I put my house on the market at the beginning of December 2016.

Last week I received an offer from a prospective buyer that I accepted.

Lovely I thought so I rapidly contacted a company of solicitors in Stockport

to appoint them for conveyancing.

The paperwork from the solicitors arrived here this morning and lists

all the things I must provide for the conveyancing to progress.

However, the paperwork insists that I must provide photo ID either by photo

driving licence or passport.

I don't have a driving licence or a passport so I am unable to provide photo ID.

Does this mean that I can't sell my house or is there some other way around this

issue? I don't want to apply for a passport as I never travel and I don't want to start

taking driving lessons to obtain a driving licence that I don't want or need.

Requirement for photo ID is part of the obligation on the conveyancer regarding anti-(money laundering).

You can apply for a passport ; you don't have to use it to travel abroad.

You can apply for a driving licence (& don't have to take lessons!)

(You need a licence to take driving lessons : you don't have to take lessons when you have a licence).

If you have a medical condition that means a driving licence would be refused, you can still get a passport.

(Obscure factoid : before driving licenses had photo's, a firearm certificate was one of the few official documents that had name, address & photo!)

I put my house on the market at the beginning of December 2016.

Last week I received an offer from a prospective buyer that I accepted.

Lovely I thought so I rapidly contacted a company of solicitors in Stockport

to appoint them for conveyancing.

The paperwork from the solicitors arrived here this morning and lists

all the things I must provide for the conveyancing to progress.

However, the paperwork insists that I must provide photo ID either by photo

driving licence or passport.

I don't have a driving licence or a passport so I am unable to provide photo ID.

Does this mean that I can't sell my house or is there some other way around this

issue? I don't want to apply for a passport as I never travel and I don't want to start

taking driving lessons to obtain a driving licence that I don't want or need.

Speak to a Solicitors and you can probably just swear a declaration to confirm who you are. They will probably need to see driving licence, Bank cards in your name and copies of recent utility bills.

Speak to a Solicitors and you can probably just swear a declaration to confirm who you are. They will probably need to see driving licence, Bank cards in your name and copies of recent utility bills.

If the OP had a driving licence they could just use that.

They don't, and have said they don't want to apply for one ....

Thanks chaps for your useful replies. I will contact the solicitors on Monday and ask about swearing

a declaration.

Jim.

A friend just told me I could obtain a passport photo from a photo booth and take it to my GP who would sign

to say it is an accurate likeness. Is that correct?

A friend just told me I could obtain a passport photo from a photo booth and take it to my GP who would sign

to say it is an accurate likeness. Is that correct?

Sorry, i meant a birth certificate, not driving licence in my earlier post.

The Estate Agent just wants some proof you are the home owner that is selling.

I am sure if you spoke to a Solicitors that you want to use for conveyancing, they will explain what you need to do. If you pick a local Solicitors, they probably know the Estate Agents and you should not have a problem.

Your GP will normally charge you something like £10 min to sign a letter/photo confirming your identity. And it might take them days, if they are busy.

Sorry, i meant a birth certificate, not driving licence in my earlier post.

 

The Estate Agent just wants some proof you are the home owner that is selling.

 

I am sure if you spoke to a Solicitors that you want to use for conveyancing, they will explain what you need to do. If you pick a local Solicitors, they probably know the Estate Agents and you should not have a problem.

 

Your GP will normally charge you something like £10 min to sign a letter/photo confirming your identity. And it might take them days, if they are busy.

OK thanks for your advice, much appreciated. I do actually have my original birth certificate despite

it being nearly 60 years old ! Only 40 years to go for my telegram from the Queen !

.... Only 40 years to go for my telegram from the Queen !

from a Mr windsor in 40 yrs time...

A friend just told me I could obtain a passport photo from a photo booth and take it to my GP who would sign

to say it is an accurate likeness. Is that correct?

Your GP will normally charge you something like £10 min to sign a letter/photo confirming your identity. And it might take them days, if they are busy.

Doctors got fed up with counter-signing for photo ID for passports.

They can no longer do so for patients (this was something the doctors requested via the BMA!), but can do so for friends.

https://www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applications/accepted-occupations-for-countersignatories

Dentists and pharmacists can still counter-sign for patients as well as friends.

Speak to a Solicitors and you can probably just swear a declaration to confirm who you are. They will probably need to see driving licence, Bank cards in your name and copies of recent utility bills.

I doubt this will work. They don't say a driving licence or passport or sworn declaration. It had to be an official photo id.

And also, the op has already said he does NOT have a driving licence. The solicitor would be unlikely to sign a declaration anyway without being happy who he actually is.

I doubt this will work. They don't say a driving licence or passport or sworn declaration. It had to be an official photo id.

And also, the op has already said he does NOT have a driving licence. The solicitor would be unlikely to sign a declaration anyway without being happy who he actually is.

Of course it will. You don't need photo ID to sell a house. You just need to satisfy the Estate Agent and Solicitors that you are the houseowner stated on the title deeds.

If the OP already has a business relationship with a local solicitor, it may be worth getting them to handle the conveyancing.

Get a provisional driving license for £34. It's basically an official ID card that lasts 10 years. You don't need to actually take any lessons

https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-provisional-driving-licence

Of course it will. You don't need photo ID to sell a house. You just need to satisfy the Estate Agent and Solicitors that you are the houseowner stated on the title deeds.

Thanks Unclebulgaria for your post. Well the two local Estate Agents that marketed my house were fully

satisfied that I am the house owner named on the deeds. I intended to use the estate agents conveyancing service but dscovered it was more than twice the price of the service offered by a solicitros in Stockport.

just for general info, an eg of what one sols conveyancers wld 'normally' regard as acceptable re id/address

http://www.vanderpumpandsykes.co.uk/site/services/residential_conveyancing/identity_documents_required/

Well blow me down. I rang my conveyancing solicitors in Stockport this morning and told them I had

no form of photo ID. They said not to worry, a recent utility bill and my birth certificate will be sufficient

for proof of identity.

Therefore their demands for photo ID stated on their paperwork are total tosh.

What a relief.

pretty much as the link #16 then....