Identity and Passport Service services and standards
The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is an Executive Agency of the
Home Office. We issue more than six million British passports a year
in the United Kingdom and we aim to provide a high level of service for
all our customers. Our mission is to safeguard your identity.
In all of your dealings with us, you can expect:
our staff to be polite, helpful and professional;
passports to be issued in line with our published standards;
the details on your passport to be correct and your supporting documents to be returned promptly;
special provisions and services for people with disabilities; and
clear and helpful explanations from our staff if you are denied a British passport because of citizenship or other grounds.
When you have an appointment at a passport office, you can expect our staff to:
provide a friendly, helpful service;
see you within 20 minutes of your appointment time;
clearly explain and confirm the action we will take on your behalf; and
where possible, sort out any complaints immediately or pass them on to a customer service manager.
If you call our Passport Adviceline, you can expect our staff to:
answer your call within 20 seconds - some information will be in a recorded message, but an operator will always be available;
deal with your enquiry politely and promptly;
confirm that we have understood your enquiry and explain how we will deal with it;
tell you if we need to put you on hold or transfer your call;
if necessary, arrange an appointment for you at your local passport office; and
the address of the nearest Post OfficeŽ that offers the Check & Send service, or your nearest passport office;
an email enquiry form;
information available in Welsh; and
information about applying for a passport.
When you contact us by letter or email, you can expect:
a reply to emails within two working days;
a reply to letters within 10 working days;* or
an acknowledgement within five working days if your enquiry is complicated and will take more than 10 days to deal with.
* This does not apply to Freedom of Information Act or Data Protection Act disclosures.
Our customer service standards
We aim to provide services that meet customers' needs, following the principles of the Service First initiative. Our services include:
the 24-hour Passport Adviceline;
full information and an online application form at www.ips.gov.uk;
passport application packs available at participating Post OfficeŽ branches that offer the Check & Send service;
the Fast Track one-week service and the Premium one-day service for urgent travel needs,* available by appointment at any passport office;
extended opening times at passport offices;
customer-friendly application forms; and
a credit card payment option.
*If you are aged 16 or over and are applying for your first passport, you may need to have an identity interview and may not receive a passport until six weeks after sending in your application.
We aim to provide a quality service to Charter Mark standards, the UK Government's standard for excellence in customer service. Our agreed targets are:
to deal with 99.5% of straightforward applications posted directly to IPS within three weeks. However, customers should allow an extra week for postage;
to deal with 99.5% of straightforward applications from the Check & Send service within two weeks - allow extra time during peak periods;
to deal with 99.5% of straightforward Fast Track applications within one week and Premium applications within one day;
to reply to 90% of phone enquiries within 20 seconds;
to see 95% of callers within 20 minutes of their appointment time;
to achieve an accuracy rate of 99.75% or more on passports we issue; and
to achieve at least a 95% customer satisfaction rating.
The British passport is a valuable and important document of nationality and identity. While it is used mainly for travel purposes, it can also be used to help prove your identity. For this reason, please allow us sufficient time to carry out our standard identity and eligibility checks.
It is your responsibility to provide a properly filled-in application form and the necessary supporting documents to confirm your identity or eligibility. If the information you provide is not sufficient for us to confirm your eligibility, we may not be able to issue you with a passport.
The IPS vision is:
to focus on stronger identity authentication for the purposes of issuing passports and identity services.
Our main objectives are to:
deal promptly, courteously and efficiently with all enquiries;
provide services that support diversity of customer choice;
maintain the integrity and accuracy of our documentation;
monitor the incidence of fraud and work to prevent it;
improve efficiency and deliver value for money;
ensure equality of opportunity for our staff; and
develop the skills, professionalism and job satisfaction of our staff.
At IPS we work closely with a number of different partners to give the best possible service to our customers. We continuously aim to improve our service and regularly carry out customer satisfaction surveys.
We also welcome your comments and suggestions by post, email or phone Contact Us.
You can also:
ask for large-print, Braille or audio versions of the application pack - please note that you will still have to fill in the standard-print version of the application form;
use our textphone service on 0300 222 0222; or
use Typetalk by dialling 18001 0300 222 0000 from a textphone.
24-hour Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (see terms and conditions). Calls made to 0300 numbers from landlines and mobile phones are charged to customers at their network provider's national rate. Live operators are available to assist with your enquiry 24 hours a day.
