Accepted ID for the Life in the UK Test

If you have an eVisa, GOV.UK says to use a share code to book. Otherwise, use one current option from its accepted photo-ID list, and make sure the booking name is an exact match. Turn up without the same accepted ID you used to book and you will not be able to take the test or get a refund. This guide explains the current options and the checks to make before test day. For everything else about the test, start with our complete 2026 guide.

The accepted ID documents

GOV.UK's current booking guidance says to use an eVisa share code if you have an eVisa. If you do not have an eVisa or cannot access it, use one of the options below.

A valid passport

Any valid passport works — it doesn't have to be a British one. The key word is valid: an expired passport doesn't meet GOV.UK's requirement, so check the expiry date when you book, not the night before. If your passport has expired, either renew it before booking or use one of the other documents below.

A travel document with a photo

If you hold a valid travel document instead of a passport, it must include a photo. GOV.UK specifically says an emergency travel document is not accepted.

An eligible national identity card

A valid identity card is accepted if it is from the EU, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway.

A biometric residence permit or card

A biometric residence permit (BRP) or biometric residence card (BRC) is temporarily accepted only when the test is no later than 24 months after the printed expiry date and before 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. Recheck this date-limited rule before booking.

An eVisa share code

If your immigration status is held digitally, sign in to your UKVI account and get the share code GOV.UK asks you to use for the booking. Follow the instructions in your confirmation for test day.

The name-match trap

This is the single most avoidable way to lose £50. GOV.UK's rule is simple: the name on your ID must match the name on your booking exactly. Not roughly. Exactly.

The situations that catch people out:

• Married names. Your passport shows your maiden name but you booked under your married name (or the other way round). To the test centre, those are two different people.
• Transliteration differences. If your name is written in another script — Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Cyrillic — different documents can spell it differently in English. "Mohammed" on one document and "Muhammad" on another is a mismatch.
• Middle names. Booking as "Anna Kowalska" when your passport says "Anna Maria Kowalska" can be enough to cause a problem.

The fix is simple: when you book, copy the name exactly as it appears on the document you will bring — every name, in the same order, with the same spelling. Open the document and type from it directly; don't book from memory. Our guide on how to book the Life in the UK Test covers the booking form step by step.

If your name has genuinely changed since your ID was issued and you can't update the document before your test, check GOV.UK's guidance or contact the official booking service before booking — don't assume the centre will accept supporting paperwork on the day.

What happens if your ID is wrong or missing

GOV.UK is blunt about this: turn up with the wrong ID, mismatched ID, or no ID, and you will be turned away and the £50 test fee is lost. There's no refund and no sympathetic exception at the front desk. You'd have to book again — at least 3 days ahead — and pay another £50.

Two more checks worth doing the night before:

• The photo must look like you. Staff compare your face to the photo on your document. If your passport photo is very old and you've changed significantly, that's worth thinking about before test day.
• Read your booking confirmation email properly. Follow its instructions and check the address and time for your centre. There are over 30 test centres in the UK, so make sure you are travelling to the one you actually booked.

For the full run-through of arrival, security checks, and the test itself, read what to expect on test day.

A simple night-before checklist

1. The same original ID you used to book in your bag, or the eVisa instructions from your confirmation ready.
2. Name on the ID matches the booking, letter for letter.
3. Document is valid — check the expiry date.
4. Photo still looks like you.
5. Booking confirmation re-read for anything else your centre asks for.
6. You know where your test centre is and how you're getting there.

Five minutes of checking protects your £50 and weeks of preparation. If you're studying around a full-time job, the last thing you want is to lose a test slot to paperwork.

Get the rest of test day right too

The ID check is the first hurdle of test day, but the 24 questions are the real test. These guides cover the rest:

• How to book the Life in the UK Test — the booking process, step by step, with the name field done right.
• What to expect on test day — arrival, checks, and how the test runs.
• How to pass first time in 2026 — a study plan that means you only pay the £50 once.
• What happens if you fail — and why it's not the disaster people fear.

Pass Britain gives you 1,000 original practice questions, mock exams, audio lessons, and the Bertie tutor. £5 until 31 December 2026 (£24.99 afterwards) once, lifetime access. Try three sample questions first, or see lifetime access.

Rules can change — always verify the current ID requirements on gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test before your test.