Guidance

[Withdrawn] Digital referee: how to examine (accessible)

Updated 16 December 2022

This guidance was withdrawn on 12 May 2023

This guidance is no longer current.

Version 14.0

HM Passport Office guidance about dealing with a customer’s digital referee

About: Digital referee: how to examine

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff how to examine digital referees. It includes:

• when to examine a digital referee
• when not to examine a digital referee

A digital referee is a person who confirms a customer identity for their passport application, using the Digital Customer Service (DCS) channel.

You must follow the Countersignatories: how to examine guidance, if you deal with a paper application form (SE04 or OS) or we have replaced a digital referee with a paper application form (SE04 or OS).

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 & Quality, Operating Standards.

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 & Quality, Operating Standards.

Publication

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

• version 14.0

• published for Home Office staff on 27 September 2022

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to reflect the change in our sovereign from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to His Majesty King Charles III.

Examine a digital referee: DAP and AMS applications

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners how to examine an adult or child application with a digital referee, and what to do if they have concerns or cannot accept a customer’s digital referee.

A digital referee is a person who has verified a customer’s identity when the customer has completed their application using the Digital Customer Service (DCS). A digital referee can verify the customer’s identity:

• online (digitally)
• offline (using a 1-page countersignatory paper form)

When a digital referee verifies an identity online (using DCS), they are asked to provide responses to questions about the customer and child (if applicable).

When a digital referee verifies an identity offline by completing the 1-page countersignatory form, they are not asked these questions (for example, if the customer has printed the 1-page form themselves). If you, the examiner, are:

• sending the customer a 1-page countersignatory form to be completed by a digital referee, you must also send letter 920
• examining a 1-page form without the responses from letter 920, you must send the digital referee letter 200

You must deal with the digital referee if one is provided (even if you decide you can identify the intended passport holder from the previous passport).

You can also ask the customer to provide a digital referee if one has not been provided, if you decide you need one (for example, you cannot identify the intended passport holder).

You can deal with a digital referee using DAP (Digital Application Processing) or AMS (Application Management system).

DAP: how to deal with digital or foreign digital reference tasks

DAP calls the information given by a digital referee, a reference. If the digital referee has completed the process online, the ‘Tasks’ tab in DAP will show:

• ‘Digital reference – Accept or reject’ (digital referee who is a British passport holder)
• ‘Foreign digital reference – Accept or reject’ (digital referee who is not a British passport holder)

The system automatically checks some of the information provided by the referee and may have created other tasks, for example a watchlist task. To check a digital or foreign digital reference using DAP, you must:

1. Click to open the task:
   • ‘Digital reference – Accept or reject’
   • ‘Foreign digital reference – Accept or reject’
2. Check the digital referee is acceptable (for passport purposes) to confirm the customer identity. You must check:
   • the referee’s profession
   • their relationship to the customer
3. Check the documents tab to see the copy of a digital referee’s foreign passport (if they do not hold a British passport).
4. Check if you can apply discretion if the digital referee:
   • is unqualified or has not listed their qualifications
   • is an unemployed professional
   • does not live in the same country as the customer (overseas only)
5. Check if the referee has answered Yes to Are they retired? If they are retired, the Employer section will be blank, and the referee will have been asked to tell us:
   • their Profession (or qualifications) – you must ask them for this information (by phone) if the referee has just said ‘retired’
   • their home address only (but DAP shows this in a section called Work address)
6. Check the digital referee responses to the questions we ask them are acceptable, in line with ‘Digital referee response’.
7. Read all other case notes and the additional information fields, including from the previous passport application (if you need to) to see if there are reasons to support the digital referee’s responses.
8. Decide if you need to contact the referee (by phone) to ask for more information.
9. You can either:
   • accept the digital or foreign digital reference
   • ask the customer for a new digital or foreign digital referee
   • ask for a copy of the foreign digital referee’s passport
   • refer the application for investigation after completing additional checks, as required by following the guidance
10. Add a case note to show the actions and decisions you made, including the result of any contact with the referee.

DAP: how to accept the digital or foreign digital reference

If you can accept the digital referee, you must:

1. Select Yes in the ‘Do you accept this digital reference?’ section.
2. Select the reasons why you selected yes, based on the checks you have done (you can select one or more reasons):
   • evidence provided above
   • address confirmed
   • employer details confirmed
   • call with digital referee
   • other (add a case note to explain why you accepted the digital referee)
3. Click Save.

