ID Verification for under 18s

First, we need the child’s parents' or guardians' consent to process data relating to the minor. We are legally obliged to conduct these identity checks and cannot release any legacy due in estates or begin work on the instruction in other matters without completing this process.

With consent, we can conduct an ID check in the same way for a minor as we do for adults.

In-Person ID Check

If the minor has a valid form of Photo ID as listed on the accompanying help sheet and is located near to one of our offices they can present themselves to our Redruth office for an In-person ID check. See the In-person ID check sheet for more information.

If the minor doesn’t not have any form of Photographic ID or it is not possible to attend our office in person then you will need to speak with a solicitor or other regulated professional close to you in order to obtain certified documents to provide to us.

We will require a copy or original Birth Certificate to be provided for the minor, which must be accompanied by a letter from either the minor's GP, or Nursery/School. The birth certificate must be certified as a true copy of the original. We will also need the original school or GP letter not a copy. We will make contact to the issuer of the letter and certifier of the document to verify their authenticity.

Documents can be certified either by the school where they provide the letter, or another regulated professional such as a Solicitor or Bank Manager.

The letter needs to contain certain wording which you can read and download on our website. Check out the article on under 18s ID checks

Is Thirdfort safe to use? – Please see the separate Security & Data at Thirdfort article for more information

Letter Wording

[School Name Letterhead]

[Date]

To whom it may concern,

I, [insert name here], in my capacity as [role/title, e.g., Headteacher/Administrator], confirm that the child known as [child’s full name] is a registered pupil at [school name].

The child has been enrolled at this school since [date of enrolment], and we have verified their identity and address as part of our own enrolment procedures.

Based on our records:

• The child’s address is [insert address here].

• Their parent(s)/guardian(s) are [insert names here].

  
  

I can confirm that the accompanying certified copy of the birth certificate corresponds with the information in our records and appears to relate to the aforementioned child.

Should you require further information or wish to verify the authenticity of this letter, I can be contacted directly at [school telephone number] or via email at [school email address].

Yours faithfully,

[Name]

[Position/Title]

[School Name]

[School Address]