National Identification Number - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

A National Insurance number, generally called an NI Number (NINO), is used to administer state benefits and get jobs, but has not gained the ubiquity of its US equivalent, and is not considered proof of identity. The number is stylised as LL NN NN NN L, for example AA 01 23 44 B.

Each baby born in the England and Wales is issued a National Health Service number, taking the form NNN-NNN-NNNN, for example 122-762-9255 (the last number being a check digit, not correct in the example ). They were formerly of the style "LLLNNL NNN", for example KWB91M 342, which continued patterns used in World War II identity cards. However, since National Health Numbers often change when moving to a different part of the country and having to change General Practitioners, the ratio is more often more (one person:many numbers) than (one person:one number). The National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) has also shown that one person can have many numbers.

Babies born in Scotland are issued a CHI (Community Health Index) number, taking the form DDMMYY-NNNN, with the DDMMYY representing their date of birth and a four digit unique number thereafter (e.g. someone born on 1 January 2010, would have the number 010110-NNNN, with the four digit number allocated upon entering newborn details on to the local health board's Patient Administration System). The third N is even for females and odd for males.