Guidance

DAP: His Majesty’s Armed Forces passport applications (accessible)

Published 4 August 2025

Version 6.0

His Majesty’s Passport Office guidance for dealing with passport applications on DAP (Digital Application Processing) using the dedicated Armed Forces route.

About: DAP: His Majesty’s Armed Forces passport applications

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff how we process HM Armed Forces Units passport applications on DAP (Digital Application Processing).

You must not use this guidance for applications sent in using any other route.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

• version 6.0

• published for Home Office staff on 21 May 2025

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to tell operational staff how to transfer Diplomatic and Official applications to Durham International team 3.

HM Armed Forces on DAP: identifying Armed Forces passport applications

This section explains how HM Passport Office staff identify an application from His Majesty’s Armed Forces, also known as ‘HM Armed Forces’ or ‘HM Forces’ and their dependants. It also explains how Document Handling Unit suppliers handle HM Forces passport applications.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) submit passport applications to us using the Armed Forces route. Applications sent to us using this route may include applications from serving members of His Majesty’s Armed Forces and their dependants.

Members of the Armed Forces will submit the application in line with the HM Armed Forces Defence Instructions and Notices (DIN) guidance available to them.

Forces applications will always be DCS (Digital Customer Services) online applications. Customers will send supporting documents to the Document Handling Unit.

The Armed Forces Unit Welfare Office will email the Peterborough Armed Forces team a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter after the customer has made their application online. The Peterborough Armed Forces DAP team will upload the emailed MoD letter to the customer’s application on DAP (Digital Application Processing). This will create a Documents received task and transfer the application to the Armed Forces team on DAP.

Applications submitted with the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) post code HA4 6DQ or G2 8EX will also be automatically transferred to the Armed Forces team on DAP.

Dependants of HM Armed Forces personnel may have their application paid for by the MoD through the HM Armed Forces route. We will return their passports and document using this route, but we must confirm their identity and nationality using standard guidance produced for the general public.

Personal applications received from HM Armed Forces personnel

Customers may apply for a personal passport using any route. This includes additional passports which may be accompanied by a letter from someone in the armed forces (not a MoD letter), confirming the need for the additional passport. These must be processed as standard applications and must not be transferred to the Armed Forces team in Peterborough.

You can deal with a personal application on DAP using current guidance if the customer applies for a standard passport in a personal capacity.

You must only transfer the application to the Peterborough Armed Forces team if the application has been submitted as an HM Forces application with a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter.

Transferring an application to the Armed Forces team

When you, the DAP examiner, believe you have received an application that needs to be transferred to the Armed Forces team in Peterborough to process, you must check the documents for a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter.

If the application has a Ministry of Defence letter incorrectly categorised, you must:

1. Recategorise the Ministry of Defence letter and record this as a Ministry of Defence letter.

2. Select I cannot do this and choose the Need more documents, no task to ask for them option.

3. Add a case note to explain the reason you are transferring the application to the HM Armed Forces team.

4. Select Submit.

The application will then be transferred to the Peterborough HM Armed Forces team to process.

When the Peterborough HM Armed Forces team receive a transferred passport application, they must process it even if it is not an HM Armed Forces application.

Transferring Diplomatic and Official applications

When you, the Peterborough HM Armed forces examiner, have a diplomatic and official passport application, you must transfer it to the Durham International team 3. To do this, you must:

1. Select I cannot do this and choose the Diplomatic and official application option.

2. Add a case note to explain the reason you are transferring the application.

3. Select Submit.

DAP will transfer the application to the Durham International team 3 and create a Diplomatic and official application task for them to complete.

HM Armed Forces and diplomatic applications

The Diplomatic and Officials team in Durham, deal with passport applications for Diplomatic or Official passports from members of HM Armed Forces.

HM Armed Forces: DHU processing

Customers will send their supporting documents for passport applications to the Document Handling Unit (DHU).

The DHU supplier staff will process the documents using their standard process.

Fees for HM Armed forces applications

HM Armed Forces applications will be submitted as a UK online application through DCS. Customers must pay the standard UK online fee.

If an application for HM Armed Forces is for a customer normally resident overseas, the fee will remain the same as a UK application.

HM Armed Forces on DAP: examining applications on DAP

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners working on the Armed Forces team in Peterborough how to examine applications on DAP (Digital Application Processing) sent to us using the dedicated Armed Forces route, from members of His Majesty’s Armed Forces (HM Armed Forces) or their dependants.

For the majority of HM Armed Forces applications, the intended passport holder will ordinarily (normally) be resident in the UK.

You, the examiner, must deal with applications sent from overseas using the forces route as standard UK applications unless the intended passport holder is a dependant applying for their first British passport as an adult and they are not ordinarily resident in the UK.