You do not have to complete all the checks listed in the on-screen reasons for accepting the referee. For example, you only need to check the referee’s address or their employer details in certain circumstances.

If you are accepting the referee based on the information shown on DAP (and you have not needed to complete extra checks) you must select evidence provided above.

DAP: how to ask for a new digital or foreign digital reference

If you do not accept the digital referee, you must:

1. Select No, ask applicant for a new digital referee.
2. Select the reasons why:
   • profession not recognised
   • how they know the applicant is not acceptable (for example, they are related)
   • address not confirmed
   • other (add a case note to explain why you rejected the digital referee)
3. Click Save.

DAP: how to ask for a copy of the foreign digital referee’s passport

If you need a copy of the digital referee’s passport, you must:

1. Select Not sure, need applicant to send a copy of the digital referee’s passport.

2. Add a case note to explain why you are asking for a copy of the digital referee’s passport.

3. Click Save.

4. Send an email to the customer to request the copy of the digital referee’s passport.

DAP: how to ask the referee for more information

If you need to ask the digital referee for more information, you must:

• contact the referee by phone, for example if you need to confirm their profession, employer details, or relationship to the customer (put the application on hold if you need to call them later)
• select ‘I can’t do this’ if you need to take an action that you cannot yet complete in DAP (for example, sending a t201)

You must only select I can’t do this’ when you are unable to process the application in DAP, because this will transfer the application to AMS (Application Management System).

DAP: if there are concerns about a foreign digital reference

If you suspect fraud or safeguarding concerns about a digital referee, you must:

1. Complete additional checks, as required by following the guidance.
2. Select Refer for investigation.
3. Select a reason why:
   • unable to contact digital referee
   • other (add a case note to explain why you are referring the application for investigation)
4. Click Save.

DAP will automatically transfer the application to AMS.

AMS: how to check a digital referee

In some cases, an application with a digital referee (who has completed their section online or by using the 1-page countersignatory form) is transferred to AMS. It is important that you check the digital referee’s details on AMS.

If the digital referee completes their section:

• online, AMS will show the digital referee’s information in a case note
• offline, using the 1-page countersignatory form, this will be scanned onto the application

To check a digital, digital foreign or paper referee, using AMS, you must:

1. Check, if DAP has not completed them already (see DAP to AMS case note guidance):

• the application for any warnings or matches relating to the countersignatory and deal with them, in line with the warnings and matches guidance
• all watchlist checks are completed (in line with confirming identity guidance)

2. Check the digital referee is acceptable to confirm the customer identity for passport purposes.

3. Check if you can apply discretion (see: who can confirm a customer’s identity guidance) if the digital referee:

• is unqualified or has not listed their qualifications
• is an unemployed professional
• has known the customer for less than 2 years (1-page countersignatory forms as DCS does not allow less than 2 years)
• does not live in the same country as the customer (overseas only)

4. Check the digital referee responses to the questions we ask them are acceptable, in line with ‘Digital referee response’.

• if you are dealing with a paper reference (1-page countersignatory form) and the customer was not sent AMS letter 920, there will be no answers to these questions

5. Read all other case notes and the additional information fields, including from the previous passport application (if you need to) to see if there are reasons to support the digital referee’s responses.

6. Add a case note to show the actions and decisions you made. You must include in your case note:

• if the digital referee has not confirmed either the customer’s photo or address
• ‘digital referee details checked – no action required’, if you do not need to take any action

