Campaigns and Hubs The LGBTQ+ voting hub Free photo Voter ID – Voter Authority Certificate The government has introduced a form of free photo Voter ID for use in elections called the Voter Authority Certificate. You can use a free Voter Authority Certificate to prove your identity when voting at a polling station. It’s free and is valid for 10 years. You won’t be able to use a Voter Authority Certificate for any other reason than voting in an election. To apply you’ll need to register to vote which takes just a few minutes. You can’t apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) unless you’ve registered. You don’t need confirmation of your registration; you can still apply for a VAC if you’re still waiting for your registration to be completed. Register to vote here. The deadline for applications for a free Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm, six working days ahead of an election. You can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate via the online portal. You’ll need to provide the following information: Name Address Date of birth National Insurance (NI) number (you can still apply without your NI number if you do not have it with you) A recent digital passport style photo of yourself If you don’t know your National Insurance number, then you can find it on payslips, a P60, official letters about tax, pensions or benefits. If you don’t have any of these documents, then you can apply for a National Insurance number though it is worth noting that this application requires you to provide forms of ID like a passport from any country, biometric residence permit (BRP) or a national identity card from an EU country or from Norway. Liechtenstein or Switzerland. You can still apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate if you don’t know your National Insurance number, but you might be asked to provide additional documentation like a birth certificate, bank statement or utility bill. You can also apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate by post. Print out the relevant form and post it to your local Electoral Registration Office. Find the office nearest to you. The free Voter Authority Certificate and LGBTQ+ people The free Voter Authority Certificate is potentially useful for trans and gender nonconforming people who are having difficulty voting because: They do not have an accepted form of photo ID Their appearance has changed and no longer matches their photo ID The name on their current photo ID is different to their name on the electoral register They would prefer to use a form of accepted photo Voter ID that does not have a gender marker. It’s important to note that those who have changed their names must register to vote with their new name before applying for a free Voter Authority Certificate. This can be done using this online form. Manage Cookie Preferences