Maintaining a current form of Government-issued photo ID has a number of obvious benefits – a current Passport allows you to travel overseas; a current Driver Licence allows you to operate a motor vehicle; a current Firearms Licence allows you to own and operate firearms.
When people are working, going on holidays and are otherwise relatively active, they tend to make a point of keeping their photo ID current, and renewing it when it expires.
But as people get older, maintaining a current form of photo ID has a way of becoming less and less of a priority.
This is understandable: as a person’s desire and/or ability (physical, financial or otherwise) to travel, drive and/or operate firearms declines, so too will the perceived usefulness of a Passport, Driver Licence and/or Firearms Licence.
Of course, in the case of Driver Licences and Firearms Licences, maintaining these requires that various criteria must be met – e.g. functional eyesight, mental capacity. But there are no such requirements for a Passport or, for example, a Kiwi Access Card (the successor of the 18+ Card).
This is worth keeping in mind – especially with regard to deceased estates.
Why? Because administering a deceased estate - when one or more of the executors has not maintained a current form of Government-issued photo ID - can be (to put it mildly) very difficult.
If you are named as an executor in someone’s Will, it is imperative that you maintain a current form of Government-issued photo ID.
If you do not have a current form of ID, and the prospect of acquiring one feels a bit daunting, please contact us.