AMS: case note showing the digital referee’s information

Case note section	Detail	Examiner action
Digital Referee details
First and middle names:	‘referee’s forenames’	No action.
Last name:	‘referee’s surname’	No action.
Date of birth:	‘referee’s date of birth’	No action.
Passport number:	‘referee’s passport number’	No action.
Passport expiry:	‘referee’s passport expiry month and year’
Are they retired:	‘yes/no’	If yes, the referee’s address will be a residential address.
Profession:	‘referee’s profession’	You must check it’s an eligible profession (if needed) in line with the Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees guidance.
Employer:	‘referee’s employer’	No action.
Work address:	line1: ‘1st line of referee’s work address’ line2: ‘2nd line of referee’s work address’ town or city: ‘town or city of referee’s work address’ postcode: ‘postcode of referee’s work address’	You must check if the address is a business address (some fields may be missing, depending on the address). If the address is a residential address, check the ‘Retired field’. If the customer is retired it will show Home address and not Work address.
Telephone number:	‘referees phone number’	No action.
Email:	‘refereeemail@email.com’	No action.
Declaration Date:	‘date and time the referee completed the declaration’	No action.
Answers about person applying:
Number of years known:	‘the number of years the referee has known the customer’	No action, as DCS will not accept anything less than 2 years.
How they know them:	‘how the referee knows the customer (for example, colleague or neighbour)’	You must confirm the relationship with the customer, in line with the Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees guidance.
Relationship between person applying and the applicant:	‘confirmed’ or ‘not confirmed’	Only present if someone else if applying on the intended passport holder’s behalf. If confirmed, take no action. If not confirmed, you must refer the application to an Enhanced Application Checking (EAC) officer.
Address:	‘confirmed’ or ‘not confirmed’	If confirmed, no action. If not confirmed, you must refer to confirming the customer’s address
Photo:	‘confirmed’ or ‘not confirmed’	If confirmed, no action. If not confirmed, you must refer to confirming the customer’s photo.
Reason they could not confirm:	‘reason the referee has said no to the photo of the customer’ (only present if the referee answers ‘not confirmed’ to the photo)	Only present if the referee answers ‘not confirmed’ to the photo. You must refer to confirming the customer’s photo.
Father’s details: (on a child’s application)	‘confirmed’ or ‘not confirmed’	If confirmed, take no action. If ‘not confirmed’, you must refer to confirming the child’s parents details.
Mother’s details: (on a child’s application)	‘confirmed’ or ‘not confirmed’	If confirmed, take no action. If not confirmed, you must refer to confirming the child’s parents details.
Place of birth: (on a child’s application)	‘confirmed’ or ‘not confirmed’	If confirmed, take no action. If not confirmed, you must refer to confirming the child’s place of birth.

Digital referee response

This page tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff what to do with the information a digital referee provides and how to process an application depending on a digital referee’s response.

When a customer uses a digital referee to help confirm their identity, you, the examiner must check the digital referee’s responses to the questions they are asked by Digital Customer Services (DCS).

If you are dealing with an application with a 1-page countersignatory form and the customer was sent AMS letter 920, you must check their responses to the questions.

You must ask the customer for a new digital referee if they are:

• not acceptable to confirm a customer’s identity for passport purposes, using the Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees guidance
• unable to confirm a customer’s or child’s details

Response: confirming the customer’s photo is a true likeness

If the digital referee completes the process online, DCS will show the digital referee a photo of the customer and ask them to confirm if it’s a true likeness. If the digital referee selects:

• ‘YES’, the system will show the photo is ‘confirmed’ and you must continue with standard examination

• ‘NO’, the system will show the photo is ‘not confirmed’, see: Not confirmed: a photo is a true likeness

If the digital referee has responded ‘NO’ to AMS letter 920, see: Child application: photo is not confirmed and Adult application: photo is not confirmed.

Child application: photo is not confirmed

If the system shows ‘not confirmed’, the digital referee has selected ‘NO’. You must consider the digital referee’s reason why they could not identify the child from the photo (if they have given one).

After considering their reason, you must:

• send AMS letter T200 to the digital referee, if they tell us the photo, is:
  • of the child but their appearance has changed dramatically (for example, their hair is a different colour)
  • not a recent photo of the child
• refer the application to EAC if the digital referee:
  • did not give a reason why they could not identify the child
  • tells us the child in the photo is not the child named on the application

If the digital referee:

• responds to the AMS letter T200 and tells you:
  • the photo is a true likeness of the child named in the application, you must continue with standard examination (for example, you must make sure that the photo meets Photo standards)
  • the photo is not a true likeness of the child named in the application; you must refer the application to an EAC (Enhanced Application Checking) so they can refer it to Counter Fraud team (CFT)
• responds and you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must refer the application to an EAC examiner
• does not respond and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must ask the customer for a new countersignatory and send them an SE04 form
• does not respond and you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must refer the application to an EAC examiner

Adult application: photo is not confirmed

If the digital referee has selected ‘NO’ they have confirmed the photo is not a true likeness of the adult applicant, you must:

