Privacy Policy

Main contents

1. About this policy
2. Your rights and how we protect them
3. What personal information we hold
4. Responsibility for your personal information
5. What personal information is necessary for a passport?
6. Why does the Identity and Passport Service require personal information about countersignatories?
7. What we will do with your information while we are processing a passport application
8. What personal information will be in my passport?
9. What we will do with the personal information in your passport
10. What will we do with the personal information submitted when you registered your interest in the National Identity Service?
11. Storage of personal information
12. Individual rights
13. The right to access personal information
14. How to apply for subject access
15. Download the Subject Access Request Form
16. Exemptions to the right to subject access
17. Contact details
18. Applying for a passport outside the UK
19. Notification of changes
20. Information charter

1 About this policy

This policy explains your rights as an individual when using the services provided by the Identity and Passport Service. These rights are set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act). The policy explains why we require personal information - called data in the Act. It covers what we do with your information and what you can expect from us in return. It also explains how to obtain a copy of any personal information we may hold about you.

The policy does not replace the Data Protection Act. It shows how the Identity and Passport Service will comply with the Act when processing your personal information.

2 Your rights and how we protect them

The Identity and Passport Service is committed to compliance with the Act. We hold a legal duty to do so. We will take every precaution to protect your information. The following principles will apply when we process your personal information:

• Your personal information is only processed with your knowledge;
• Only personal information that we actually need is collected and processed;
• Your personal information is only seen by those who need it to do their jobs;
• Your personal information is retained only for as long as it is required;
• Your personal information is accurate and is only used for the intended purpose;
• Decisions affecting you are made on the basis of reliable and up to date personal information;
• Your personal information is protected from unauthorised or accidental disclosure;
• You will be provided with a copy of personal information we hold on you on request;
• There will be procedures in place for dealing promptly with any disputes.

All of these principles will apply whether we hold your personal information on paper or in electronic form.

3 What personal information we hold

Information that you supply on your application form is held by IPS on secure systems.

It is necessary for you to have cookies enabled in order to use our online application service. These cookies are session specific and are deleted when you leave the website. We use them to hold the information you give whilst you complete the form. The following guidance is for the most popular browsers:

Internet Explorer

• Go to Tools | Internet options | Privacy tab.
• The setting should be Medium.
• In order for these changes to take effect, you should close and reopen all your browser windows.
• If you have still got problems, you should check the list of site exceptions (use the Edit button) to see if you have set an individual policy that is restricting cookies.
• If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to check any security or filtering software you might have installed, which could be interfering.

Mozilla/Firefox

• Go to Tools | Options | Privacy section.
• If necessary, expand the Cookie section by clicking on the + icon.
• Check the box to Allow sites to set cookies.
• In order for these changes to take effect, you should close and reopen all your browser windows.
• If you have still got problems, you should check the list of site exceptions (use the Exceptions button) to see if you have set an individual policy that is restricting cookies.
• If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to check any security or filtering software you might have installed, which could be interfering.

Opera

The quickest way is via Quick Preferences:

• Go to Tools | Options | Quick preferences.
• Make sure that the Enable cookies box is checked.
• In order for these changes to take effect, you should close and reopen all your browser windows.
• If you have still got problems, you should go to Tools | Options | Preferences | Privacy and check the detailed settings and the list of site exceptions (use the Manage cookies button) to see if you have set an individual policy that is restricting cookies.
• If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to check any security or filtering software you might have installed, which could be interfering.

Mac IE 5.x

• Select Edit | Preferences
• Under the Receiving Files option, select Cookies
• Under When receiving cookies select the desired level of cookie acceptance
• Click OK to finish
• In order for these changes to take effect, you should close and reopen all your browser windows.

Other browsers

We are unable to offer specific advice on configuring cookie handling for every browser/device combination. The following may help you if you are still experiencing problems:

• You should go into the preferences/options part of your browser and look for ways to configure cookies to be enabled.
• In order for these changes to take effect, you should close and reopen all your browser windows.
• If it's not obvious, you should check online help and any other documentation provided with the browser.
• Failing that, you need to contact your supplier's/manufacturer's support or look for help online via web forums, etc - you may need to use Google or a similar search engine to find them.
• If that doesn't solve your problem, you need to check any security or filtering software you might have installed, which could be interfering.

4 Responsibility for your personal information

The Identity and Passport Service is the "Data Controller" of your personal information. This means that we hold full responsibility for the safety of your personal information.

Any organisation that works on behalf of the Identity and Passport Service is referred to as the "Data Processor". Our "Data Processors" comply with the Act. This is to the same high standard as the Identity and Passport Service.

Any organisation that works on behalf of the UK Passport Service is referred to as the "Data Processor". Our "Data Processors" comply with the Act. This is to the same high standard as the UK Passport Service.

5 What personal information is necessary for a passport?

We aim to maintain the integrity of the UK passport and prevent fraud. For this reason we must be sure of the identity of an applicant.

Your personal information is requested because it is necessary for the processing of your application for a passport.

