We are required by law to check the identity of all account holders. This is to protect you against the risk of identity fraud and allows the Society to comply with money laundering regulations. 

For new accounts an item of identification from the lists below may be required to verify your name and address. We may also require proof of ownership of the nominated account that you wish to use for withdrawals from your savings account(s). 

An electronic identity check will be carried out for all account holders, operators and beneficiaries aged 18 or over. If this check is successful, then we will not usually need to ask you for any additional supporting documents.

Please note that we require proof of identification for applicants under the age of 18 at the point of application, as we cannot perform any electronic identity checks. A full list of acceptable identification for applicants under the age of 18 can be found below.

We carry out a electronic identity check on account operators, and may request proof of identification if this is unsuccessful.

A document can only be used once, therefore if we require documentary evidence then we will require one piece of identification from both the verification of name and the verification of address lists. The documents must also be from different sources. 

You can send the original document directly to us, or alternatively you can send in a certified copy using the guidance in the ‘What if I don’t want to send original documents?’ section further on.

Take a look at the different types of identification that we accept by expanding the sections below.

We can only accept certified copies if they have been certified within the last 3 months. Our branch staff can certify original documents for you if they are presented in person at one of our branches. Alternatively if you are sending certified documents via post or email you will be required to have these verified by one of the following before sending:

• Dudley Building Society Staff 
• Legal Professional (solicitor or barrister registered in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, or Scotland)
• Qualified accountant (registered with either ICAEW, ICAS, CAI, ACCA, AAT CIPFA or CIMA)
• Public sector official (serving officer of the Armed Services, serving police officer, teacher in current employment)
• Medical professional (doctor registered with the General Medical Council or dentist registered with the relevant national professional body)
• Post Office official (must include Post Office stamp or Post Office certificate)
• Other (local government councillor, Member of Parliament, bank or building society manager, financial intermediary or civil servant) 

Copies of the original documents should be certified using the following wording or stamp; “This is a true copy of the original document”. The person certifying must sign their name and include the following details: full name, profession, company address, phone number and date of certification. 

If any of this information is missing, we are unable to accept the document as Identification. 

The person certifying the document must be based in the UK and not related to you. Certified copies of Identification documents can be delivered to the Society by postal service, via email or handed in at one of our branches.