• send an AMS letter T200 to the digital referee, if they tell us the photo, is:
  • of the customer but their appearance has changed dramatically (for example, their hair is a different colour)
  • not a recent photo of the customer
• phone the digital referee, to ask why they said the photo is not a true likeness of the customer, if they:
  • did not give a reason why they could not identify the customer
  • tells us the customer in the photo is not the customer named on the application

If you have phoned the digital referee, you must:

• add a case note to show the conversation you had with the digital referee
• send letter T200 to the digital referee if they:
  • confirm they made a mistake on the application (for example, they pressed the wrong button)
  • can explain why the photo is different
• refer the application for investigation, if you have fraud or safeguarding concerns about the digital referee’s response

If the digital referee responds to the letter T200 and tells you:

• the photo is a true likeness of the customer named in the application, you must continue with standard examination (for example, you must make sure that the photo meets Photo standards)
• the photo is not a true likeness of the customer named in the application, you must refer the application to an EAC (Enhanced Application Checking) so they can refer it to Counter Fraud team (CFT)

If their current digital referee does not reply to the letter T200 and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must ask the customer for a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees).

When you get the new digital referee, you must:

1. Examine the new digital referee.

2. Write to the new digital referee to confirm their details (using letter T200).

You must refer the application to EAC, if:

• the digital referee tells you anything that raises concerns about the safety of the person
• you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns

EAC: confirming the adult photo is a true likeness

You, the EAC examiner, must phone the digital referee to ask why they said the photo is not a true likeness of the intended passport holder (for example, if they did not give a reason or told us it’s not the adult or child named on the application).

You must:

• add a case note to show the conversation you had with the digital referee
• send letter T200 to the digital referee if they:
  • confirm they made a mistake on the application (for example, they pressed the wrong button)
  • can explain why the photo is different
• refer the application to the CFT, if you have fraud or safeguarding concerns about the digital referee’s response

Response: confirming the customer’s address

If the digital referee completes the process online, DCS will ask the digital referee to confirm that the customer is linked to the address provided.

The digital referee (or countersignatory) provides HM Passport Office with independent verification of the customer’s current address, which is unlikely to be possible from and quicker than other sources.

If the digital referee selects:

• ‘YES’, the system will show the address is ‘confirmed’ and you must continue with standard examination

• ‘NO’, the system will show the address is ‘not confirmed’, see: Not confirmed: the customer’s address

If the digital referee has responded ‘NO’ to AMS letter 920, see: Not confirmed: the customer’s address.

Not confirmed: the customer’s address

If the digital referee has selected ‘NO’, you must consider the digital referee’s reason.

The digital referee may tell us:

• they made a mistake with the application (for example, they pressed the wrong button)
• they cannot confirm the exact address, but they do know:
  • the customer lives in the area
  • the child lives in the area with the named parent
• they know the adult customer, or the child does not live at that address
• the digital referee tells us the intended passport holder has moved, and they do not know the address or have no link to the address

If the digital referee tells you they made a mistake (for example, they pressed the wrong button) or cannot confirm the exact address, and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns. You must:

1. Ask the digital referee to send a letter (or email) to explain what happened and to include any additional information. Tell them:

• we will accept a handwritten or typed letter
• to include the date and their name (if they send it by email)
• to include their signature (if they send it by post)
• where they need to send it (office address or team email)

2. Add a case note to show the details of your conversation with the digital referee.

3. Continue to examine the application.

You must ask the customer for a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees). If their current digital referee does not reply to us after 2 weeks or you are not satisfied with the digital referee’s response (for example, they do not know where the customer lives).

When you get the new digital referee, you must:

1. Examine the new digital referee.

2. Write to the new digital referee to confirm their details (using letter T200).

You must refer the application to an EAC examiner, if:

• the digital referee tells you anything that raises concerns about the safety of a customer
• the digital referee tells us the customer has moved and they don’t know the address or have no link to the address
• you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns

EAC: confirming the customer’s address

If the digital referee has told the examiner they cannot confirm the child’s address, you must:

• ask the customer for a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees)
• send letter T200 to the new digital referee to confirm the details of the customer

If you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must refer the application to the CFT.

Response: confirming a parent’s details

If the digital referee completes the process online, Digital Customer Services (DCS) asks the digital referee to check the parents’ details on the application. A digital referee is asked to confirm the parent’s (mother and father) separately.

