The wrong document is the most expensive mistake you can make on test day. Here is what the centre accepts, why the name has to match your booking exactly, and what to check the night before.
About 5 minutes to read. Last checked against GOV.UK on . Short sentences, no jargon — written for people reading in a second language.
Start a free practice testTurning up with the wrong document is the single most expensive mistake around this test. You lose the £50, you lose the slot, and you start the booking again. It takes two minutes to avoid.
GOV.UK lists the ID you can use. At the time of writing it accepts:
If your immigration status is held online, you may be asked for a share code from your UKVI account instead of a physical card.
Your document must be in date. An expired passport is not ID. It does not matter that the photo is still you.
The name must match your booking exactly. This is the rule that catches people out, and it catches them at the door. If your passport reads "Maria Sofia Rodriguez Garcia", then your booking must read that too. Not "Maria Rodriguez". Not "Maria S. Rodriguez Garcia".
If you have already booked under the wrong name, fix it before your test date. The booking guide explains how to get back into your account.
A photo of your passport is not ID. Nor is a photocopy, a driving licence, a bank card, a student card, or an old document you have since replaced. If it is not on the GOV.UK list, do not travel with it as your only document.
The staff at the centre have no discretion here. If your ID is missing, expired, or in a different name from your booking, you are not allowed to sit the test.
That is true at every centre in the country, which is why our test centre pages repeat it for each city. It is the most common reason people are turned away at the desk.
You do not get a refund. GOV.UK is explicit that wrong ID is not a refundable reason. You pay £50 again for the next attempt, which is the same thing a fail costs you — see how much the test costs.
Do this the evening before, not in the morning.
The questions people ask us most about this, answered in a sentence or two.
GOV.UK lists a valid passport, a valid national identity card from the EU, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, a valid travel document with a photo, and a biometric residence permit or card. Check the list on GOV.UK before you travel, because it changes.
Yes, if you hold one of the other documents on the official accepted list. What you cannot do is turn up with something that is not on that list, such as a driving licence or a bank card.
You will not be allowed to sit the test, and you will not get your £50 back. The name on the booking has to be an exact match for the name on the document you bring.
Yes. An expired document is not valid ID, even if the photo still looks like you. Check the expiry date when you book and again the night before.
Bring your booking confirmation as well, and leave everything else in the car or at home. Phones, notes and bags are not allowed in the test room.
Knowing how the test works is the easy half. The other half is knowing the answers.
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Everything procedural on this page comes from GOV.UK. Read it there before you pay for anything.
We checked this guide against those pages on . GOV.UK is the only source that is never out of date — if it disagrees with anything here, believe GOV.UK.
The rest of the cluster, in the same plain English.