Copies of Passports

Vonni

Accountancy practices are required to register with the Information Commissioner and to comply with the Data Protection Act. Additionally bookkeepers and accountants are required to comply with Money Laundering Regulations.

It is a requirement for MLR that you have forms of ID for your clients and therefore providing that these are kept in accordance with the regulations set out in the DPA you do not have a problem.

So I can see no problems at all here.

Psyche

On this topic - I am just starting out and all of my clients so far are friends/acquaintances whom I have known for years. Do I need to look at their passports or is it sufficient that these people's identities are well known to me?

CJC

As a client, I can't say I'd be happy to let my accountants take a photocopy of my passport - I have no idea of how secure it would be kept or indeed that they might themselves not be running some sort of scam (unlikely, but crooked accountants are hardly unheard of!).

In any case, what legal status would a photocopy have? In my experience any photocopies of legal documents need to be notarized by a solicitor as a true copy before they have any validity in law.

deanshepherd

It's fairly standard procedure these days. Banks.. Solicitors.. Accountants.. No need for a notarized copy - you are not using it for any purpose other than confirming you have carried out your obligations under the anti money laundering regulations.

burg

I was lead to believe to make sure you take black & White copies.

Passports, driving licences etc are all in colour. So a black and white copy wouldn't be much use anyway.

A-Vic

Dont think it matters to be honest as long as you have it