If the digital referee selects:

• ‘YES’, the system will show:
  • Mother’s details ‘confirmed’
  • Father’s details ‘confirmed’
  • you must continue with standard examination if both the mother’s details and father’s details are ‘confirmed’
• ‘NO’, the system will show that parent’s details are ‘not confirmed’. If one or both parent’s details are not confirmed and they are named on documents received to support the application, you must follow Not confirmed: a child’s parents’ details

If the digital referee has responded ‘NO’ to AMS letter 920, see: Not confirmed: a child’s parents’ details.

Not confirmed: a child’s parents’ details

If the system shows ‘not confirmed’, the digital referee has selected ‘NO’. You must check if a parent’s details are ‘not confirmed’ because that parent is not named on the documents received with the application (for example, there is no father named on the child’s birth certificate). If this is the case, you must continue with standard examination.

When the system shows ‘not confirmed’ and the application is a renewal or replacement, where there are no documents sent in to support the application. You must look at the customer’s previous applications’, to see if there is a clear case note to confirm the parent is not named on the documents (for example, the child’s birth certificate).

If a parent is not named on the previous application, you must case note (on the current application) what evidence was seen to confirm the parent is not named on the documents.

If a parent is named on the previous application, you must complete a name watchlist check on their details (for example, their father) and if this is:

• clear, you must continue with standard examination
• not clear and there are concerns, for example any authorisation and consent issues, you must refer to investigation

If you are dealing with an application, where both parents are named on the child’s birth certificate, you must investigate the digital referee’s response by phoning the digital referee to ask why they selected ‘NO’.

If the digital referee tells you they made a mistake (for example, they pressed the wrong button) or the parents’ details are wrong, and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must:

1. Ask the digital referee to send a letter (or email) to explain what happened and to include any additional information. Tell them:

• we will accept a handwritten or typed letter
• to include the date and their name (if they send it by email)
• to include their signature (if they send it by post)
• where they need to send it (office address or team email)

2. Add a case note to show the details of your conversation with the digital referee.

3. Continue to examine the application.

You must ask the customer for a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees) if their current digital referee does not reply to us after 2 weeks or confirms in their letter (or email):

• they cannot confirm the parent’s details because of a lack of knowledge of the child
• the parents’ details are incorrect on the application

When you get the new digital referee, you must:

1. Examine the new digital referee.

2. Write to the new digital referee to confirm their details (using letter T200).

You must refer the application to investigation, if:

• the digital referee tells you anything that raises concerns about the safety of a child
• you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns

If you have referred the application to investigation, the Counter Fraud team (CFT) will decide if they must add the customer or child’s details to the watchlist.

Response: confirming the relationship between the person applying and the child (supporting parental responsibility)

The digital referee does not confirm parental responsibility but provides information to support who has parental responsibility for a child. See Parents and guardians: consent guidance to confirm who has parental responsibility for a child.

If the digital referee completes the process online, DCS will ask the digital referee to confirm:

• the full name of the person who made the application on behalf of the child and their relationship
• if the person who made the application has a relationship to the child

The digital referee:

• can only answer ‘YES’ or ‘NO’
• must answer the questions (to the best of their knowledge)
• must answer ‘NO’, if they know the person making the application does not have a relationship to the child

We ask the digital referee, to the best of their knowledge, the person making the child’s application has a relationship to the child.

When dealing with a child application, you (the examiner) must:

• look at the details of the person making the child application, to confirm if they are responsible for the child
• make sure the documents the customer has provided support the child application

Regardless of how the digital referee answers the question, if the person making the application does not appear to have a relationship to the child (they are not responsible for the child), you must contact the customer to ask for evidence.

If the digital referee selects:

• ‘YES’, the system will show the relationship between the person applying and the applicant is ‘confirmed’, and you must continue with standard examination (unless it appears from the application and documents that the person making the application does not have parental responsibility)
• ‘NO’, the system will show the relationship between the person applying and the applicant is ‘not confirmed’, see: Not confirmed: confirming the relationship between the person applying and the child (supporting parental responsibility)

If the digital referee has responded ‘NO’ to AMS letter 920, see: Not confirmed: confirming the relationship between the person applying and the child (supporting parental responsibility).

Not confirmed: confirming the relationship between the person applying and the child (supporting parental responsibility)

If the system shows ‘not confirmed’, the digital referee has selected ‘NO’. You must phone the digital referee to ask why they selected ‘NO’.

