Guidance

Parents and grandparents: why we need their details

Updated 7 October 2024

Version 4.0

This guidance tells HM 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 HM 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

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 4.0
• published for Home Office staff on 27 August 2024

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to explain:

• customers will add their parents’ immigration reference number in section 8 of the paper form where this is needed
• how examiners processing paper applications on DAP (Digital Application Processing) deal with the No parent details task

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

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 need or use:

• parent details if you are processing an adult replacement application, and you can confirm nationality and identity without these
• grandparent details if the parent’s first British passport was issued before the child’s 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.

Customers who need to provide their parent’s immigration reference number to prove their parent was settled in the UK will also add this in section 8 of the paper application form.

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. The 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 details are missing from the application or they are incomplete.

The customer may:

• only provide partial details of their parents or grandparents (details are incomplete)
• not provide any details for their parents or grandparents (details are missing)
• provide incorrect details (for example, they provide someone else’s details in error, such as stepparent, or grandparent details in the parent details section)

If a customer has not given details of their parents or grandparents, 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 the 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 are processing a paper application on DAP (Digital Application Processing), DAP will create a No parent data provided task if the parent information in section 4 is either missing or incomplete on:

• all paper child applications
• paper first time (adult or child) applications
• paper replacement (damage or lost or stolen, adult or child) applications

The task will show you whether the task relates to parent 1 or parent 2 and tell you what data is missing. Depending on the data that is missing, you may also see a Watchlist checks not run for parent task (and you must follow the guidance for this task).

When you see the No parent data provided task you must decide whether you need the information. For example, you may not need parent details on an adult replacement application. If you do not, you can clear the task.

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. Clear the No parent data provided task if you are processing a paper application on DAP.
3. Case note why you do not need the details.
4. 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 and these are missing, you must ask for these in writing from the customer. The customer must send the details to you in a letter with a wet signature and date.

If the customer has not provided the details on the application or in writing, you must not take the information from the documents the customer has provided and assume these are the correct details. Only after the customer has provided the parent or grandparent details in writing, can you use documents to confirm the information, as required by other guidance.

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 using letter 318.
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.

DAP: 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 parent or grandparent details against:

• the watchlist on DAP
• passport records, 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).

AMS: customer gives the missing or incomplete information

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
• passport records, 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