration cards for individuals and partnerships in the construction industry: CIS4(P), CIS5, CIS6, SC60.

Residence permits and identification cards

EU Identity cards
EEA or Switzerland national identity card
Other national identity cards (not UK)
Northern Ireland voter’s card
Residence permit issued by Home Office to EU Nationals

Other

Shotgun or firearms certificate

Address evidence - List 2

Local Authority documents

Council Tax bill or payment book (valid for current tax year)
Local council rent card or tenancy agreement

Driving licence

Full current UK driving licence
EEA/EU photocard licence

Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and other benefits-related documents

Original notification letter from the Benefits Agency confirming your right to benefits
Letter confirming your right to a state pension

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) documents

Any HMRC correspondence addressed to you at the stated address

Residence permits & identification cards

EU Identity cards
EEA or Switzerland national identity card
Other national identity cards (not UK)
Northern Ireland voter’s card
Residence permit issued by Home Office to EU Nationals

Utility bills

Utility bill (not a mobile phone bill) or a certification from a supplier of utilities confirming the arrangement to pay for its services on pre-payment terms. This must be dated within six months

Gas
Electricity
Water
Phone (not mobile)
TV licence renewal

Financial statements

All statements must be dated within six months. Online statements can only be accepted if they are certified by the issuer as a true copy, if they agree to do so.

Bank statement
Credit card statement
Building society statement
Mortgage statement

Other

Solicitor’s letter confirming house purchase or land registry confirmation

We understand that you may not have the documents we have requested. In this situation, we may be able to accept some of the following as evidence of your personal identity or address:

Under-18s only

Birth certificate
Adoption certificate
Confirmation from your work/school/college/university of your full name, current address and details of your employment/student status.
NHS Medical Card
National Insurance Card
Student identification/matriculation card (from a recognised university or college) – This must be valid for current academic year
Student Loan Company/Local Education Authority award notice
HMRC notifications of Child Tax Credit or Child Benefit, where you are named as the child in respect of which the benefit is paid.
Young Person's Identity Card (such as those accredited by the PASS scheme)

Residents in a nursing/residential home

If you live in a nursing home and can’t provide any of the documents listed, we can accept a letter from the manager or warden of the nursing/residential home confirming permanent residence there. This also applies if you are Financial Adviser to a customer who is resident in a nursing/residential Home.

Usually, this would support a piece of documentation in List 1 such as an original notification letter from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) confirming the right to a state pension.

If you are providing documents on behalf of an incapacitated customer then an original Court Order appointing a deputy may also be accepted. This must be in respect of an appointment by the Court of Protection and name both the customer and the appointed deputy.

Armed Forces

We accept copies of documents certified as a true copy by a senior ranking officer. For details see "Certifying your documents" below.

In addition, we can accept an original UK Armed Forces ID card, or an appropriately certified copy.

Foreign documents

As a UK-registered company, we prefer to receive documentation translated into English. However, we may be able to accept your documentation if your name and address information is clear and we are able to recognise the bank or utility company that generated it.

In all other instances, you may provide an appropriately certified copy where the certifier also specifies the document they are certifying and ensures that your name and address is highlighted to us.

We can’t accept photocopied documents unless they are correctly certified by an appropriate individual. See page 5 of our Verifying Your Identity Guide for our full certification requirements, including the required certification wording.

This guide also provides the reasons why we may verify existing customers and the answers to your frequently asked questions

M&G plc, incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 10 Fenchurch Avenue, London EC3M 5AG. Registered number 11444019. M&G plc is a holding company, some of whose subsidiaries are authorised and regulated, as applicable, by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority.

M&G plc is a company incorporated and with its principal place of business in England, and its affiliated companies constitute a leading savings and investments business. M&G plc is the direct parent company of The Prudential Assurance Company Limited. The Prudential Assurance Company Limited is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc, a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America or Prudential plc, an international group incorporated in the United Kingdom.