Rights and LimitsStopped in the street or in a vehicleDo you have to give police your name?
Do you have to give police your name?
There is a short and simple version of this page. One idea per sentence, no legal words.
What you must do, and what you can refuse
Every claim below links to the law it comes from, with the wording quoted so you can check it yourself.
You must
Refusing is a criminal offence.
Give your name and address where a uniformed officer reasonably believes you have been anti-social.
Police Reform Act 2002, s.50(1)
“If a constable in uniform has reason to believe that a person has engaged, or is engaging, in anti-social behaviour”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Give any information requested during a Schedule 7 port examination, including identity documents.
Terrorism Act 2000, Schedule 7, paragraph 5
“A person who is questioned under paragraph 2 or 3 must— give the examining officer any information in his possession which the officer requests”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
You can refuse
No penalty for saying no.
The requirement to give your name and address is tied to a uniformed officer having reason to believe you have been anti-social.
Officers may ask at any time. Asking is not requiring, and only that trigger makes refusal an offence.
Police Reform Act 2002, s.50(1)
“If a constable in uniform has reason to believe that a person has engaged, or is engaging, in anti-social behaviour”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
Lawful to refuse — but it costs you
Not an offence, but it carries a penalty or an inference.
Refusing, or giving a false name, once that requirement is properly made carries a fine up to level 3.
The statutory penalty is the fine — the practical cost is often arrest at the scene to establish identity.
Police Reform Act 2002, s.50(2)
“is guilty of an offence and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale”
Read it at legislation.gov.ukquote checked 2026-08-25
The general rule
There is no general power for a police officer in England and Wales to demand your name and address simply because they want it, and no general offence of refusing to give it.
An officer asking is lawful. You declining is also lawful. Being stopped and asked questions is not, by itself, a detention.
The exceptions that matter
The general rule has real holes in it, and they are where people get arrested believing they were within their rights:
- Anti-social behaviour — a uniformed officer with reason to believe you have been behaving anti-socially can require your name and address, and refusing is a fine-level offence.
- Driving — different regime entirely; you must produce details as a driver.
- Ports and borders — under Schedule 7 you must give any information requested, including identity documents.
If an officer says you are legally required to identify yourself, it is fair to ask under what power. If it is s.50, they should be able to say what anti-social behaviour they believe you were involved in.
Last reviewed 2026-08-25. Next review due 2027-02-25. No solicitor has reviewed this page — see [email protected] if you think something here is wrong.