NATIONAL
ENTITLEMENT
CARD

Terms

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

National Entitlement Card: Terms and Conditions (Ts&Cs)

You can also download the Terms and Conditions.

November 2021

Changes made: Website address changes; include SPT's role in administering the NEC; explicitly mention parental responsibility with respect to concessionary travel.

The National Entitlement Card (NEC – the card) is administered by Scottish Councils and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) on behalf of your Council (the Council), the Scottish Government and the wider Scottish public sector. If you have any questions or concerns, please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page or contact your local Council.

These Ts&Cs and more information are available on the website at https://www.nec.scot. Any changes to the Ts&Cs will be available on the website.

Completing your application for an NEC either in person, online or by other means indicates you accept the Ts&Cs.

If at any time you decide you no longer want your NEC, you should let the Council or SPT know and return your NEC to them. You may no longer be able to access certain services if you do this.

National Terms and Conditions

Checking your Personal Details

  1. You need to supply information and pieces of evidence (proofs) that confirm who you are, what your address is, and what services you are entitled to access. These need to be provided to the Council, or agents working on their behalf such as Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) or Post Offices. They may not be able to issue your card if it appears that the details you provide are not accurate, or that you are not who you claim to be. They may not be able to issue your card if you cannot show that you are entitled to the services claimed.
  2. If the Council is able to check the details which you supply when you apply for your NEC against facts it already knows, you may not have to provide further proofs. The Council or their agents will be able to advise you on this.
  3. If you are under 12 years old when you apply, your form must be signed by a person who has parental responsibility for you.
  4. A list of the pieces of evidence that can be accepted as proofs is available from the Council or at https://www.nec.scot/proofs.
  5. The Council has a duty to maintain your data accurately and to prevent fraud. From time to time they will check that your data is correct and up to date. Your address may be checked against the list of properties held by Councils at https://osg.scot. Your name and date of birth may be cross checked with other records held by Councils. Doing this helps the Council give you access to other services when you request them.
  6. You are free to cancel your NEC at any time by contacting your local Council. Details can be found at https://www.mygov.scot/find-your-local-council.

Your Responsibilities

  1. The NEC is intended only for the use of the person whose details and photo were used for its issue (the cardholder). It cannot be transferred to someone else.
  2. You must inform the Council as soon as possible of any change that might affect your NEC. Examples include changing your name or address, or no longer being entitled to a service you access with your NEC.
  3. You must tell the Council as soon as possible if your card is lost, stolen, damaged or not working.
  4. The NEC will become invalid if it is tampered with in any way. You should keep the card in good condition. For example, the card should not be bent or have holes punched in it.

Services

  1. You may be able to use your NEC to access different services from the Council, public sector partners or other service providers, including the national concessionary travel and saltirecard smart ticketing schemes administered by Transport Scotland.
  2. Services provided in relation to the card are subject to availability. Services may be subject to separate terms and conditions, and providers do not guarantee that any of the services on the card will be available. Services may be withdrawn or modified without prior notice.
  3. The Council, public sector partners and service providers will not repay you any costs you may incur in the time between applying for your card or reporting your card lost, stolen or damaged, and receiving your card or replacement card through the post.
  4. Service providers, including the Council, have the right to cancel or otherwise restrict the services or concessions they provide you if you do not keep to the service terms and conditions.
  5. The Council reserves the right to take any action it thinks it must if it is found that you have abused the scheme or services. In particular this applies where information has been provided with the intention of defrauding the Council, a public sector partner or other service provider.

Privacy and Data Protection

  1. The Council is committed to your privacy as it handles your personal data. Details of how the NEC makes use of your personal data nationally can be found here https://www.nec.scot/privacy-policy.
  2. The Council will share personal data with Transport Scotland in connection with the NEC. Transport Scotland’s Concessionary Travel and Smart Ticketing Privacy Policy explains how Transport Scotland uses your personal information and can be found online at https://www.transport.gov.scot/concessionary-travel/60plus-and-disabled/our-concessionary-travel-and-smart-ticketing-privacy-policy.

saltirecard Scheme

  1. The NEC is part of the saltirecard smartcard family. This means that some Scottish transport operators may let the cardholder use the NEC to store electronic tickets that they have bought. Purchase and use of such tickets will be subject to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies applied by individual operators. Further details can be found at https://smarttravel.scot.

National Concessionary Travel Schemes: Additional Terms and Conditions

  1. The NEC is used to allow free or discounted national travel to certain groups of people. Further details and Terms and Conditions can be found at https://www.transport.gov.scot/concessionary-travel. Note that if you are aged under 16 years old, someone with parental responsibility for you must give approval before you are given access to national concessionary travel.

Locally administered Services, including Local Concessionary Travel Schemes and the Scottish National Blind Persons Scheme: Additional Terms and Conditions

  1. Different services are available to cardholders in different Council areas. Each Council may have further details and Terms and Conditions that they apply. A list of Council websites can be found at https://www.mygov.scot/find-your-local-council. If you live in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) area, you can find more details at https://www.spt.co.uk/tickets/concessions.