…Young people can now prove their age using the Yoti and Post Office EasyID apps, instead of taking documents such as a passport out with them…

…Move is set to reduce pressure and confrontation for staff when checking age…

The UK Cinema Association, representing the interests of the vast majority of UK cinema operators, has today announced a partnership with digital identity provider Yoti so participating sites will accept Yoti and their partner’s Post Office EasyID apps as proof of age.

From today, participating cinemas will accept the digital ID apps, giving young people aged from 13 upwards a safer, more convenient way to prove their age using their smartphone – meaning that important ID documents such as passports can now be left at home. The modern solution will also reduce the challenges many cinemas face in checking ages as required by the current film classification system.

Phil Clapp, CEO at the UK Cinema Association said: “Of the 165 million to 170 million admissions per year UK cinemas were seeing pre-pandemic, around 30 per cent fall within the 15-24 year old bracket (and around 20 per cent within the 9-14 year old age group). Since cinemas re-opened last May those proportions are likely to be even higher.

For many wanting to get into a ‘15’ or even ‘18’ certificate film proving their age – without a passport or driving licence to hand – can be incredibly difficult and an understandable source of frustration when they are turned away from the cinema. This new partnership offers a straightforward and modern way to alleviate many of those issues.”

Kelly Drew, Operations Director at Cineworld said: “With an increase in recent years in the number of films classified at ‘15’ but with a broader youth appeal, the issue of proving age is getting increasingly challenging. The introduction of digital ID is a trusted and robust way of checking ID and will support our staff, who are often on the frontline of any resulting customer frustration.”

Robin Tombs, CEO and Co-founder at Yoti added: “We’re thrilled to have many UK Cinema Association members join the 30,000 locations on the UK high street accepting our reusable digital ID apps. Young people expect to be able to do everything with their phone and using it to prove their age will come naturally to them. It’s a win-win for both cinemas and young cinema-goers.”

How it works

The process to obtain and use the accepted digital ID  apps is simple, with the individual applicant being required to:

• Download the free Yoti (or partner’s Post Office EasyID app) app from Android Play or the Apple App Store
• Add a photo ID and a current photo to verify their identity.
• Open the ID app – tap to show the ID card and select age (no other personal details are shared)
• Present the ID card to cinema staff:

• The Digital ID card will show the verified photo of the individual and their verified ‘Age Over…’
• There is a hologram on the Digital ID card that moves when the phone is tilted – for anti-spoofing purposes
• For further confidence, the cinema staff can scan the QR code on the card with a freely available web app scan.yoti.com

Yoti’s apps (including Post Office EasyID) have been downloaded over 11 million times globally and are already accepted by a wide range of organisations including the Jersey Government, Scottish Improvement Service, The NHS, Virgin Atlantic, NSPCC, convenience stores and many more.