One of the best things to exist: the Young Scot Card

The number one thing I would recommend in St Andrews is the Young Scot National Entitlement Card. It took me way too long to get one and I hate to think about how much I could have saved by getting one sooner.  

A Young Scot National Entitlement Card is for young people aged 11 to 25 inclusive living in Scotland and is completely free. Even if you have a different home address during the holidays, if you live here during term you are entitled to apply. 

There are 2 types of National Entitlement Cards: 

1. Young Person’s Free Bus Pass – for 16-21 year olds inclusive 

1. Basic National Entitlement Card – does not give access to free bus travel but has the other benefits 

The main thing you can use it for is: 

• Free bus travel if younger than 22! 

• Proof of ID (brilliant if like me you’ve lost your driver’s and have to carry your passport everywhere) 

• Discounts on retailers 

How to apply – see the section at the bottom of this post for a helpful guide 

Mistakes to avoid 

The reason it took me so long to get my YoungScot card is because I was rejected twice and then couldn’t upload my photo to the website. So basically, I made all the mistakes you possibly could and have listed them below to make sure you don’t do the same: 

• Using your driver's license as proof of ID 

  • Your driver’s license has your address on it so unless it is a Scottish address you will be rejected (everyone makes this mistake) 

• Not using a valid proof of address 

  • Proving that you attend St Andrews University is not sufficient 

  • see the How to apply section below on what to use instead 

• Photo not uploading 

  • Not many people encounter this issue but make you have saved it as a JPEG or PNG and it is under the size limit 

I arrived in St Andrews in September 2022 and only got my Young Scot card a couple of weeks ago. Don’t wait as long as I did, use our guide below and apply now! 

How to apply 

You will need: 

• A photo of your passport 

• Proof of address (see below) 

• Passport style photo 

To begin, open the link below. 

LINK: https://getyournec.scot/nec/ 

Choose this option (if 16-21 years old): 

Then follow the instructions provided. It can be a slightly confusing process but it’s definitely worth it! 

Proof of address for non-Scottish students: 

Use a bank letter from the University. 

To do this: 

• Go the Home page on MySaint 

• Scroll down to the Student Finance section and click ‘Print a letter for my bank’  

• It does not matter which bank you choose- it will just generate a document with your term-time address at the top 

• Download this document and upload on the website when asked for proof of address