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Passports: Personal Interviews

Answer

The Government’s intentions were set out on 21 December 2004 in a Written Statement in the other place by Des Browne MP, at that time Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality. From late 2006, adults applying for a passport for the first time will be required to attend a short meeting before a passport can be issued. Applications will, as now, be sent in by post or through the check and send service. When the UK Passport Service has completed the checks needed to establish that an application shows a real identity that is eligible for a British passport, the applicant will be invited to make an appointment at an interview office. The key purpose of the interview is to ascertain that the applicant actually is the person whose details were given in the application. To do this, the interview will use questions based on information derived from the checking process. The genuine applicant will know the answers but a person attempting to use another’s identity may not. This improvement in the process of establishing identity supports the improvements in passport security being introduced through the use of biometric technology. Since the announcement was made, preparatory work for implementation has continued and detailed plans will be announced in due course.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

3257; 677 c149-50WA

Session

2005-06

Related items

Written Statement on the requirement for some passport applicants to attend a passport office in person in order to establish their identity
Tuesday, 21 December 2004
Written statements
House of Commons

Subjects

Applications Interviews Passports

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk