Virtual AMI Skills Cards

Virtual AMI Skills Cards can be issued to applicants, if applicants provide a personal mobile number and email address on the application form.

A virtual smartcard is a smartcard that is stored in an app on the card holders’ smartphone or tablet (this can be used instead of or as well as a physical card). Full details on the smartcard system and app are below.

Virtual Cards and App

A virtual smartcard is a smartcard that is stored in an app on the card holders’ smartphone or tablet.

The virtual AMI Skills Cards are designed to work with an app called Vircarda.

If you are issued a virtual smartcard, to download it, you will first need to install Vircarda on your device. The Vircarda app can be downloaded FREE of charge from the following app stores: Google Play, the Windows Store, The App Store.

Once you have installed Vircarda, to download your card, you will need to enter a registration code and PIN that you will be sent to you by email and SMS when your card is issued.

Your Virtual Smartcard will have the following information shown on the exterior and stored electronically on your device:

Photo
Name
Registration Number
Date of Issue
Date of Expiry
Health and Safety Test Results
Qualifications
Training and other certificates
Type of Card

These details may be updated or removed and further information about qualifications, training and other certificates you hold may be electronically added to your card after your card has been issued at our discretion. We may also cancel your card and remove it from Vircarda.

Go Smart – card checking software

Your card can be checked using software called Go Smart. Go Smart is available for the following platforms:

  • PCs and laptops running Windows – the PC/laptop needs to have a camera or QR reader connected to it. This version of Go Smart is available as a free download from http://getgosmart.io/
  • Android devices. This is available as a free app from Google Play
  • Windows smartphones. This is available as a free app in the Windows Store
  • IPhones from iPhone 5 onwards. This is available as a free app from the App Store

To enable someone to check your card using Go Smart, all you will need to do is touch the Read Card option in Vircarda. This will generate a secure QR code that can be read only by Go Smart.

Go Smart can check cards both offline and online.

When your card is checked online, Go Smart will connect to our database and download your card data, before displaying your details on screen. When your card is checked offline, Go Smart will confirm that your card is genuine and the person checking your card will then carry out a visual check of the card on your device. When online connectivity becomes available later on, Go Smart will connect to our database and download your card data. 

Provided you have not switched off notifications on your smartphone or tablet, you will receive a notification confirming your card has been read. From time to time you may receive other notifications from us as well – to warn you that your card is about to expire for example.

We keep a log of all online card checks and any changes made to your card. This log is used for support and security purposes, for helping us understand how cards are being used and for producing statistics about card use. The log file is maintained by Reference Point Ltd, the provider of our smartcard ecosystem, acting as a data processor on our behalf.

When your card is read electronically by Go Smart, a copy of your card is recorded along with the time and location, where available. This provides a log of the cards that have been checked for the person checking your card. Go Smart enables the person who has checked your card to forward a copy of your data to someone else - someone at head-office for example. Before doing this, the card checker must inform you who the data will be sent to and what it will be used for.

Your card can also be checked electronically by some other software systems. Data protection laws require that, before reading your card, the users of these systems must tell you if they are going to keep a copy of your data and what it will be used for.