Guidance

Travel documents issued by UK government authorities (accessible)

Updated 31 July 2024

About: Travel documents issued by UK government offices

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff how to deal with emergency passports and travel documents issued by UK officials that we receive as part of a passport application.

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 14.0
• published for Home Office staff on 22 February 2024

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to tell you that ARD (Application Receive Domain) will automatically populate the address for the return of Travel documents.

Home Office travel documents

This page is about Home Office travel documents issued by staff in the United Kingdom Visa & Immigration Service (UKVI).

The United Kingdom Visas & Immigration Service (UKVI) issues Home Office travel documents to commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals who are unable to get a passport from their own countries.

A Home Office travel document:

• does not give British nationality to the holder
• is not an identity document
• is used for foreign travel

Dealing with a Home Office travel document

If HM Passport Office issues a customer a British passport, and the customer has sent us a Home Office travel document, we must cancel any Home Office travel document they are named on and return it to the Home Office. This includes when:

• more than 1 person is named on the travel document (for example, when children are named on their parents’ travel documents) so UKVI can update their records
• the travel document has been cancelled but not yet returned to the Home Office

If a Home Office travel document is sent to us as part of supporting evidence, (for example if a parent sends us their travel document to support their child’s application), and we do not issue a British passport to anyone included in the document, then you, the examiner must return the travel document to the customer un-cancelled. You must use secure delivery to return the Home Office travel document to the customer.

UN Travel Documents and travel documents issued by other foreign authorities are not UKVI issued travel documents. You must return any foreign travel document un-cancelled to the customer, using the postal method they have selected.

AMS: how to cancel a Home Office travel document

If you are dealing with the application on the Application Management System (AMS) and you need to cancel a Home Office travel document and return it to UKVI, you must:

1. Put a case note on the customer’s application confirming you have cancelled and returned the Home Office travel document to UKVI (you must include the travel document number).

2. Write to the customer, telling them you have returned the travel document to the Home Office (system letter code 04).

3. Authorise the issue of a British passport if applicable.

4. Return the customer’s other supporting documents using the correct postal method.

When you are ready to return a Home Office travel document to UKVI, you must:

1. Cut the top right-hand corners from the front and back covers of the travel document.

2. Write the Home Office travel document number on the bottom right-hand corner of a brown C5 secure delivery (Royal Mail) envelope and seal the travel document inside.

3. Write the following address clearly on the left-hand side of the front of the envelope:

TDS (HMPO-BC)
United Kingdom Visas & Immigration
Post/Fee Section Travel Documents
10th Floor Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY

4. Take the secure delivery envelope to your local Post room (or ask the team support clerk to take it).

DAP: how to cancel a Home Office travel document

If you are dealing with the application on the Digital Application Processing (DAP) system and you need to cancel a Home Office travel document and return it to UKVI, you must check if the Home Office travel document is being handled by:

• a Document Management Service (DMS); or,
• the Document Handling Unit (DHU)

If the document is being handled by a DMS site, you must transfer the application to AMS.

If the document is being handled by a DHU site, you must:

1. Put a case note on the customer’s application confirming you have cancelled and returned the Home Office travel document to UKVI (you must include the personal details and travel document number).

2. Write to the customer, telling them you have returned the travel document to the Home Office (using letter code 004).

3. Update the handling instruction for the travel document on ARD (Application Receive Domain):

• select Handling instruction, then Edit
• select Send to another location by internal mail
• select UKVI - travel docs (ARD will pre-populate with the address)
• update to show the travel document must be cancelled and returned to:

TDS – HMPO-BC, UKVI
Post/Fees Section, Travel Documents
10th Floor, Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY

When the application processing is complete, the DHU will cancel the Home Office travel document, update the envelope, and send it to UKVI.

How the Post room must deal with a Home Office travel document

Travel documents can be sent in bulk to UKVI once per day, but each travel document must stay in its original sealed envelope.

To send a Home Office travel document to UKVI, Post room staff must:

1. Create a consignment on Final Mile for External Secure Transfer to UKVI.

2. Send an e-mail to UKVI showing the:

• Final Mile consignment reference number
• date the Home Office travel document was sent to UKVI
• travel document number (this will be written on the bottom right of the envelope)

3. Send the envelope to UKVI using External Secure Transfer.

Emergency Travel Documents

This page tells examiners about Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), what they look like and when and how they are issued.

We have issued Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), since 2009. ETDs:

• have ‘Emergency Passport’ written on the front cover
• have 8 pages, including a personal details page with a digital photo of the customer
• have a machine readable zone but no biometric chip
• are A6 in size
• have a blue cover
• can be valid for single, multiple or return journeys, including up to 5 specified countries the customer may travel through, to arrive at their final destination (we will note the validity and travel details on the observations page)
• have security features that are difficult to change

Immigration officers will take ETD from customers at the UK border and return them to HM Passport Office.

Who issues ETDs

ETDs are issued:

• overseas by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) consular assistance staff using the British Identity Document Generation Equipment (BRIDGE) system
• by HM Passport Office, in the UK, if our standard passport issuing system stops working

HM Passport Office staff cannot confirm if the FCDO will be able to issue an ETD. If a customer asks you how to get an ETD, you must direct them to GOV.UK or to the nearest British embassy, high commission, or consulate.

Dealing with an ETD

You must not accept HM Passport Office or FCDO issued ETDs, as confirmation of a customer’s nationality, entitlement or identity.

You can continue with a renewal or replacement of a customer’s old passport, if both of the following apply:

• the customer has previously held a fully valid British passport
• you can check the customer’s details in our records (see Lost, stolen recovered guidance)

The customer will need to provide full documentation to confirm their claim to British nationality, if:

• they are applying for a first time passport
• you cannot trace their previous British passport on the system

The customer may also need an identity interview (see Interviews: overview of the interview process).

Cancelling an ETD

ETDs are valid for single, multiple or return journeys. If the ETD is valid for a single journey or the customer receives their new passport in time for their return journey, you must:

1. Case note the details of the ETD on the live application.

2. Follow the guidance in Recording the travel document on Main Index before continuing with the application.

3. Cancel and destroy the ETD. If you are dealing with the application on:

• DAP (Digital Application Processing), you must update the handling instruction for the ETD on ARD (Application Receive Domain) - select Handling instruction, then Edit, then Confidential waste
• AMS (Application Management System), you must send the physical document to confidential waste yourself

If the ETD is valid for a return journey and the customer will not receive their new passport in time to travel, you must:

1. Case note the details of the ETD on the live application.

2. Tell the customer we are putting their application on hold until they return the ETD or confirm it has been surrendered.

3. Return the ETD to the customer. If you are dealing with the application on:

• DAP, you must follow the instructions for returning a document on a live application
• AMS, you must send the document to the customer

You must send the ETD to the Peterborough Search Team, if it’s not part of a live passport application.

Related external links

• Travel urgently from abroad without your UK passport: Who can apply - GOV.UK

Temporary Passports

This page tells HM Passport Office staff about Temporary Passports issued by The Foreign and Commonwealth & Development Office.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued Temporary Passports until the end of 2010, when they were replaced by the Emergency Travel Document (ETD). Temporary Passports (TPs) were valid for 1 year.

How to recognise a Temporary Passport

You can recognise TPs issued by The FCDO by:

• the words ‘Temporary Passport’ written on the front cover
• a numbering sequence between 730000001 and 730999999
• being valid only for a limited period, usually enough to cover the customer’s journey time and up to a maximum of 1 year

See examples in the Knowledge base.

Dealing with a Temporary Passport

You (the examiner) can accept a TP as evidence of identity and nationality, if the customer submits it as part of a passport application. TPs were issued in line with FCDO guidance and are considered the same as a fully valid passport.

You must deal with the replacement of a lost or stolen TP using the Lost, stolen recovered guidance.

We will not normally ask for additional documents if the customer’s personal details remain the same and can be clearly identified from our passport records (see Confirming identity). If the customer lives overseas, you must tell them to send in additional documents, in line with international customer guidance on GOV.UK.

You, the Operational Team Leader (OTL), DAP (Digital Application Processing)  examiner performing additional checks, or Enhanced Application Checking (EAC) enabled examiner processing on AMS (Application Management System), must only request the previous application file for a TP if you have fraud or safeguarding concerns.

Cancelling a Temporary Passport

You must cancel TPs, in line with the cancelling British passports guidance. If the customer asks, you must return the TP, and:

1. Case note the details of the TP on the live application.

2. Follow the guidance in Recording the travel document on Main Index before continuing with the application.

If the customer does not have a live passport application in progress, you must post the TP to the Peterborough Search team.

Related external links

• Emergency travel document - GOV.UK

Emergency Passports

This page tells HM Passport Office staff about Emergency Passports (EPs) who issues them and what they look like.

Emergency Passports (EPs) are travel documents issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) consular staff overseas and are valid for 1 journey, including travel through multiple countries.

As with Emergency Travel Documents, FCDO issues EPs under strict guidance and only when:

• the FCDO issuing system is not available

• there is a mass evacuation and using the system would be impractical

What an EP looks like

EPs are manually produced on a single A4 page and:

• may be handwritten or typed
• may include a photo of the customer
• may include an embossed FCDO stamp over the photo
• will always be signed and stamped by FCDO consular staff

Examples of EPs are available in the Knowledge base.

Dealing with an EP

HM Passport Office will not accept EPs as confirmation of nationality, entitlement or identity.

If a passport application is supported by an Emergency Passport, you (the examiner) must use the Emergency Travel Documents guidance.

How to cancel an EP

Immigration officers will take a customer’s UK Emergency Passport when they enter the UK. The Border Force will then send the EP to the Peterborough Search team (PST) so they can cancel it.

You must not return EPs to the customer under any circumstance. If the customer sends one as part of their passport application, the examiner must:

1. Case note the passport application, confirming the details of the EP (for example, name, date of issue, reason for issue)

2. Follow the guidance in Recording the travel document on Main Index before continuing with the application.

You must post the EP to the Peterborough Search Team, if it’s not part of a live passport application.

British overseas territory temporary travel documents

This page tells HM Passport Office staff about temporary travel documents, issued in the British overseas territories.

HM Passport Office processes applications and prints passports for customers who live in British overseas territories (BOT).

BOT passport offices only issue temporary passports to British overseas territory citizens eligible to receive them.

What a BOT Temporary Passport looks like

BOT Temporary Passports (TPs) will:

• have a green cover

• have ‘Temporary Passport’ written on the front cover

• have the name of the territory (for example, Anguilla) on the front cover and page 1 of the passport

• have a salutation (greeting) on the inside of the front cover in the name of the current lieutenant-governor or governor, instead of the reigning monarch

• have 8 pages, including a personal details page with a digital photo of the customer

• have a machine readable zone but no biometric chip

• are 125mm x 88mm in size

• can be valid for up to 12 months for single, multiple or return journeys, including up to 5 specified countries the customer may travel through to arrive at their final destination (the BOT Passport Office will note the validity and travel details on the observations page)

• have individual security laminates protecting pages 2 and 3

• contain watermarks which are identical to the current Emergency Travel Document

• show the relevant BOT ‘Issuing Authority’ on the personal details page

Dealing with a BOT Temporary Passport

You must not accept TPs issued by the BOT’s Passport Office as confirmation of a customer’s nationality, entitlement or identity.

You can continue with a renewal or replacement of a customer’s old passport, if both of the following apply:

• the customer has previously held a fully valid British passport

• you can check the customer’s details in our records (see Lost, stolen recovered guidance)

The customer will need to provide full documentation to confirm their claim to British nationality, if:

• they are applying for a first time passport

• you cannot trace their previous British passport on the system

The customer may also need an identity interview (see Interviews: overview of the interview process).

Cancelling a BOT Temporary Passport

BOT TPs are valid for single, multiple or return journeys. If the TP is valid for a single journey or the customer receives their new passport in time for their return journey, you must:

1. Case note the details of the TP on the live application.

2. Follow the guidance in Recording the travel document on Main Index before continuing with the application.

3. Cancel and destroy the TP. If you are dealing with the application on:

• DAP (Digital Application Processing), you must update the handling instruction for the BOT TP on ARD (Application Receive Domain) - select Handling instruction, then Edit, then Confidential waste
• AMS (Application Management System), you must send the physical document to confidential waste yourself

If the BOT TP is valid for a return journey and the customer will not receive their new passport in time to travel, you must:

1. Case note the details of the TP on the live application.

2. Tell the customer we are putting their application on hold until they return the TP or confirm it has been surrendered.

