Digital identity certification for right to work, right to rent and criminal record checks

On 27 December 2021, the government announced its intention to enable employers and landlords to use certified digital identity service providers to carry out identity checks on their behalf for many who are not in scope to use the Home Office online services, including British and Irish citizens. The legislation will take effect from 6 April 2022.

This development will align with the Disclosure and Barring Service’s (DBS) proposal to enable digital identity checking within their criminal record checking process, through the introduction of its Identity Trust Scheme.

This guidance sets how providers can become certified to complete digital identity checks for the Right to Work, Right to Rent, and DBS schemes respectively, in line with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (‘the trust framework’).