Guidance

How to deal with customers of different ages: caseworker guidance

Published 21 March 2024

Version 6.0

Guidance for His Majesty’s Passport Office staff explaining how guidance changes for customers when they move across an age boundary while we are processing their application (for example, turn 12 or 16)

About: How to deal with customers of different ages

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff how guidance changes for customers when they move across an age boundary while we are processing their application (for example, turn 12 or 16).

The guidance also tells staff about passport validity and the age-related warnings generated by the Application Management System (AMS) and how to deal with them.

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 15 May 2023

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to:

• include a new section about children turning 12 during processing
• remove guidance that is included elsewhere, and restructure the remaining guidance

Customer turns 12 during the examination process

This section tells HM Passport Office staff how to deal with applications when the customer turns 12 when the application is being examined (for example we are awaiting documents).

If a customer turns 12 while the application is being examined, you, the examiner may need to perform different actions.

DAP: customer turns 12

You, the DAP (Digital Application Processing) examiner, do not need to check if the child is turning 12.

DAP will automatically transfer the application to AMS (Application Management System) if the child turns 12 during the examination process. Because DAP completes automatic checks at different points in an application’s progress, the transfer to AMS may not happen until you complete the tasks and select Submit.

The application must be transferred because there is no current functionality on DAP to allow you to change the signature field.

AMS: customer turns 12

If the child turns 12 during the examination process, you the AMS examiner must:

• continue to follow the referee guidance which tells you when you must examine the referee (the child turning 12 does not change when this must happen, though it may change whether a referee has been provided)
• not ask for a new paper form if the child’s signature is missing (see Signatures for 12 to 15 year olds)

You must check the correct wording will be printed on the passport. You must:

1. Access the Prepare Passport tab.
2. Check the correct wording is shown in the Signature to be printed field.
3. If the correct wording is not shown, select the correct wording from the drop-down menu and save any changes you have made.
4. Get a second authorisation if the system prompts you to.

Customer turns 16 during the examination process

This section tells HM Passport Office staff how to deal with applications when the customer is due to turn, or turns, 16 when the application is being examined (for example we are awaiting documents).

If a customer turns 16 while the application is being examined, you, the examiner, must treat the application as an adult application.

You must check we have consent from the correct person (for example, the intended passport holder) when dealing with the application.

When we receive a passport application for a child (aged 0 to 15 years old) our systems will automatically issue a passport valid for 5 years. We must issue adult customers with a passport valid for 10 years.

You do not need to check the passport validity if you are processing on DAP, but you must check the validity if the child turns 16 and you are processing on AMS.

If a customer applies online using Digital Customer Services (DCS) and they will turn 16 within 3 weeks DCS will allocate an adult service type. The customer will be asked to complete the declaration as an adult and pay the adult fee.

DAP: customer turning 16 in 3 weeks

DAP (Digital Application Processing) will treat the application as an adult application. For example, it will not create a parental responsibility task if the customer has completed the declaration.

You, the DAP examiner, do not need to check if the customer is 15 or 16. You must complete the tasks presented to you, as if the customer was 16. For example, you must follow the Authorisation and consent guidance as if the customer was 16. This is because:

• the customer has applied as an adult
• their passport will not be issued and printed until they are 16

If the customer turns 16 and the application is still being processed, you will not need to ask for additional fees or information, just because they are now an adult application.

DAP will automatically create the Interview task once the customer is 16 (even if you complete all other tasks). If all other tasks are completed, DAP will automatically hold the application until the customer turns 16 before:

• creating the Interview task, if the customer is applying from the UK for their first passport (because we cannot conduct an interview) unless the customer is 16 or over)
• sending the passport to print (because we are issuing a 10 year passport, and we must not do this until the customer is 16)

DAP: customer turns 16

You, the DAP (Digital Application Processing) examiner, do not need to check if the customer is turning 16.

If the customer applies within 3 weeks of turning 16, DAP will treat the application as an adult application.

