Updated advice on foreign passports and identity cards handed in to the police

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has further revised its guidance in relation to the actions to be taken by police forces when non UK passports and ID cards are handed in to the police (previously covered in February Digest).

Previous advice required that police forces send all foreign national passports by secure means to the National Document Fraud Unit (NDFU) and did not return non-UK travel documents to the holder under any circumstances.

This updated guidance recommends that non UK passports, identity cards and other travel documents are retained for at least 24 hours before being sent to the National Document Fraud Unit.

This will allow the loser to reclaim their document from the police in the period immediately after losing it.

If a foreign national has lost their passport/identity card and they attend a police station to claim it, the passport should be returned to the person providing that the passport appears genuine and has not been interfered with.

If there are any concerns that it may have been used for any criminal activities, forces are asked to consider contacting their local IPS office for guidance.

All foreign national passports and other travel documents that are not claimed should be sent by secure means to the NDFU, which is a division of the Immigration Service.