Help someone use GOV.UK One Login
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-06)

What you can and cannot do when you help someone you know create a GOV.UK One Login and prove their identity.

You can help someone you know create a GOV.UK One Login and prove their identity to access government services. They might be a friend, family member, or someone you support as part of your job.

This guidance tells you what you can and cannot help them do. You can share this with the person you’re helping so they know what to expect when they use GOV.UK One Login.

What you can help with

You should let the person you’re helping complete as many of the steps as they can by themselves, but there are a few things you can help with.

Let someone borrow your phone or computer

You can let the person you’re helping borrow your phone or computer if they do not have their own.

Their personal information will not be saved on your device. If your phone or computer has a password manager, make sure the person you’re helping does not use it to save their GOV.UK One Login details.

Remind them to sign out of GOV.UK One Login after they’ve finished.

Some technical information about your device will be collected by GOV.UK One Login when the person you’re helping uses it. Read the privacy notice (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govuk-one-login-privacy-notice) to find out what sort of information will be collected.

Help someone use the GOV.UK One Login app

If the person you’re helping has photo ID, the quickest way to prove their identity is by using the GOV.UK One Login app. They’ll be guided to the app when it’s time to use it.

You can help the person download the app on their own phone. They’ll be given instructions on how to do this, but you can help show them what to do.

They’ll need to scan their photo ID when using the app. You can do this for them if they’re having trouble holding the phone or their photo ID still.

If their photo ID has a chip in it, like a UK passport, they will also be asked to scan it a different way. They will need to put the phone on top of the document. You can help them do this - it’s a similar process to paying for something with a contactless card.

Let someone use the GOV.UK One Login app on your phone

If you already have the GOV.UK One Login app and have signed in to it with your details, you’ll need to delete the app and download it again before you let someone borrow your phone to use it.

The app remembers which sign in details were used the last time you signed in to it. This is to keep your information secure.

Signing out of the app will remove all the information in it, including digital versions of any documents you’ve saved. This will allow the person you’re helping to sign in using their own details.

Once they’ve finished proving their identity, make sure they sign out of the app. You should then delete the app from your phone again, so you can download it and sign in with your own details when you need it.

What you cannot help with

You should always avoid entering information on behalf of the person you’re helping.

Creating and signing in to their GOV.UK One Login

Only the person you’re helping should be able to sign in to their GOV.UK One Login.

When they create their GOV.UK One Login, you should tell them to use an email address and phone number that either belongs to them or they have easy access to. If they do not have their own email address, you can help them set one up.

They’ll need to enter a security code that’s sent to the phone number they use every time they sign in. This will help keep their GOV.UK One Login secure.

Do not choose a password for them - although you should encourage them to choose a password they do not use for anything else.

Their password should be something that only they know. If you’re helping them create a GOV.UK One Login in person, you should look away when they choose their password.

You should never enter their password or any security codes for them when they sign in.

Proving their identity

The person you’re helping will need to scan their face if they prove their identity with the GOV.UK One Login app.

If you’re helping them in person, avoid looking over their shoulder when they do this. The face scan will not work if it recognises more than one person.

They can prove their identity by entering their details and answering security questions if they cannot use the app. Only the person you’re helping should be able to answer these security questions. You should not try to do this for them.

You should look away when they answer the security questions if you’re helping them in person.

Contact GOV.UK One Login (https://home.account.gov.uk/contact-gov-uk-one-login) if you need more help.