The Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) is the national proof-of-age accreditation scheme, endorsed by Government, which sets minimum standards for proof-of-age cards.

The Government has endorsed the scheme as it:

“believes that the scheme will help sellers of age restricted products to comply with the law and helps to protect young people from the risks posed by the purchase of age restricted goods to which they are not entitled”

The aim of PASS is to provide:-

• Reliability
• Assurance
• Confidence

The PASS hologram on a card is the hallmark indicating that the card issuer has passed a stringent audit carried out by Trading Standards Officers and that the card may be relied upon. The hologram is forge-proof and recognisable and the scheme is supported by the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Trading Standards Institute. Around 1.5 million young people hold proof-of-age cards bearing the PASS hologram and numbers are increasing all the time.

Background

The ability to determine the age of young people has become increasingly difficult over the years. This has led to problems for both retailers and young people when trying to purchase and sell age related goods.

In order to address this problem a group of trade associations and government agencies got together to help find a solution that could protect both the retailer and the young person.

As a result the British Retail Consortium (BRC) volunteered to lead an initiative that would address the issue and introduced a set of standards for proof-of-age cards. For the first time, the introduction of these standards provided a level of security which gave confidence and consistency to all users. This was encapsulated by the inclusion of the PASS hologram.

The hologram was an important measure in preventing fraudulent proof-of-age cards, a problem that had dogged many of the schemes on offer across the country.

All the existing proof-of-age card providers were encouraged to adopt the standards and to incorporate the hologram in all cards.

The scheme, named the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) ensured that all cards carry:

• Date of birth
• Full name
• A passport standard photograph
• An image of the holders signature
• A PASS hologram

A rigorous application and accreditation process was developed to protect the integrity of the scheme and within a matter of months all the existing schemes had adopted the standards.

In 2005 the scheme was further protected as it gained Trademark registration, making unauthorised use of the hologram on cards a criminal offence.