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Guidance

Assessing age for asylum applicants: caseworker guidance

Immigration staff guidance on assessing the age of an applicant when they claim to be a child.

Updates to this page

From:
UK Visas and Immigration
Published:
17 June 2011
Last updated:
30 June 2026
Show all updates

  1. Amended to remove a sentence referring to abbreviated age assessments within the When the Home Office can make a referral to the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) section. Amendments have also been made on reviewing initial decisions conducted by juxtaposed controls and other minor amendments have been made.

  2. Updated with further guidance on age-disputed persons who admit to being 18 or over, and sign a relevant form provided by or on behalf of the Home Office to that effect, reviewing decisions not to dispute claimed ages following receipt of new information and taking into account asylum credibility issues raised in the age assessment process.

  3. Accessible html version added.

  4. This document has been amended to take into account the introduction of a process for conducting abbreviated age assessments.

  5. The document has been amended to clarify the processes for initial decisions on age taken at juxtaposed controls – the United Kingdom’s border controls in France, Belgium and Netherlands.

  6. Updated to take into account amendments to the policy and processes in respect of those who have had a 'significantly over 18' decision and are subject to prosecution for immigration offences.

  7. Guidance amended to include the following amendments: how electronic copies of identity documents should be considered; how a ‘significantly over 18’ initial age decision should be interpreted and implemented in different circumstances; clarifying the safeguards and the process of assessing age in adult detention.

  8. Guidance added on the communication of age dispute related information in cases where age-disputed persons are subject to criminal investigation and prosecution for immigration related crimes.

  9. Updated the page text as the guidance is no longer under review.

  10. Guidance amended to take into account the commencement of certain provisions of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, including the introduction of the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) on 31 March 2023.

  11. The document has been amended to take into account the commencement of certain provisions of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, including the introduction of the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) on 28 June 2022.

  12. The document has been amended to reflect changes to the initial age assessment policy following the judgment of the Supreme Court in R (BF (Eritrea)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38.

  13. Updated for end of EU transition period.

  14. Guidance document updated.

  15. PDF document "Assessing age" was replaced with an updated version.

  16. Updated guidance.

  17. Link to the age assessment joint working guidance (2015) added.

  18. First published.

Documents

Assessing age (accessible)

HTML

Assessing age

PDF, 863 KB, 96 pages

Details

UK Visas and Immigration guidance on how staff make decisions when an asylum applicant claims to be a child with little or no evidence.

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