The form only asks for information that is necessary.

6 Why does the Identity and Passport Service require personal information about countersignatories?

The work of the Identity and Passport Service includes checking that the details of countersignatories are genuine. As a result, we may need to contact countersignatories and they should be made aware of this. If they object, you must select another countersignatory.

7 What we will do with your personal information while we are processing a passport application

Your personal information will only be seen by those whose jobs require them to do so. This includes Identity and Passport Service staff conducting the various checks that are necessary for the issue of a passport.

Your personal information will be passed to a credit reference agency - currently Equifax - to check your identity. We will not make any enquiries about your business and will not record details of any information they hold.

Personal information will also be passed to the following "Data Processors" who work with the Identity and Passport Service:

• Siemens Business Services - our partner involved in recording passport applications onto the system;
• Security Printing and Systems Limited - our partner printing passports;
• MMT - our contact centre contractor;
• Secure Mail Service - our partner delivering passports by secure delivery.

Any member of staff that has access to your personal information will be thoroughly checked. All staff are aware of their duties under the Act. Personal information may also be passed to the organisations listed below to enable them to deal with your enquiries:

• Post Office Ltd, which provides the Check & Send service, but only if your application was made through them.

And to:

• Jigsaw Research - who carry out market research on our customer service.

Regular audits on our IT security are completed.

8 What personal information will be in my passport?

Your passport will contain the following personal information

Passport Number
Surname
First Name(s)
Date of birth
Place of birth
Gender
Validity
Digitised image (photograph)
Signature

Your personal information, digitised image and signature are all located on page 31 of the passport. The page is in two parts. The upper part is for visual inspection, while the lower part consists of two lines of print which can be read by special passport reading equipment at immigration controls. All the information on the machine readable page can also be read by the human eye. There is no hidden information and there will be no means of adding information to the page after the passport has been issued.

In 2006, the Identity and Passport Service will start to introduce biometric passports. The first generation biometric passports will have many new security features, including a chip. The chip will store your digitised image and the personal information printed on page 31 of your passport. Once information has been placed on the chip, it cannot be amended. The information on the chip will be protected against eavesdropping (or "skimming") by an advanced digital encryption technique.

9 What we will do with the personal information in your passport

We will pass the personal information in your passport to UK and foreign immigration authorities or law enforcement agencies responsible for border control. This will enable them to confirm that the personal information that appears in your passport is the same as that on the Identity and Passport Service database.

A passport is not an identity document although many organisations accept it as evidence of identity. If you present your passport as evidence of identity to obtain a service e.g. to open a bank account, we will confirm or otherwise that the details in the passport you present agree with the details on the Identity and Passport Service database. We will not disclose your personal details to the organisation requesting the check.

If your passport is reported lost or stolen, we will pass the details of the lost or stolen passport to UK and foreign immigration or law enforcement agencies, to Interpol and to public and private sector organisations in the UK. This is to help prevent your passport being used for criminal purposes and to try and retrieve the document.

10. What will we do with the personal information submitted when you registered your interest in the National Identity Service?

This information has been destroyed along with the National Identity Register.

11 Storage of personal information

Your personal information is held in secure computer files which have restricted access. We have measures in place to stop unlawful access and disclosure.

12 Individual rights

The Act states that personal information should only be processed in accordance with the rights of an individual. These rights include:

• To know what personal information we hold about you; and
• To ask us to amend any personal information if it is incorrect.

13 The right to access to personal information

You are entitled to be told if an organisation holds any personal information about you and if so to be given a copy. The personal information must be provided in a clear form. This right is the "right to subject access".

14 How to apply for subject access

You should contact us to request a copy of the personal information we hold. The fee is £10.00. Requests can be made in writing or by e-mail - address in our contact details.

We must be sure that we are releasing information to the right person. You will be asked to supply information to prove your identity.

We will be happy to help you complete the request. The Citizens Advice Bureau may also be able to help.

15 Download the Subject Access Request Form

You can download the form here (pdf, 53kb, new window)

16 Exemptions to the right to subject access

You are entitled to see any personal information we hold about you, with some specific exemptions as set out in the Act. For example, we are allowed to refuse requests where providing personal information would be likely to prejudice:

• The prevention or detection of crime; or
• The privacy rights of a third party.

17 Contact details

Disclosure of Information Section
Identity and Passport Service
Aragon Court
Northminster Road
Peterborough
PE1 1QG

Tel: 01733 888242
e-mail: hqenquiries@ips.gsi.gov.uk

Further information and advice can be obtained from:

The Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

For your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau, contact:
www.nacab.org.uk

18 Applying for a passport outside the UK

If you apply for a passport in a country outside the United Kingdom, your existing personal information will be passed to the British High Commission or British Embassy in that country. Information about your new passport will be sent to the Identity and Passport Service. An adequate level of protection is in place.

19 Notification of changes

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our website.

20 Information charter

The Information Charter outlines our commitment to being transparent about how we use the information you provide us and how you can obtain further information.