You, the Armed Forces DAP (Digital Application Processing) examiner, must complete any tasks created for the application.

Checking the Ministry of Defence letter

Applications from HM Armed Forces must have a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter emailed by the unit to the Armed Forces team. When the Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter is received by email, you must:

1. Check the Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter includes a unit or base address.

2. Check the letter includes the name of the person who has applied for the passport and the dependant’s normal residence (if applicable).

3. Search DAP for the application the Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter is connected with.

4. Upload the Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter to the DAP application and record this as a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter which will automatically transfer the application to the Armed Forces team for examination.

When you upload the MoD letter, if we have not received the customer’s supporting documents, DAP will cancel the outstanding document request (as it will assume the MoD letter is the supporting document we are waiting for).

If we are still waiting for supporting documents when you upload the MoD letter, you must use the Documents not received task to request the information needed.

The communications we send will tell the customer that if they have sent the information requested in the last 7 days, they can ignore the request.

While we are waiting for the requested information to be received, you must:

• continue to process any DAP tasks that can be completed

• request any information needed from the HM Armed forces Unit (if required)

Examining addresses on HM Armed Forces applications

When examining applications from members of HM Armed Forces or their dependants, you must:

1. Check the system shows the customer’s Unit Welfare Office postal address (also known as the unit’s civilian address) as the customer’s home address.

2. Type the military unit address using the correct format (for overseas units this is also known as the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address) into the Passport delivery address and Document return address fields on the system.

Establishing nationality on HM Armed Forces applications

When examining applications from members of HM Armed Forces (or their dependants) you must confirm the customer’s claim to British nationality, in line with nationality legislation.

You must use the British nationality act 1981 to work out a child’s claim to British nationality. HM Passport Office’s Immigration and Right of Abode guidance provides information on how to establish if an HM Forces parent is settled at the time of the child’s birth.

Examining the referee on HM Armed Forces applications

When examining applications from members of HM Armed Forces (or their dependants) you must check if the customer lives in the UK or overseas and make sure their application includes a referee (if required).

You must accept the customer’s referee if they are an acceptable referee and the:

• customer and the referee both live in the UK

• referee lives or is posted either in the UK or overseas (in the same place as the customer)

• referee has known the customer for less than two years, providing the person who acted as referee holds the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) rank of OF2 or above, OF2 ranks include:

  • Lieutenant (Royal Navy)

  • Captain (Royal Marines)

  • Captain (Army)

  • Flight Lieutenant (Royal Air Force)

• application has been submitted with a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter

Dealing with additional passports for members of HM Forces

You must check the application has been sent in through the Armed Forces route and includes a signed letter (in addition to a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter), from the commanding officer of the unit (or a superior officer) confirming the customer’s need for an additional passport if they have asked for an additional passport.

All requirements in the additional passports guidance must be met.

You must follow the steps in the additional passports guidance and Exceptions Handling team guidance to process the additional passport application.

HM Armed Forces personnel and their dependants based in Gibraltar may request to renew their passport without sending in the current passport. This is due to the requirement to cross the border into Spain on a daily basis for employment or education, for example. You must refer to frequent traveller exemption criteria within the additional passports guidance.

Lost, stolen & recovered passport applications

You, the examiner, must:

• deal with any application to replace a passport which has been lost or stolen using the lost stolen and recovered guidance

• consider if the customer must attend an identity interview

Renewing restricted validity passports

Dependants of serving members of HM Armed Forces are still issued with restricted validity passports. When examining applications from dependents of members of HM Armed Forces to renew a restricted validity passport you must follow the guidance for restricted validity passports and send the customer for interview if they fit the criteria for interview.

Recording customer contact

If a customer contacts the HM Armed Forces team directly whilst the application is in progress, you must record the information using the Record customer contact option on DAP.

HM Armed Forces on DAP: interviews

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners (working on the Peterborough Armed Forces team) when to send a member of HM Armed Forces or their dependants for an identity interview.

The passport issuing system automatically selects first time adult applications submitted in the UK for interview. You, the examiner working on Digital Application Processing (DAP), must override the system for members of HM Armed Forces applying for their first British passport.

You must consider whether a member of HM Armed Forces requires an interview if they have reported their passport lost or stolen.

Interviews for dependants of HM Armed Forces members

We will interview dependants of HM Armed Forces members if they fit the criteria to be interviewed.

