Guidance

Definition of 'the customer': caseworker guidance

Published 21 March 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/definition-of-the-customer-caseworker-guidance/definition-of-the-customer-caseworker-guidance

Version 4.0

This guidance explains to His Majesty’s Passport Office staff how to interpret the term ‘the customer’ when reading internal guidance on processing passport applications and the goods and services we provide

About: Definition of ‘the customer’

This guidance explains to HM Passport Office staff who we regard as the ‘customer’ so they can use this definition when they read and apply guidance.

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 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 Guidance team.

Publication

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

  • version 4.0
  • published for Home Office staff on 4 April 2023

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Who we regard as ‘the customer’ 

This section explains who HM Passport Office refers to as their ‘customer’ in examiner guidance.

The majority of HM Passport Office guidance is written in a way that shows ‘the customer’ is:

  • the person who will be named on the personal details page of the passport (known as the intended passport holder)
  • anyone who accesses our goods and services (for example, someone who contacts our Adviceline with a question or has a freedom of information request)

When guidance is specifically written to apply to child applications or applications which have been sent in by third parties, ‘the customer’ will be the person applying for the passport or service on behalf of the intended passport holder. 

For example, the customer can be:

  • the intended passport holder, over the age of 16 years and not subject to a court order
  • a parent or guardian with parental responsibility (PR) or someone acting in place of a parent, for:
    • a child under 16
    • a child between 16 and 18 years old who is subject to a court order
    • a child between 16 and 18 years old who has asked for the gender in their passport to be changed
  • a third party representative, acting on behalf of a vulnerable adult or child (for example, a friend, carer, social services or solicitor)
  • anyone who interacts with HM Passport Office, for example by asking for advice or information
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