European candidates gained a clear answer on test-day ID in late 2021. On 1 December 2021 the Home Office updated the identification requirements for the Life in the UK test to include EEA and Swiss national identity cards, noting that they had previously been omitted. The same update added an accessible HTML version of the requirements.
Key facts
- What EEA and Swiss ID cards added to accepted ID
- Date 1 December 2021
- Condition Card must be in date
- Fee £50 per test
Background
The ID rules had been revised several times that year. On 11 January 2021, after the end of the Brexit transition period, the Home Office updated the images of ID documents in its guidance, and on 16 June 2021 it updated the identification requirements again. The December update settled the position for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, many of whom were preparing for citizenship after gaining settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Accepted ID today
The current rules still accept an in-date EU, EEA or Swiss identity card. The other options are a valid passport, an in-date travel document (not an emergency travel document), or, for people with an eVisa, a share code from their UK Visas and Immigration account. An expired residence card can be used only in limited cases and only until 31 December 2026. Whatever document is used, it must be the original, it must be the one used to book, and the name on the booking must match it exactly.
What this means
If you plan to use a national identity card, check its expiry date before you book and again before test day: an expired card will be refused and you will lose the £50 fee. Book using exactly the name shown on the card. Read the current identification requirements, as these rules have changed several times since 2021.