3. Return the TP to the customer. If you are dealing with the application on:

• DAP, you must follow the instructions for returning a document on a live application
• AMS, you must send the document to the customer

You must send the BOT TP to the Peterborough Search Team if it’s not part of a live passport application.

Temporary travel documents issued by BOT Immigration Departments

BOT Immigration Departments can issue travel permits and Certificates of Identity to customers living in the territories. These documents help the customer to travel but we cannot accept them for nationality or identity purposes.

Recording the travel document on Main Index

This page tells HM Passport Office staff how you must record Emergency Travel Documents (ETD), Temporary Passports (TP) and Emergency Passports (EP), on Main Index (MI) and how you must destroy them.

If you receive an Emergency Passport (EP), Emergency Travel Document (ETD) or a Temporary Passport (TP), you, the examiner, must make a note on the customer’s passport record.

You, or a Peterborough Search team (PST) member, must:

1. Find the customer’s passport on MI valid immediately before we issued the EP, ETD or TP.

2. Make a passport note on MI of the:

• document type

• document number

• issue date

• reason why it was issued (if known)

• date it was destroyed or if it was returned to the customer (see TP, British overseas territories (BOT) TP’s and ETD)

3. Cancel and destroy the document (if it’s not returned to the customer). If you are dealing with the application on:

• DAP (Digital Application Processing), you must update the handling instruction for the ETD on ARD (Application Receive Domain) - select Handling instruction, then Edit, then Confidential waste
• AMS (Application Management System), you must send the physical document to confidential waste yourself

If you cannot find the customer’s old passport on MI, you must make a passport note on the customer’s new passport.

If you cannot find a record on MI and no live application is in progress, PST must cancel and destroy the document, there is no need to further record the document.

Posting documents to the Peterborough Search team

This page explains how and when HM Passport Office staff must send Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), Temporary Passports (TPs) and Emergency Passports (EPs) to the Peterborough Search team (PST).

The examiner must send Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), Temporary Passports (TPs) and Emergency Passports (EPs) to the Peterborough Search team (PST), if they are not part of a live passport application.

DAP: how to post documents to the Peterborough Search team

If you are dealing with an application on Digital Application Processing (DAP) and need to send a document to the PST, you must check if it is being handled by a Document Management Service (DMS) or Document Handling Unit (DHU) site.

If the document is being handled by a DMS site, you must transfer the application to the AMS (Application Management System).

If the document is being handled by a DHU site, you must:

1. Put a case note on the customer’s application confirming you have sent the document to PST.

2. Update the handling instruction for the document on ARD (Application Receive Domain). Select Handling instruction, then Edit, then Send to another location by internal mail.

3. Select the option to show the document must be sent to:

HM Passport Office
Peterborough Search Team
Quay House
2 East Station Road
Peterborough
PE2 8YY

When the application processing is complete, the DHU will send it to PST. The PST will process the document and update HM Passport Office records.

AMS: how to post documents to the Peterborough Search team

If you are dealing with the application on the Application Management System (AMS), you, the examiner, must:

1. Fill in the document’s details on a PST referral form, with a brief explanation of how we received it.

2. Put the document and the PST referral form in an internal (grid) envelop and address it to:

HM Passport Office
Peterborough Search Team
Quay House
2 East Station Road
Peterborough
PE2 8YY

The PST will process the document and update HM Passport Office records.

Instructions for the Peterborough Search team

This page explains the actions taken by the Peterborough Search team (PST) to record and process Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), Emergency Passports (EPs) and Temporary Passports (TPs).

The Peterborough Search team (PST) will receive Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), Emergency Passports (EPs) and Temporary Passports (TPs) from:

• examiners in HM Passport Office
• UK immigration border staff
• other government departments

The PST must make a passport note about the travel document on the customer’s Main Index (MI) record.

PST ETDs guidance

If the PST gets an ETD that is valid for a return journey:

1. They must check passport records to confirm if we have issued a new passport to the customer.

2. They must check the system for a live passport application.

3. If there is a live application, they must contact the examiner to check if the customer needs an ETD for their return journey.

The PST must cancel the ETD, if:

• it’s not needed for the customer’s return journey

• we have issued the customer a British passport

• there is no live passport application

PST TP guidance

If the PST receives a TP, they must check passport records to confirm if we:

• issued the customer a new passport

• must return the TP to the customer or cancel and destroy it

The PST must update MI records and cancel the TP.