Guidance

Authorisation and consent: consent to disclose information (accessible)

Published 8 January 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/authorisation-and-consent-consent-to-disclose-information/authorisation-and-consent-consent-to-disclose-information-accessible

Version 1.0

This guidance is for His Majesty’s Passport Office staff dealing with live passport applications (or recently issued passports) it explains how they will know the customer consents to us disclosing personal information.

This guidance tells HM Passport Office operational staff dealing with live passport applications (or recently issued passports) how they will know the customer consents to us disclosing personal information.

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.

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Publication

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

  • version 1.0

  • published for Home Office staff on 20 November 2023

Changes from last version of this guidance

We have reformatted this guidance there are no changes to the content.

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff dealing with live passport applications (or recently issued passports) how they will know the customer consents to us disclosing personal information.

We have a responsibility to make sure the person asking for personal information about a passport holder (or intended passport holder) is both:

  • who they say they are

  • entitled under law to have the information they have asked for

Passport applications and Main Index (MI) records are confidential. Before disclosing any information, HM Passport staff must be satisfied they are dealing with:

  • the intended passport holder or the person the passport or application record is about

  • the parent or legal guardian who applied for the passport

  • a person who has the consent of the customer to contact us (for example, a third party such as a solicitor, or family member the customer has asked us to speak to or deal with)

If you are unsure if you have the correct consent, you must refuse a request for information about a live application (or recently issued passport) and ask for advice from your Operational Team Leader.

Sometimes a customer will be able to complete and consent to their passport application but will ask us to deal with someone else if there are questions with their application.

For example, if the customer’s passport application is complex and they:

  • have employed a solicitor to liaise with HM Passport Office

  • want a family member or friend to speak to us on the phone

You must be satisfied the person acting on behalf of the intended passport holder (or their parent if they are a child) has their consent to contact us before you disclose any information.

If you have to ask for additional written consent from the customer (for example after using system letter S020) you must check their signature is genuine before you deal with their application through a third party. (See the sections on ‘Emails and fax from third party’ and ‘Letters’ in the Disclosure of Information guidance)

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