Photographing (accessible)
Updated 24 February 2014
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/photographing/photographing-accessible
About this guidance
This guidance tells you when Home Office and Border Force staff can take the photograph of passengers and applicants who have been detained.
Changes to this guidance
This page tells you what has changed since the previous version of this guidance.
Contact
This page tells you who to contact for help with a specific case if your senior caseworker or line manager can’t answer your question
Information owner
This page tells you about this version of the guidance and who owns it.
Safeguard and promote child welfare
This page explains your duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and tells you where to find out more information.
Changes to this guidance
This page lists the changes to the ‘Photographing’ guidance, with the most recent at the top.
| Date of the change | Details of the change |
|---|---|
| 24 February 2014 | Six month review by the modernised guidance team: minor housekeeping and plain English changes throughout. |
| 5 August 2013 | Six month review by the modernised guidance team: minor housekeeping changes. For previous changes to this guidance you will find all earlier versions in the archive. |
When to take photographs
This page tells you when you can take a photograph of applicants or passengers.
Paragraph 18(2) of schedule 2, Immigration Act 1971 allows you to take the photograph of a passenger and applicant who has been detained.
If a person is detained under paragraph 16 of the act, the following people can take reasonable steps to photograph, measure or identify them:
- Home Office officers
- Border Force officers
- police constables
- prison officers
- any other person authorised by the Secretary of State
External links
Photographing children
This page tells you when you can take a photograph of a young person.
You must photograph all passengers who are issued with form IS81 (this includes children).
You must scan the photograph on to CID. This helps identify the passenger if they abscond later.
You must retain the hard copy securely on the port file, regardless of the outcome of the case.
Applying for Home Office travel documents
This page tells you the requirements for photographs for Home Office travel document applications.
Applicants must send two colour photographs for each application when they apply for a Home Office travel document. For more information on the standards the photographs must meet, see related link: Home Office website - Travel document photographic guidance.
If a person applies for the first time, or if a previous travel document has been lost or stolen, a professional person must:
- complete section 10 of the application form
- sign one of the photographs on the back, and
- write the following words on the back of the photograph:
- ‘I confirm that the photographs are true and correct likeness of (the full name and Home Office reference number of the applicant)’.
Examples of acceptable professionals are:
- bank manager
- doctor
- legal advisors regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) at level 1 or above
- legal advisors accredited under the Immigration and Asylum Accredited Scheme at probationer level or above
- magistrate
- minister of religion
- police officer
- prison officer
- probation officer
- social worker
- solicitor
- teacher
This is not a complete list. For more information, see related link: GOV.UK guidance on countersigning passport applications and photos.
External links
- Travel document photographic guidance
- GOV.UK guidance on countersigning passport applications and photos
Contacts
This page explains who to contact for more help with queries about photographing.
If you have read the guidance and still need more help, you must first ask your senior caseworker or line manager.
If the question cannot be answered at that level, you may email: Biometrics strategy team for guidance on the policy (see related link).
Changes to this guidance can only be made by the modernised guidance team (MGT). If you think the policy content needs amending you must email the biometrics strategy team, who will ask the MGT to update the guidance, if appropriate.
The MGT will accept direct feedback on broken links, missing information or the format, style and navigability of this guidance.
You can send these using the related link: Email: Modernised guidance team.
Information owners
This page tells you about this version of the ‘Photographing’ guidance and who owns it.
| Version | 8.0 |
|---|---|
| Valid from date | 24 February 2014 |
| Policy owner | Official – sensitive: information removed |
| Cleared by director | Official – sensitive: information removed |
| Director’s role | Official – sensitive: information removed |
| Clearance date | 9 September 2010 |
| This version approved for publication by | Official – sensitive: information removed |
| Approver’s role | Official – sensitive: information removed |
| Approval date | 20 February 2014 |
Changes to this guidance can only be made by the modernised guidance team (MGT). If you think the policy content needs amending you must email: Biometrics strategy team (see related link), who will ask the MGT to update the guidance, if appropriate.
The MGT will accept direct feedback on broken links, missing information or the format, style and navigability of this guidance. You can send these using the related link: Email: Modernised guidance team.