Guidance

Parents and grandparents: why we need their details

Published 15 February 2024

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff what information we need about a customers’ parents and grandparents and what to do if the information is missing or incomplete

About: Parent and grandparents: why we need their details

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office operational staff why we need the details of a customers’ parents or grandparents, when we need them and what to do if they are missing or incomplete.

Contacts

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Publication

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

• version 3.0
• published for Home Office staff on 15 May 2023

Changes from last version of this guidance

We have updated the guidance to explain:

• where customers can get information about whose details they need to provide in the parent details section of the application (in the Why we need details about a customers’ parents or grandparents section)
• you must ask for parent details if a first time application meets the criteria for an interview (in the When parent or grandparent details are missing or incomplete section)

Why we need details about a customers’ parents or grandparents

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff why we need details about a customers’ parents and grandparents.

When a customer applies for a passport, they may need to give details of their

• parents
• maternal and paternal grandparents

A customers’ parents are the people considered to be their legal parents for nationality purposes, as defined in law. If a customer is not sure whose details to provide, Digital Customer Services (for online applications) and the Guidance for passport applications booklet (for paper applications) provides more information.

We use parent and grandparent details to:

• confirm the customer’s identity (for example, we may ask the customer about their parents or grandparents during a passport interview)
• confirm the customer’s claim to British nationality (as the customer’s claim could be dependent on their mother, father, grandmother or grandfather)
• find out who has parental responsibility or legal guardianship of a child, so we know who can give consent (for child applications)
• check there’s no vulnerability or safeguarding concerns

For more information on deciding who is the parent for nationality purposes, see Definition of parent for nationality purposes.

When we ask for parent and grandparent details

When a customer completes a passport application, they are asked to give parent details when the intended passport holder is:

• aged 15 or under
• an adult applying for their first passport
• applying to replace a lost, stolen or damaged passport (unless the customer applies online)
• applying to renew or replace an Old Blue (hardback style) passport

Customers are also asked to give grandparent details when:

• both of the intended passport holders’ parents were born on or after 1 January 1983
• both of the intended passport holders’ parents were born abroad
• the intended passport holder was born through surrogacy

Although we ask the customer to give this information, we may not need it to process their application. This depends on the customer’s circumstances, for example, we may not use grandparents details if the parent’s first British passport was issued before their birth (see British citizenship guidance).

What parent details we ask for

Customers applying online who need to give parent details, must complete the Parents’ details section of the application. They must give their parent’s:

• first and middle names
• last name
• date of birth
• date of marriage or civil partnership (if applicable)
• town of birth
• country of birth
• nationality at the time the customer was born
• if they have a UK passport and if they do, the:
  • passport number
  • date of issue

If a customer cannot give any of the details, they must explain why in a dedicated free text box.

Customers applying using the paper application form who need to give their parents’ details, must complete the Section 4 Parents details section of the application. They must give their parent’s:

• full name (they must put the surname first)
• town and county of birth
• date of birth
• nationality and citizenship at the time the customer was born
• if they have British passport and if they do, the:
  • passport number
  • date of issue
• date of marriage or civil partnership (if applicable)

If a customer cannot give any of the details, they must explain why in Section 8 of the application.

What grandparent details we ask for

Customers applying online who need to give grandparent details, must complete the Grandparents’ details section of the application. They must give their maternal and paternal grandparent’s:

• first and middle names
• last name
• town of birth
• country of birth
• date of birth
• date of marriage or civil partnership (if applicable)

If a customer cannot give any of the details, they must explain why in a dedicated free text box.

Customers applying using the paper application form who must give their grandparent details, must complete Section 8 of the application. They must give their maternal and paternal grandparent’s:

• full name
• date of birth
• date of marriage and civil partnership (if applicable)
• any details of a British passport, for example, passport number, date of issue and place of issue

If a customer cannot give any of the details, they must explain why in Section 8 of the application.

When parent or grandparent details are missing or incomplete

This section tells HM Passport Office staff what to do when a customers’ parents or grandparents are missing from the application or they are incomplete.

If a customer did not give details of their parents or grandparents on the application or the information is incomplete, you must consider if you need them to process the passport application (in line with current guidance). For example, you may need them to:

• confirm the customer’s nationality and entitlement
• confirm the customer’s identity (for example, if a first time application meets criteria for an interview, as the interview officer may ask questions about the parents during an interview)
• check who has parental responsibility (or legal guardianship) for a child

If you do not need parent or grandparent details

If you do not need parent or grandparent details to process the passport application, you must:

1. Not request any further details relating to the parents or grandparents.
2. Continue to process the application (in line with current guidance).

If you need parent or grandparent details

If you need parent or grandparent details to process the application, you must:

1. Ask the customer to send the information in a signed and dated letter, by sending them system letter 318 (available on Application Management System (AMS) and the Comms builder in Digital Application Processing (DAP)).
2. Ask the customer for any other documents you need to process the application, for example, marriage or birth certificate.
3. Store the application while you wait for the customer to respond (if the application is on AMS).

Customer gives the missing or incomplete information

When you get the missing or incomplete information and you are dealing with a DAP application, you must not add, or change, these details on the electronic application. This is because we must keep a permanent record of the original details given by the customer.

You must:

1. Refer to DAP: change of parent details (if DAP has already created a change of parent details task).
2. Refer to DAP: watchlist checks not run for parent (if DAP has already created a watchlist checks not run for parent task).
3. Check the scanned letter on DAP and make sure the information is clear.
4. Check the information given is consistent with the customer’s supporting documents and any information already on the passport application.
5. Manually check the details against:
   • the watchlist on DAP
   • Main Index, using their British passport number, if they have one
6. Decide if the missing or incomplete information affects any full or partial matches and deal with them in line with current guidance.
7. Add a case note to show the actions and decisions you made.
8. Continue to process the application (in line with current guidance).

When you get the missing or incomplete information and you are dealing with an AMS application, you must:

1. Update the details on the electronic application on AMS.
2. Check the information given is consistent with the customer’s supporting documents and any information already on the passport application.
3. Manually check the details against:
   • the watchlist on AMS
   • Main Index, using their British passport number, if they have one
4. Decide if the missing or incomplete information affects any full or partial matches and deal with them in line with current guidance.
5. Add a case note to show the actions and decisions you made.
6. Continue to process the application (in line with current guidance).
7. Scan the customer’s letter on to the system so you have a permanent record of it.

Customer cannot give the missing or incomplete information

If the customer cannot give the missing or incomplete information, you must consider:

• if it’s because of a safeguarding or vulnerability concern
• asking for alternative information or documents and making a decision using a balance of probability