Post Office app means passports no longer needed as ID

The app, created by digital company Yoti, can also be used to confirm age when buying age-restricted products.

Yoti already provides the technology for staff identification in the NHS and the airline Virgin Atlantic.

Nick Read, chief executive at the Post Office, said: “Our free-to-use Post Office EasyID app is all about making life a little bit easier for the millions of people who use our branches to collect their parcels and other mail.

“Having the app means you don’t need to show a physical copy of your driving licence or passport to prove your identity, meaning a quicker and safer experience in a branch.”

Read added that the app would also benefit those running post offices within their stores because it would encourage customers to use delivery to post offices and drive footfall.

Robin Tombs, Yoti’s chief executive, added: “Together we will transform the way that people prove their identity in the UK.

“We’ll remove friction from ID processes online and on the high street, and tackle the growing threat of identity fraud.”