How to get a National Insurance Number

As soon as you wish to start work in the UK or you (or your partner) claims benefit, you must have a National Insurance number.

If you don't have one then you need to apply for one. You have to be 16 or over to be eligible for a national insurance number and also a resident of Wales, England or Scotland.

For those who receive child benefit, then the children will automatically be issued with a card and their NI number just before they reach 16, so for the majority of people in Britain nothing needs to be done and when the children hit the right age they will get assigned and given the NI number automatically by the government.

If you don't have one for any reason, then an application needs to be done to get an NI number.

You will have to phone a jobcentre and NI allocation service, the phone number for this at time of writing is 0845 600 0643.

In order to obtain one there is a process called an evidence of identity interview - clearly it is important that you are who you say you are, and so this will check that's the case!