People with no passport/driving license etc.

Cantona's Collars

Just wondering,how many Irish people have no type of id.In a previous job people had to provide me with a passport/drivers license as proof of id.
The amount of them that didn't have either in this day and age astounded me,many of them didn't even have a bank account.
Is this laziness on their part or just lack of ambition to travel that they feel it's not essential to have either?
I'd find it very hard to live that way,want to leave the country,no passport.Drive anywhere,no license.A huge amount of services now want direct debit payment,no bank account.Problem there is you need a passport/license as id to open one now so more hassle.

I would find it stranger that people had no bank account
How do you even get by without one?? The radio said "one in five irish families don't have one"

CreepingDeath

zerks wrote: »

In a previous job people had to provide me with a passport/drivers license as proof of id.
The amount of them that didn't have either in this day and age astounded me,many of them didn't even have a bank account.

Sounds more likely they were probably cheating the social welfare system if they claimed not to have a bank account. Cash in hand job.

mikemac

bluewolf wrote: »

I would find it stranger that people had no bank account
How do you even get by without one?? The radio said "one in five irish families don't have one"

If you apply for Job Seekers allowance you have to declare your savings and the officers run checks

If you're on JSA long term you might be doing nixers and during the boom, cash in hand laboring jobs were there to be had.

Cantona's Collars

On the no passport/license thing,I found that most of the people in that situation never went further than their locality in their lives and were simply in a rut.I asked a few why they didn't bother with either-the answer usually was "sure where would I want to be going anyway?".These weren't old folk either.
Even getting a job now generally needs you to be able to drive and have a bank account to get paid-how did some of these folk get so far?

phasers

feelingstressed wrote: »

If you apply for Job Seekers allowance you have to declare your savings and the officers run checks

If you're on JSA long term you might be doing nixers and during the boom, cash in hand laboring jobs were there to be had.
You could pass a welfare office and see men in hi-vis and work boots and paint and plaster on their clothes, not working, ha

Those guys could have been working a three day week and claiming for the other days

massdebater

Blast them with piss

hardCopy

Sure Bertie never had a bank account, didn't seem to do him any harm.

Passport essential for me, fly every week.

Red Hand

bluewolf wrote: »

I would find it stranger that people had no bank account
How do you even get by without one?? The radio said "one in five irish families don't have one"

If a Taoiseach can get along without one, anyone can!:pac:

gcgirl

My mum does not have a passport or a driving licence or come to think of it a bank account either!

ottostreet

I barely have ever used my passport, but I'd like to always have one handy! As for driving licence, I have one, and would be lost without it. Must remember mine expires this year!

Cool_CM

Whenever I'm in Ireland, I don't have an Irish account because I live in Switzerland.
When I'm in Switzerland, I don't have a Swiss account because I'm Irish.

Beats the chuggers everytime!

To be honest, I wouldn't mind having some form of National ID which would be accepted for all purposes. As things stand we have establishments that don't accept a driving licence as a valid form of ID as they are "easily forgeable".
I can travel around the world with my Irish passport, but to buy alcohol in Aldi or Lidl I need a Garda age-card.
The Garda age-card is basically an ID that proves you are over the age of 18 for the purposes of buying alcohol but not good for much else.

A small bank card sized ID that can be simply kept in a wallet or purse and is accepted by everybody is an idea worth looking at. Once you reach a certain age, you are given one. This saves people from bringing out more important documents such as passports and driving licences and basically does away with the age-card. It could also potentially be used in place of a passport for travel between EU countries. A bit like this or this.

This isn't going to happen of course. The Gardai won't want to get rid of the money-spinner that is the age-card and people will scream than it is an infringement of their personal liberties etc.

Asphyxia

I have a passport, driving licence and bank account

I think everyone should be given some sort of photo i.d the minute they turn 16 even if it's just an age card. The hassle my sister is having getting a passport is crazy, she has no interest in leaving the country she's just getting it to have photo ID and it got sent back to her because she never put in photo ID :rolleyes:

Humans eh!

After losing my job I had to reduce my loan repayments, BOI were so inflexible it was a joke. I got a letter (still have it) saying that they were withdrawing my banking services after being a customer for almost 20 years.
They handed my debt to their legal dept and I came to an arrangement with them instead. Made no sense whatsoever. I now have no bank account at all. Don't miss it one bit.
The banks have placed themselves in a position where the public believe that they cannot live without them, but you can.
IMO hateful institutions who have brought the entire country to penury, but the public still allow them to have a huge place in their financial lives.
They haven't changed their ways and are laughing at us all the way to themselves.

Knasher

I have both but I need to get a new license again because my current one isn't in the best of condition. We desperately need to change the drivers license, it is a complete shambles. If you operate more than two vehicles you need to carry a unwieldy and more importantly non-durable piece of laminated paper around with you constantly is a complete farce. Absolutely no reason we shouldn't have something the size of a standard ID card.

Queen-Mise

i know a few people with no bank accounts - they hate banks with a vengeance. Some of them do all their business through the credit union. One couple i know are in their fifties. They manage fine.

Faith+1

massdebater wrote: »

Blast them with piss

WTF???

Cactus Colm

If I could do without a bank account, I probably would. But can't even get paid without one these days (where I work).

Have a passport, don't have a licence, live in dublin, and have found public transport / bike good enough to get anywhere I need to go.

