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ScotAccount adds passport verification against HM Passport Office records

The Scottish Government added passport verification against HM Passport Office records to ScotAccount, its single sign-on service for public services.

2026-08-28CC-BY-4.0scotaccountauthoritative-sourcedigital-inclusionsingle-sign-on

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Digital IDDocument Verification & NFC e-Chip Reading (eMRTD / ICAO 9303)

Key Facts

  • Verification checks against HM Passport Office authoritative databases.
  • ScotAccount is integrated across 10 public services with 900,000 enrolled users.
  • The flow captures passport details, a photo of the document page, and a selfie, with all images deleted on completion.

Card Text

Checking against the issuing authority's records is stronger than validating a document's security features, because it detects genuine documents that have been cancelled or reported lost. Adding a passport route also reaches people whose thin credit files block bureau-based verification.

Sources