UK ID cards
 

ID cards are now being issued, on request, to certain categories of people in the UK.

However, they will not, under the present rules, be available to non UK residents.

Clearly, with the demise of the old "residencia" card the UK ID card would be a perfectly legal form of ID and an alternative to a passport.

Whether you approve of the UK ID scheme or not and whether you would bother to apply for one if you could, it is yet another piece of discrimination (or lack of planning) against Ex-Pats.

There is currently a E-Petition available to sign should you wish to do so.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ID4Expats/sign

Re: UK ID cards
 

Thanks for that

Re: UK ID cards
 

I understand the Dutch also have to surrender their national ID when they leave the Netherlands to live in Spain.

Re: UK ID cards
 

Well we are not Dutch are we and we don't even get the option of having one.

Please keep to the point - sign up or don't - it's up to you.

Re: UK ID cards
 

sorry Fred my comment was inspired by your comment ...... However, they will not, under the present rules, be available to non UK residents.

Re: UK ID cards
 

Many thanks for the link Fred. :) Karma sent.

Re: UK ID cards
 

I would stick to the point if I could see one.
I,m not a UK resident and I have not been discriminated against because I haven't actually been refused one.

Re: UK ID cards
 

That's probably because you haven't applied for one!:)

I was offered one yesterday by email from the IPS but it clearly said that I had to be a UK resident to get one.

Re: UK ID cards
 

Yes I support this and have signed the petition, written to the IPS and was thinking of lobbying Giles Paxton.

I have also written an article:

see Pg 20

http://issuu.com/timadmin/docs/timfeb2010

Re: UK ID cards
 

Thanks for that - good article.

The reason I was offered one is that some time ago I registered an interest in the scheme and have received newsletters from them.

It was because of that, that I received an invitation to get one as part of the initial trials. As I said, I don't qualify as I am non resident but it is slightly encouraging that they seem to be going out of their way to "sign up" applicants.

The problem of offering them to non residents will be giving them access to the necessary scanning/digitising equipment which is only going to be available at a limited number of sites in the UK.

No doubt the argument against will be the cost of providing this equipment, potentially all over the world (it's not just Ex-Pats in Spain who might want them) but at the worst they could offer the possibility of getting one when you visit the UK.

Anyway, signing the petition might just result in someone recognising that some people actually want them!

Re: UK ID cards
 

Hola Fred,

Yes I signed up for the newsletter so have been regularly tracking the project.

I consider it extremely unlikely that they will open offices in Europe to process Expats and I doubt consul offices will undertake the job.

So I agree if we want one we will have to accept be processed when we are in the UK.

I have heard that if the Tories get in they are going to scrap it, which I really think would be a shame.

The Spanish can now obtain an electronic version of their ID card (DNI) which means they can access many more services online. In many ways they are light years ahead of the UK.

Re: UK ID cards
 

Yes it has a Smart chip on it and you can get a simple card reader to attach to your PC to read it and identify you.

Of course you can do the same thing with a digital certificate which resides on your PC but the card is more flexible.

Re: UK ID cards
 

I got a smart chip on my health card, the doctor just loads what pills etc you need and you take it to any Farmacia and they give you the pills when you need them.

Re: UK ID cards
 

I get all my medication on my health card too. In fact I get so many I have all but given up eating anything else, other than the pills, for breakfast !!!!!!!!!

Re: UK ID cards
 

Do you know if we spend the £120+ to get a card before we leave UK to become resident in Spain we will be able to keep it?