If the customer applied more than 3 weeks before turning 16, the application will be received by DAP as a child application. For these applications, DAP will automatically transfer the application to AMS (Application Management System) if the customer turns 16 during the examination process. Because DAP completes automatic checks at different points in an application’s progress, the transfer to AMS may not happen until you complete the tasks and select submit.

DAP: customer needs their passport before they turn 16

If the customer urgently needs a passport before they turn 16, you must transfer the application to AMS (Application Management System) as you are not able to refund the fee or change the signature field on DAP.

AMS: customer turning 16 in 3 weeks (online application)

If you, the AMS examiner, receive an online application from a customer who will be 16 years old within 3 weeks, you must hold the application until they are 16 so we can issue a passport valid for 10 years. You must case note the application and pigeonhole until they turn 16.

If the customer needs to travel before then, see Customer needs their passport before they turn 16.

AMS: customer turning 16 in 1 month (paper application)

If you, the AMS examiner, receives a paper application from a customer who will be 16 years old within 1 month, you must hold the application until they are 16 so we can issue a passport valid for 10 years.

Our guidance booklet tells customers using a paper form to apply 3 weeks before their sixteenth birthday.

If you get a paper application from a customer who will be 16 in 1 month, you must:

• check the fee has been taken for an adult passport, and request the balance of fee if required
• send a letter to the customer explaining the application will be held until their 16th birthday (text 431)
• case note the application and pigeonhole until they turn 16

If the customer needs to travel before then, see Customer needs their passport before they turn 16.

AMS: customer turns 16

You, the AMS examiner, may see an age-related warning if the customer is near, or has turned, 16. If the customer turns 16 during the examination process (or the application has been transferred from DAP because they have turned 16) you must:

• request the balance of fee (if required)
• make sure the service type shows Adult
• request additional supporting documents (if required)
• request additional consent (if required)
• apply adult standard checks when examining the referee
• check the validity of the passport shows you are issuing a passport valid for 10 years
• send the customer for an identity interview if required in line with guidance

AMS: customer needs their passport before they turn 16

If you, the AMS examiner, are dealing with a customer who has applied as an adult (because they are near their 16th birthday), but they need their passport before they are 16, you must:

• not ask for a new form
• ask for consent from someone with parental responsibility so we can issue a child passport (see: Authorisation and consent)
• change the service type (for example, child renewal)
• refund the overpayment if they paid the adult passport fee
• check the passport validity and issue a passport valid for 5 years

AMS: age-related warnings

This section tells HM Passport Office staff about the age related warnings the Application Management System (AMS) will generate.

The Application Management System (AMS) will generate the following warnings to highlight that an incorrect application type has been selected for the age of the person applying for a passport.

Customer age related warnings:
Applicant is within one month of their 16th birthday
Adult replacement specified for applicant aged less than 16
Adult extension specified for applicant aged less than 16
Child extension specified for applicant aged over 15
Child replacement specified for applicant aged over 15
Child renewal specified for applicant aged over 15
Date of birth invalid in Applicant details.
Date of birth missing in Applicant details.
Jumbo Passport selected but applicant is less than 16
New adult specified for a child under 16
New child specified for applicant aged over 15
Renewal specified for a child aged less than 16

To investigate these warnings, you, the examiner, must:

• check the customer’s date of birth on AMS and correct any errors
• check the customer has selected the correct service type and change it if it’s incorrect
• consider if the customer:
  • will turn 16 within a month
  • only added their year of birth rather than their full date of birth
• contact the customer and check their requirements before you issue a passport, for example, do they want a frequent traveller (jumbo) passport for a child, when a child passport is issued with a validity of 5 years

You must fully case note all actions taken.

AMS: checking the passport validity

You, the examiner working on AMS, must always check the validity is correct before clearing the application for issue (as the validity may have automatically updated during the examination process). You must check the application service type against the age of the customer, in particular when correcting errors, amending customer personal details, or when you are dealing with age-related warnings.