Important documents for care leavers

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You need certain documents to prove who you are. These help you:

• get into education
• get a job
• claim benefits
• open a bank account

The Care Leavers’ Service (CLS) will help you get important documents like a passport and birth certificate.
CLS will pay for up to 3 forms of ID — usually your:

• birth certificate
• passport
• driving licence

Ask your personal adviser (PA) if you need this support.

It is your job to keep your documents safe.

CLS will not pay for replacements if you lose them.

If you agree, CLS can keep copies of your documents on your record.

You have the right to see the information we hold about you. This is called a Subject Access Request. Your PA can help you with this.

Before you turn 18, the Looked After Children team should give you a later life letter explaining your care journey.

Page contents

• National insurance (N.I) number
• Passport
• Driving licence
• Birth certificate
• British citizenship
• Biometric residence permit
• Voting in UK Elections

National insurance (N.I) number

Your social worker should apply for your National Insurance (NI) number when you are 15 years and 9 months old. Your PA will make sure you get it.

Keep this number safe — you need it to work.

If you are seeking asylum, you will get an NI number after the Home Office confirms your status. It will be on the back of your Biometric Residence Card or in your UKVI eVisa account.

Find out more about your National Insurance number

Passport

Your PA will help you apply for your first passport. The CLS will pay for it.

Your passport is your main photo ID. You can use it to open a bank account and to travel.

If you lose your passport, you will need to pay for a new one yourself.

Apply for a UK passport - GOV.UK

Driving licence

A provisional driving licence is a form of photo ID. You need it if you want to learn to drive.

If you move home, you must update your address with the DVLA.

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not do this

Apply for your provisional driving licence - GOV.UK

Birth certificate

Your PA can help you apply for a birth certificate if you do not have one.

You usually need it, along with a form of photo ID, to open a bank account or to get married.

Order a birth certificate - GOV.UK

British citizenship

British citizenship lets you live and work in the UK permanently. You need it before you can get a UK passport.
If you are able to apply, your PA will support you.

The government has said that, from 10 February 2025, refugees who arrived in the UK illegally will normally be refused British citizenship.

Check if you can become a British citizen - GOV.UK.

Biometric residence permit (BRP)

BRPs were cards used to prove a person’s immigration status. You may have had a BRP if you were given permission to live or work in the UK on or before 31 October 2024.

All BRPs have now expired and have been replaced by eVisas.

More about Biometric residence permits - GOV.UK

eVisas

An eVisa is a digital record of your identity and immigration status. You can use it to view your details and create a share code to prove your immigration status.

Creating a UKVI account and getting your eVisa is free.

More about eVisas and your online immigration status - GOV.UK

Home Office travel document

You can apply for a travel document if you live in the UK and have permission to stay as a refugee. This document usually allows you to travel to most countries, except the country you came from or any country you claimed asylum from.

To apply, you must have an eVisa and a UKVI account. If you’re eligible, your PA can support you, and the CLS will cover the cost.

Apply for a Home Office travel document - GOV.UK

Voting in UK Elections

Voting means you can have a say in how the UK is run. You can vote in general elections, local elections and referendums if you register.
You’ll usually need to be a British citizen to vote. Some citizens of qualifying Commonwealth countries can also vote.

Register to vote

It takes about 5 minutes. Enter You’ll be asked for your National Insurance number, but you can still register if you don’t have one.

Register to vote - GOV.UK

Photo ID

When you vote in person, you must show photo ID at the polling station. If you do not have photo ID, apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

You can apply if:

• you no longer look like the photo on your current ID
• the name on your ID is different to the name on the electoral register

Your Voter Authority Certificate remains valid as long as you still look like the photo. You can keep using it if you move to a different area.

Apply for photo ID to vote - GOV.UK

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