Have traveled a bit, it is great to get a taste of other places and cultures. But I don't think it's an essential desire .... certainly don't see it as laziness. Ireland has some great spots to visit and experience that a good number of people who consider themselves "widely travelled" would not have even considered visiting. If people are happy staying in Ireland, fair play to them. It doesn't make them lazy, and it certainly doesn't make them ignorant.

suitseir

bluewolf wrote: »

I would find it stranger that people had no bank account
How do you even get by without one?? The radio said "one in five irish families don't have one"

I am not surprised at this! I worked for a financial institution and it is amazing the amount of people who were refused to open an account for one reason or other. It is more difficult nowadays to open an account than it was years ago!

questionmark?

Jebus I dont know how people get by without a licence/passport/bank account.

I have more than one bank account in more than one country, I need my passport for travelling regularly and I need to carry my licence with me which is annoying because it is starting to fall apart why in the name of lord cant they have a card for your licence that fits in your wallet like a bank card I will never understand.

Cantona's Collars

Personally I can't see a problem with a national id card scheme,it's not as if the government/authorities don't already have a lot of info on people anyway.
One thing I found was that 99% of the people I met with no passports/driving license etc. were women,they seemed happy to let the men in their lives take care of such matters.Bit strange sacrificing your independence like that.

pickarooney

Asphyxia wrote: »

I have a passport, driving licence and bank account

I think everyone should be given some sort of photo i.d the minute they turn 16 even if it's just an age card. The hassle my sister is having getting a passport is crazy, she has no interest in leaving the country she's just getting it to have photo ID and it got sent back to her because she never put in photo ID :rolleyes:

To get a passport you need a birth cert, two photos and a signed form. Nowhere on the form does it ask for photo ID

Mike 1972

Dont see any harm in some kind of National ID card (a sort of enhanced version of the current age card) which would be optional for people who dont have/want a driving licence or passport (its not THAT unusual. Lots of people dont drive and have never been outside the British Isles)

However as someone who already has a driving licence and a passport If the government expect me to shell out MORE money or carry ANOTHER piece of plastic around with me they can go and fuk themselves with a ten foot pole.

Knasher wrote: »

Absolutely no reason we shouldn't have something the size of a standard ID card.

Like they have in every other EU country (as per an ISO standard)

pickarooney wrote: »

To get a passport you need a birth cert, two photos and a signed form. Nowhere on the form does it ask for photo ID

There is a ludicrous rigmarole about getting photographs "certified"

phantom_lord

Don't think I know anyone without a passport, certainly haven't come across anyone without one anyway.

Azureus

Definately passport and bank account are essential, for me anyway.
Could do without a licence,although I got one this week even though I dont intend to drive-just handy having the option.

pickarooney

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Dont see any harm in some kind of National ID card (a sort of enhanced version of the current age card) which would be optional for people who dont have/want a driving licence of passport.

However as someone who already has a driving licence and a passport If the government expect me to shell out MORE money or carry ANOTHER piece of plastic around with me they can go and fuk themselves with a ten foot pole.



Like they have in every other EU country


There is a ludicrous rigmarole about getting photographs "certified"

It's ludicrous but not that hard to find a teacher/doctor to sign it. And there's no requirement for an existing photo ID so I don't know why that poster's sister's application was refused.

Mike 1972

I dont know any teachers and my doctor hasnt known me for five years (In fact he hardly knows me at all) and I really dont like bothering him with stuff like that as I somehow suspect he might have better things to be doing.

Besides its a completely pointless exercise as its only effect is to create inconvenience and difficulties for people while being almost totally worthless in its stated purpose.

pickarooney

Mike 1972 wrote: »

I dont know any teachers and my doctor hasnt known me for five years (In fact he hardly knows me at all) and I really dont like bothering him with stuff like that as I somehow suspect he might have better things to be doing.

Besides its a completely pointless exercise as its only effect is to create inconvenience and difficulties for people while being almost totally worthless in its stated purpose.

Can't argue with you there. I've had to renew four passports already this year and the headmistress is getting a little tired of seeing me!

Adyx

I have a passport but it's never been used. It's nothing to do with laziness, I just don't have anywhere to go.

Regards getting the passport photos certified, do you not have to get this done in a Garda station any way? The garda who signed and stamped my form certified my photos.

krudler

have them all and couldnt imagine not having them. Our driving licenses are sh1t though, antiquated big foldy bits of paper, why cant they be credit card sizes and laminated like in the States? mine is wrecked from having it in my wallet for id

pickarooney

Adyx wrote: »

I have a passport but it's never been used. It's nothing to do with laziness, I just don't have anywhere to go.

Regards getting the passport photos certified, do you not have to get this done in a Garda station any way? The garda who signed and stamped my form certified my photos.

There's a list of about 12 categories of people who can sign them - off the top of my head there's cop/teacher/priest/judge/commssioner of oaths/notary/chartered accountant or somesuch ...

Mike 1972

Adyx wrote: »

Regards getting the passport photos certified, do you not have to get this done in a Garda station any way? The garda who signed and stamped my form certified my photos.

Strictly speaking I think theyre only supposed to certify your photos if theyve known you personally for five years but I suspect most Gardai arent overly rigid on this one (they probably figure that the fact that they dont know you that well/at all is a good sign).

But those of us who reside outside the state dont have a local "Garda" station to go to.

krudler wrote: »

Our driving licenses are sh1t though, antiquated big foldy bits of paper,

Bizzarely the current design is not actually that old. It dates from the mid-late 1980's. Prior that driving licences didnt even have photographs !!! Most of the world has moved on to credit card sized plastic cards (some with embedded chips) and a International standard layout (to deal with language barriers) but nobody told the Gardai

scotty_irish

havent got either and i live abroad - my flat burned down. a bit ****ed methinks!

Stinicker

Have numerous forms of ID, my passport being my most important and a thing of pride for me watching it fill with more and more passport stamps of all the far flung destinations I have visited.

My driving license is actually expired and must renew it next week.