How to interpret DWP match results

Applications for Voter Authority Certificates and Anonymous Elector’s Documents are matched against the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System (CIS) database. CIS is an amalgamated data source, containing data received from internal DWP systems, as well as other government sources, such as His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). DWP use the CIS as the main source of customer information.

At the end of the matching process, the match level is sent back to the EROP. The EROP shows either a match or a no match result against each application. You will need to assess whether the applicant’s identity has been established.

Match

If DWP return a match result for an applicant’s identity, you can be confident that the applicant is the person they claim to be on their application.

No match

If a no match result is returned by DWP, this indicates that it has not been possible to establish that person’s identity and you should not be satisfied that the applicant is the person that they claim to be on their application at this stage.

You may contact the applicant to query the information given on the application using any communication channel that you have contact details for. You should ask the applicant to supply their full application information - name, address, DOB and NINo. These details should be checked against the original application. You should not supply any details of any information given in an application to the applicant.

If the information provided by the applicant confirms they have made an error on their application, you can correct the application and should resubmit their personal identifiers for a further check. You should also write to the applicant to tell them that based on additional information supplied by them, a change has been made to their application. You should not include any personal identifier information (NINo and DOB) in the letter.

If no error has been made on the application and local data sources cannot be used (or have not been used) to establish the applicant’s identity, you should write to the elector to inform them that it has not been possible to verify their identity and request they supply documentary proof of their identity this is known as the exceptions process. Alternatively, you can advise them to provide an attestation as part of the attestation process. 

Diweddarwyd ddiwethaf: 17 Tachwedd 2022