Up until March 2019, the Government Gateway was the name of the website where you could log on, create an account and register for various online services provided by several Government departments, such as the Department ofAgriculture, HMRC, the Ministry of Justice and the DVLA.
The new system
After March 2019, the old Government Gateway was replaced with a new site called GOV.UK. The new system is more secure and more user-friendly than the Government Gateway and gives you quick and easy access to:
· 23 Ministerial departments, eg Departments for Education, Health & Social Care, Transport and Work and Pensions
· 20 non-MinisterialDepartments, eg HMRC, HM Land Registry, The Charity Commission and the SeriousFraud Office.
· 412 Government agencies and other public bodies, eg Care Quality Commission, British Council, CompaniesHouse and HM Prison Service.
Easier access to services
Under the old system, you had to log on and register for a User ID, and then enrol for which ever service you wanted to use, and you had to go through a process of proving who you were, for each separate service. If you wanted to use HMRC’s SelfAssessment service, once you had registered, you then had to wait for your PIN which was posted out to you before you could proceed.
To use the new system, all you need is a UK address. You then log on to www.gov.uk/verify and it is a simple and straightforward process to prove who you are, taking no more than 15 minutes. You will be asked to choose from a list of certified companies chosen by the government to verify your identity - such asBarclays and Experian. You will then answer a series of questions, and if all ok, your identity will be confirmed and you can access whichever government service you wish. You will only ever need to do this once, and thereafter signing-in will only take a few minutes.
Check out our guide on how to find my government gateway ID
