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The UK is consulting on a national digital ID
The UK Government has launched a consultation on a proposed national digital ID system, designed to make public services quicker, easier and more secure to access. The digital ID would be something people choose to use rather than something they must have, with no legal obligation to obtain or present it.
For employers, the most relevant part is the direction of travel on Right to Work: the government’s ambition is for digital Right to Work checks to become mandatory by the end of this Parliament for the purpose of obtaining a statutory excuse.
The consultation closes at 12:30pm on 5 May 2026, so this is an active policy window rather than a distant idea.
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What is being proposed
The consultation proposes a digital ID that people would store on a device such as a smartphone or tablet, and it is intended to be something people choose to use rather than something they must have. The consultation also sets out eligibility and age considerations, with a current plan to make it available from age 16, while asking whether it should be lowered to 13 or removed altogether.
The government expects the credential to include core identity attributes such as name, date of birth, photo and nationality, while sharing only what is needed for a given interaction where possible.
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Why government is looking at this now
The consultation frames digital ID as a way to modernise old processes and improve inclusion, noting persistent ID exclusion and device access barriers. For example, Cabinet Office research cited in the consultation found that 1 in 10 people in England, Scotland and Wales do not hold an in-date, recognisable form of photo ID.
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What this means for employers
Even if the digital ID itself is optional, the consultation is very clear about its ambition for Right to Work. Government’s stated direction is that digital Right to Work checks will be mandatory by the end of this Parliament for the purpose of obtaining a statutory excuse, with a proposal to legislate so that evidence must be checked digitally as part of a prescribed Right to Work check.
The consultation proposes changing how checks are conducted so that evidence is checked digitally as part of prescribed Right to Work checks, and sets out that the “robust digital process” could include digital ID, British or Irish biometric passports (and Irish passport cards) and eVisas.
In the Government’s press release, it states that digital right to work checks will be required by the end of the Parliament, with people able to use the digital proof of identity or do a digital check of other documents such as a passport or eVisa.
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A simple view: what could change, what stays the same
| What could change | What stays the same |
|---|---|
| Evidence for Right to Work becomes digital-first for new workers, tied to a statutory excuse | Employers still need the right process, the right route, and clear evidence retention |
| A more standardised checking experience, potentially supported by a Government Checker | You still need internal controls to prevent drift across sites and managers |
| Wider use of certified digital verification services to check digital IDs | Employer accountability remains, even if checks are supported by third parties |
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What the consultation suggests for Right to Work checks
The consultation describes why government is pushing for digital checks. The stated aims include making unreliable manual checks of varied paper documents unacceptable, reducing fraud, creating a digital audit trail of where checks have been carried out, and standardising checks to minimise human error.
It also signals that evidence deemed no longer valid to establish a statutory excuse, including birth certificates, could be removed from acceptable routes under updated codes of practice.
Separately, the consultation explains the proposed minimum age for eligibility. The government plan is to make the digital ID available from age 16, specifically because Right to Work checks are required from age 16, while also consulting on lowering eligibility to 13 or removing a minimum age.
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Lessons from other countries
The consultation references international case studies such as Denmark’s MitID, India’s Aadhaar and Estonia’s E-ID to illustrate different approaches, including alternative access routes.
The key takeaway for employers is that even in mature systems, organisations still need verification and workflow controls, not just the credential itself.
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The role of DVS providers, and why this matters to business operations
The consultation expects most checking in the wider economy to be done by intermediary Digital Verification Service providers, and says only providers certified under a current trust framework and on the government register would be able to programmatically verify a digital ID presented from the GOV.UK Wallet.
That is an important signal for employers: if digital checks become the norm, there will be a strong distinction between “compliant, certified verification” and lower-trust methods that do not create the same audit confidence.
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What employers can do now
You do not need to wait for legislation to reduce risk. Three practical steps will make you more resilient whichever way the consultation lands:
- Standardise your evidence and audit pack. Decide what you must be able to evidence for each check, and make sure it is retrievable quickly and consistently.
- Reduce site-by-site variation. If hiring happens across multiple locations, check routes and evidence handling often drift. Bring checks into a consistent workflow, not local judgement.
- Plan for digital-first checking for new joiners. Even if you still use some manual routes today, design your process so it can shift to digital evidence checking without breaking throughput.
Consultation timing
The consultation is open now and closes at 12:30pm on 5 May 2026.
If you want to stay ahead of how this may affect employer compliance, it is worth responding through industry channels, especially if you hire at volume or across high-churn sectors.
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