Digital ID Card for young people to prove their identity, online and in person

Thursday 14 June 2018

Local eighteen year olds are being given their Citizen Cards in a new, digital, format this coming year, as part of the continuing Drug & Alcohol Strategy.

The issuer, CitizenCard, has teamed up with the digital identity app Yoti to offer a digital ID solution that allows people to verify their details and those of others online, alongside the more traditional physical ID card.

The Yoti CitizenCard will be made available free of charge to students who will turn 18 in the next year through local schools, colleges and the College of Further Education as well as charities which work with young people.

“We are really excited about this initiative and hope that the students really support it this year and beyond. Everyone should have a simple and secure way to prove who they are, even if they don’t have a passport or driving license," Andrea Nightingale, Drug & Alcohol Strategy Coordinator, said.

"This provides a safer way for young people to prove who they are, confirm who other people are, online and in person and protect themselves from the growing risk of identity fraud.   It also allows students to show proof of age on nights out, without having to carry their passport or driving license, reducing the risk of getting them lost or stolen.”

The CitizenCard scheme has been in place for a number of years and has been backed by the States of Guernsey, Guernsey Police, licensees, Trading Standards and local retailers, and sees local 18 year olds issued the card on their birthdays - they act as a legal form of ID at any pub and club, and also for a number of other uses.

The new digital card displays a PASS (Proof of Age Standards Scheme) hologram endorsed by the UK Home Office.

Yoti is a free app that lets people prove their age and identity to businesses, verify the details of people online, and log in to websites without having to remember passwords.  The Yoti CitizenCard can be used alongside passports and driving licences to create a Yoti account.

Ali James, Marketing for CitizenCard, said the plan was for the Yoti app to be developed into a full service that would use Ormer cards, money, and other features. 

Mrs Nightingale said while many of these future features were in development, they planned to distribute the cards to students now to "get the infrastructure in place" before they went to University and College. 

Andrew Chevis, CitizenCard’s Chief Executive, said: “CitizenCard and Yoti are both committed to offering this affordable and accessible identity solution to residents both in Guernsey and across the UK.  The combination of a CitizenCard in the wallet or purse and Yoti’s digital identity app puts young people firmly in control.”  

Mrs Nightingale and Ms James were at the Grammar School yesterday to give the sign up forms out to the sixth formers - they will then receive their cards from September 1 when they turn 18.

Students from the College of FE, the local sixth form centres and local charities will be given the forms to fill out, and they can also be collected from Frossard House, the Police Station and a number of local clubs and pubs that support the scheme.