If the digital referee tells you they made a mistake (for example, they pressed the wrong button) and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must:

1. Ask the digital referee to send a letter (or email) to explain what happened and to include any additional information. Tell them:

• we will accept a handwritten or typed letter
• to include the date and their name (if they send it by email)
• to include their signature (if they send it by post)
• where they need to send it (office address or team email)

2. Add a case note to show the details of your conversation with the digital referee.

3. Continue to examiner the application.

You must ask the customer for a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID – countersignatory and digital referees). If you are not satisfied with the digital referee’s response (for example, they cannot confirm the details because of a lack of knowledge or the person making the application has a relationship to the child (they are responsible for the child).

When you get the new application form, you must:

1. Examine the new digital referee.

2. Write to the new digital referee to confirm their details (using letter T200).

You must refer the application to EAC, if:

• you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns
• the digital referee selects ‘NO’ and tells us the relationship between the person making the application and the child is not correct or they do not have a relationship to the child (they are not responsible for the child)
• the digital referee tells you anything that raises concerns about the safety of a child

EAC: confirming the relationship between the person has applying and the child (supporting parental responsibility)

You (the EAC examiner) must consider the application as a whole, to confirm the person making the application has a relationship to the child (they have parental responsibility). If you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must:

1. Ask the customer to provide a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID – countersignatory and digital referees).

2. Complete checks on the new digital referee.

3. Send letter T200 to the new digital referee to confirm the details of the child and customer.

If you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must refer the application to CFT.

Response: confirming a child’s place of birth

If the digital referee completes the process online, DCS will ask the digital referee to confirm that the child’s place of birth is correct.

If the referee cannot confirm the details on the birth certificate, we will ask the customer for more evidence (for example, a new countersignatory or verifiable (confirmed and valid) supporting documents) to confirm the child’s place of birth.

If the digital referee selects:

• ‘YES’, the system will show the child’s place of birth is ‘confirmed’ and you must continue with standard examination
• ‘NO’, the system will show the child’s place of birth is ‘not confirmed’, see: Not confirmed: a child’s place of birth

If the digital referee has responded ‘NO’ to AMS letter 920, see: Not confirmed: a child’s place of birth.

Not confirmed: a child’s place of birth

If the system shows ‘not confirmed’, the digital referee has selected ‘NO’. You must investigate the digital referee’s response by:

• checking the child’s place of birth, using the documents we received with the application (for example, the child’s birth certificate)
• phoning the digital referee to ask why they selected ‘NO’ and where they think the child was born

If the digital referee tells you, a town, country, or region that is on the child’s birth certificate and you have no fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must:

• consider the application as a whole
• continue with standard examination

If the digital referee tells you they made a mistake (for example, they pressed the wrong button) and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must:

1. Ask the digital referee to send a letter (or email) to explain what happened and to include any additional information. Tell them:

• we will accept a handwritten or typed letter
• to include the date and their name (if they send it by email)
• to include their signature (if they send it by post)
• where they need to send it (office address or team email)

2. Add a case note to show the details of your conversation with the digital referee.

3. Continue to examiner the application.

You must ask the customer for a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID - countersignatory and digital referees). If their current digital referee does not reply to us after 2 weeks or you are not satisfied with the digital referee’s response. For example, they do not know where the child was born or gives you different information to that on the supporting documents and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns.

When you get the new digital referee, you must:

1. Examine the new digital referee.

2. Write to the new digital referee to confirm their details (using letter T200).

You must refer the application to EAC, if:

• the digital referee tells us that the child was born in a different a town, country, or region, to the one on the application
• you have any fraud or safeguarding concerns
• the digital referee tells you anything that raises concerns about the safety of a child

EAC: confirming a child’s place of birth

You (the EAC examiner) must consider the information the digital referee has told the examiner and the application as a whole.

If the digital referee tells you they do not know where the child was born or gives you different information to that on the supporting documents and you do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns, you must:

1. Ask the customer to provide a new digital referee (see: Confirming ID – countersignatory and digital referees).

2. Complete checks on the new digital referee.

3. Send letter T200 to the new digital referee to confirm the details of the child and customer.

You must continue with standard examination (if multiple digital referees or countersignatories cannot confirm the child’s place of birth), as long as you:

• can confirm the information, using the supporting documents
• do not have any fraud or safeguarding concerns

If you have referred the application for investigation, CFT will decide if they must add the customer or child’s details to the watchlist.