Verifying your identity
Why do we need you to prove your identity
When you open an account with us for the first time, we need to verify your identity before we can proceed with your application. We do this to make it harder for criminals to use stolen identities, to help protect you against fraud and to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.
If you are already an existing customer of The Cambridge, we do not normally require you to provide any further proof when opening new accounts but may ask you to reconfirm your identity on certain other occasions. For instance, we may do this when you haven’t used your account for a long time or when you have changed your name or address.
What you will need (if you are aged 18 and over)
We use an electronic verification system to verify your identity when you open a savings account with us. This is normally all that is required but there may be occasions where we may need to ask you for further proof of your identity, usually one item from List A and one item from List B (see below). If you are applying for a mortgage with us, we do not currently use an electronic verification system for this purpose and you will therefore need to provide us with one item from List A and one item from List B.
To avoid any delay when applying for an account, it is advisable to bring these documents with you if you are applying in branch or send them with your application when applying by post. If you are applying online we will tell you if you need to provide us with any identification during the application process. Please refer to the section ‘Sending documents through the post’ for further information on how to send us these documents. Please note that we will only accept original documents presented in branch.
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List A – Proof of name |
List B – Proof of address |
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A current signed passport or EU member state ID card |
A utility bill - less than 3 months old, not a mobile phone bill and not printed off the internet |
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A current UK photocard driving licence (full or provisional) - showing your current address and an unexpired photograph |
A council tax bill for the current year |
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A current full UK old style driving licence
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A bank, building society or credit card statement - less than 3 months old and not printed off the internet |
| An HM Revenue & Customs tax notification e.g. tax assessment, statement of account or notice of coding (P45s and P60s are not accepted) - less than 12 months old |
A mortgage statement - less than 12 months old |
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Evidence of entitlement to state benefits, pension or tax credits - less than 12 months old |
A home insurance certificate - less than 12 months old |
| A firearm’s certificate or shotgun licence |
A motor insurance schedule - less than 12 months old |
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A current Blue Badge disabled driver’s pass |
A television licence renewal for the current year |
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An older or disabled person’s bus pass issued by your local authority |
A student loans acceptance letter or annual statement - less than 12 months old |
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A UK Armed Forces ID card |
A local council rent card or local council tenancy agreeement |
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A police warrant card |
A local housing association tenancy agreement - private tenancy agreements are not accepted |
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A solicitor's letter confirming a recent house purchase or land registry confirmation - less than 3 months old |
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A current UK photocard driving licence - showing your current address and an unexpired photograph* |
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A current full UK old style driving licence* |
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HM Revenue & Customs correspondence for the current tax year* |
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Evidence of entitlement to state benefits, pension or tax credits - less than 12 months old* |
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* Please note that although some items appear in both lists you cannot use the same item to verify both your name and address – two separate items are required |
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We will take copies of the ID you have provided and retain these for our records. These are required to fulfil statutory obligations and will not be used for any other purposes.
If we cannot verify your identity, we will be unable to proceed with your application.
What you will need (if you are under the age of 18)
The identity of people under the age of 18 cannot be verified through the electronic verification system. We therefore require you to provide one item from the following list A and one item from the following List B.
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List A – Proof of name |
List B – Proof of address |
| Any item from List A for aged 18 and over | Any item from List B for aged 18 and over |
| A birth certificate | Any item from List B for aged 18 and over in the name and address of your parent/guardian with whom you live |
| A letter from your school, college or workplace confirming your name and address |
If the account is being opened on behalf of a child we may require the account operator to prove their identity. Please refer to the section ‘What you will need (if you are aged 18 and over)’ for details on how to do this.
In addition to this we will need one item from List A above for the child. If the child resides with the account operator then no further proof of where the child lives will be required. However, if the child does not reside with the account operator then one item from List B above will be required showing the child’s address.
Sending documents through the post
We recommend that you do not send valuable original documents such as a passport or driving licence through the post as we cannot accept any liability for the safety of these documents whilst in the postal system. Instead, you can send copies of these documents certified by one of the following:
- Accountant
- Bank/Building Society Official
- Dentist
- Doctor
- FSA Regulated Financial Intermediary
- Minister of Religion
- Police Officer
- Post Office Official (Post Master/Sub Post Master)
- Solicitor
The person certifying the documents should be in current employment, based in the UK and must not be related to any person named on the account. Certified copies must include the full name, profession, business address and telephone number for the certifying party. The words ‘certified true copy’ must be written or stamped on the documents, which must then be signed and dated by the certifying party. A document will not be accepted if any of this information is missing.