Dependant resident in the UK

Customers over 16 years who apply for their first British passport in the UK must attend an identity interview. You must send an adult dependant resident in the UK and applying for their first British passport for an identity interview if it is required, unless they are travelling within the next 2 weeks. If they are, you must:

1. Deal with the application using the urgent government business guidance.

2. Issue a restricted validity passport which will cover the travel needs of the customer.

3. Tell the customer they will have to attend an interview in the UK to renew the passport.

Dependant resident abroad

For applications submitted by HM Forces you must check the application and supporting documents to decide if the dependant or their parent (if the intended passport holder is a child) is ordinarily (normally) resident in the UK or abroad.

Normally resident in the UK

If the adult or child dependant is resident overseas because they have been posted there by HM Armed Forces or they are newly naturalised you must:

1. Check the Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter, or foreign passport to decide if the dependant (or their parent if the dependant is under 16 years old) is normally resident in the UK. You must check the customer’s foreign passport to see if immigration stamps show the customer is regularly travelling into or out of the UK.

2. Decide if an interview would be required if the dependant was resident in the UK.

If the customer does not need to attend an identity interview (for example if they are newly naturalised and we have checked their passport on Home Office records), you the examiner must:

1. Override the automatic system decision to send the application for interview.

2. Issue a fully valid passport.

If the intended passport holder would need to attend an interview if they were resident in the UK, you the examiner must:

1. Issue a restricted validity passport valid for the required validity.

2. Tell the customer they will have to attend an interview in the UK to renew the passport.

Normally resident overseas

If the intended passport holder or their parent (where the intended passport holder is under 16 years old) is normally resident overseas you must make sure the application is correctly categorised to decide if an identity interview is required.

Interviews when replacing a lost or stolen passport

Where a customer meets the criteria for an identity interview following a report of a lost or stolen passport, we will:

• not interview members of HM Armed Forces or their dependents in this circumstance if they are deployed overseas

• send them for an interview

You must issue a restricted validity passport if the customer (a serving member or a dependant) is resident in the UK and is being deployed abroad within the next 2 weeks for less than 2 and half years. You must:

1. Ask the Unit Welfare Office to confirm the customer is being deployed in the next 2 weeks and the length of their deployment.

2. Deal with the application, using with the Urgent Government Business guidance.

3. Set the validity of the passport to match the length of the deployment plus any additional months needed to cover the validity requirements of the country they are moving to (up to a maximum of 3 years).

4. Tell the customer they will have to attend an interview on their return to the UK using system letter template 380 or 381.

You must issue a fully valid passport and not send the customer for an interview if the customer is being deployed within 2 weeks and the deployment will last more than 3 years.

HM Armed Forces on DAP: contacting the unit

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners working in the Peterborough Armed Forces team using Digital Application Processing (DAP) how to contact members of His Majesty’s Armed Forces (HM Armed Forces) or their dependants.

We may need to contact the units Welfare Officer, for example if there is an issue with a Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter.

If we need further information from a customer for their application, we must contact the customer directly.

Emailing letters to overseas units

When emailing a letter to the unit welfare office, you must use the Comms Builder template.

How to create a forces email template

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners how to create an email template, to use when contacting unit Welfare Offices for information about an application.

When emailing a Unit Welfare Officer for more information about an application,

you, the examiner, must always use the unit email address.

To create an email template, you must:

5. Access your team mailbox in Outlook.

6. Click on New Email button at the top left-hand corner of screen.

7. Click on Signature button on the toolbar at the top of the screen.

8. Click on signatures button.

9. Click on New button. You will be prompted to ‘type a name for this signature’.

10. Type Forces in the box and click on OK.

11. Using Arial 12 font size, type or copy and paste the template words:

Dear Colleague

[insert customer’s full name and date of birth and application number here]

The attached letter is for the person named above about their passport application. This letter must be passed to NAME as they are the intended recipient.

Emails sent outside of the Government’s secure network may not be secure, therefore any personal information has been kept to a minimum.

1. Under Choose default signature for new messages select Forces from the drop-down list.

2. For replies or forwards select Forces from the drop-down list.

3. Click on OK.

The Forces template will now appear on all emails sent from the Overseas Armed Forces mailbox.

HM Armed Forces on DAP: urgent applications

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners working in the Peterborough Armed Forces team using Digital Application Processing (DAP) how to deal with urgent applications from members of His Majesty’s Armed Forces (HM Armed Forces) or their dependants.

HM Armed Forces personnel and their dependants may apply for an urgent passport. They could apply for an urgent passport as an:

• urgent request to an application already in progress

• urgent (new) application submission

HM Armed Forces personnel should call the contact centre when requesting an urgent passport application.

If a customer contacts the HM Armed Forces passport team directly requesting an urgent application for an application already in progress, you must instruct them to call the contact centre.

Urgent HM Armed Forces applications will be examined by the counter team using the Urgent government business or compassionate reasons guidance.