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Announcements 27 October 2026

Vouchsafe now automatically detects photo ID type

Jaye Hackett

TL;DR: Users no longer need to select what kind of photo ID they’re providing. Vouchsafe now identifies it automatically and checks whether it’s one of your accepted types.

From today, we’ve removed the screen that asks users to choose what kind of photo ID they’re providing.

We found that users were sometimes selecting the wrong category, particularly when distinguishing between CitizenCards, biometric residence permits and national ID cards. This could cause an otherwise valid check to fail unnecessarily.

Now, users can simply provide their ID and Vouchsafe will work out what it is.

Changes to accepted documents

As part of this update, we’ve simplified the settings for accepted photo ID.

Saltire cards, national ID cards and UK proof-of-age (PASS) cards are now grouped under ID card, alongside many other documents that meet our minimum photo ID standards.

We’ve also retired the unfamiliar photo ID setting. You can still choose whether to accept photo ID that expired within the last six months.

These changes give you more flexibility over which documents you accept for general identity checks, without affecting checks with stricter requirements. Right to work, right to rent and DBS checks will continue to enforce their specific document rules.

What this means for your users

Most users already complete identity verification with Vouchsafe in under a minute. Removing a step from the process should make checks a little faster and reduce the number of users who get stuck.

The changes are available now.

For more information, see the Vouchsafe documentation or get in touch with us.

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