PASS NOT PASSPORTS
CitizenCard welcomes today's (Wednesday 21 December 2016) launch of the campaign by Her Majesty's Passport Office to encourage young people to leave their passport at home and to use a PASS card instead.
Andrew Chevis, Chief Executive of CitizenCard and a Board Director of PASSCO which accredits PASS card issuers, said:
Half of all lost passports are lost in bars, clubs and pubs so we welcome the Government's clear support for PASS cards as an affordable, easy to replace form of ID/proof of age. PASS cards are available free of charge in some parts of the UK (Scotland and a few English local authorities) and across the UK cards are available to anyone at a cost of £15 or less. Much cheaper and easier to replace than a passport.
We welcome the endorsement by the Security Industry Authority of this campaign and would urge all SIA-accredited doorstaff and security companies to spread the word.
PASS cards are issued by a small number of accredited issuers including the largest UK-wide issuer CitizenCard. Each card displays the PASS hologram endorsed by the Home Office, police, security industry and retailers & licensees as a valid form of ID and proof of age. Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill said today:
Young people face a higher risk of losing their passport as they often use it as a form of age verification.
A passport is a highly valuable document. If it gets lost or stolen, not only does it cost the holder money to replace it, but it can fall into the hands of criminals unless it is handed in and cancelled.
We are working with a number of stakeholders including retailers, licensed premises, police, local authorities and students, to communicate that there are better ways to prove your age, such as the PASS card.
CitizenCard is promoting the campaign by offering PASS card applicants a CitizenCard for just £9 using a £6 discount code PASSNOTPASSPORT at www.citizencard.com/online-application
CitizenCard is also making available A4 and A3 copies of these posters for retailers and licensees which
can be ordered by emailing
Notes for Editors:
1. CitizenCard is a non-profit organisation owned by Camelot, Co-operative,
Experian, Ladbrokes, National Federation of Retail Newsagents and Tobacco Manufacturers Association.
It has issued more than 2.4 million cards since inception in 1999, more than half of which are issued
free of charge via schools, colleges, universities and charities.
www.citizencard.com
2. PASSCO Limited is a community interest company supported financially by PASS card issuers
(UK issuers CitizenCard, OneID4U and Validate UK; Scottish issuer Young Scot; English councils
Bracknell Forest, Essex, Milton Keynes, Sandwell and Southwark) and by retail trade associations
(Association of British Bookmakers, Association of Convenience Stores, Association of Licensed Multiple
Retailers, British Beer & Pub Association, British Institute of Innkeeping and Wine & Spirits
Trade Association).
www.pass-scheme.org.uk
For more information please contact:
Andrew Chevis, CitizenCard CEO
