Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

Neither.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

Sounds reasonable to me. I'm sure most people travel more than 20 miles to get to an airport to use their passports, people wouldn't say that's inconvenient

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

Don't think its a rip off.

Canadian passports cost more, my wife just has had to renew hers. It cost $100 canadian but it only lasts for 5 years. So over the 10 years that a UK one lasts it will cost $200 canadian or £96 compared to £66 at the minute for a UK passport.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

Well they wouldn't would they because they are going away for more than 20 minutes. You are missing the point - going 20 miles just for 20 minutes is a waste of my time and very inconvenient, what else could they possibly know about me that they need to confirm with me, they have my information, birth certificate etc etc and a declaration from an upstanding member of the community.

What are they going to ask me when I get there... For example

Is your name Joe Bloggs?

A: Yes. (It said so on the form)

Do you live at address B

A: Yes.

How can me saying yes in person show and prove and confirm my true identity?

Great - but I don't live in a Canada. So this information is irrelevant and I do think its a total rip off.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

I was thinking that too.
I mean, people are able to use the birth certificate of others etc to obtain fake passports in the past, with a photo on them which looks like them.
So how is having someone sat down and asking you the same information going to make a difference other than pretending to the public that the government are doing something about passport fraud... aahh there you go.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

Good for you.

You quote mentioned living in rip-off Britain. I was pointing out it costs more in other countries. Sorry if it didn't suit your agenda.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

Presumably because they will be asking additional questions about you that an ID fraudster probably wouldn't be able to answer. Yes they have your information and they need to know the individual in front of them applying for the passport is the person that information relates to. It's not going to be foolproof but still better than relying on documents which can be easily forged or obtained illegally. How do they know the person you claim signed your picture a) did sign it and b) is upstanding unless they've checked up on him/her independently (which I believe they do not always do).

Oh and BTW 20 mins of your time and 20 miles will pale into insignificance when you start travelling overseas :)

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

What it costs in other countries doesn't interest me in the slightest as I don't live in those other countries, so I am not bothered if it costs more or less. This is me not having an agenda, if you don't mind. :rolleyes:

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

I think that it's just another unreasonable burden on the average citizen that will have little real effect in the long run.

I've got local radio on at the moment. Of the last 5 ads:

One was threatening to crush my car if I didn't pay my car tax on time

One was threatening me with a fine if I watched TV without a licence.

One was threatening me with a fine if my business doesn't display no-smoking signs by the time the ban comes in.

One was threatening me that I'm committing an offence if I leave my child with a friend for a few weeks and don't let the local authority know.

What on earth is happening to this country.

---------- Post added at 13:11 ---------- Previous post was at 13:06 ----------

According to the Guardian article linked above they ask questions that they already know the answers because their government databases contain the info like when and where your parents were born.

I'd be screwed because I don't know actually know that info. I'm not adopted or anything - I'm just no good at remembering that kind of thing. You can guarantee that anyone who is trying to get a passport fraudulently will have found out all of the info that they need about the person that they're trying to imitate though.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

Well I'm no ID fraudster (I promise :) ) but obtaining genuine passports fraudulently has been a big problem for the authorities. Whilst a fraudster could relatively easily obtain sufficient documents to obtain a genuine passport under false pretences it is much less likely that same person would also have the additional personal information the authorities will be asking for. There would also of course be the benefit of the interviewer being able to assess the body language and overall demeanour of the applicant (in the same way that immigration officials already do at points of entry) which might also assist greatly in revealing the true reasons behind an application.

In an radio interview I heard a few weeks ago on this topic with a senior official, it was pointed out that interviewees could be asked questions relating to a fairly wide range of information and wouldn't be expected to know all of the answers.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

But Osem, what additional information do they hold that you haven't already told them?

These interviews would not stop a genuine and true British citizen from acting in a dubious way by giving someone else their identity and their additional personal details.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

They have access to all sorts of personal data about us. Some of it given directly by us and a lot gathered elsewhere from other agencies. Whilst it's relatively easy for a fraudster to pretend to be someone else when answering questions in an application form it's not so easy to carry that off at an interview when the additional personal questions which are going to be asked are unknown and could cover a vast array of topics. My wife is foreign and if you'd ever seen the way in which IND staff question people they stop you'd know that they are very clever about the questions they ask, the way in which they interpret the answers given and how they detect/expose any inconsistencies. I guess they'll be doing exactly that.

Of course, this procedure won't prevent all passport fraud but it'll make it a lot harder than it currently is and that's the best they can do.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

But they will be known if someone acting in a dubious manner gives someone else their personal details.

I'm sorry but I just don't see how attending to an interview, in person, is going to prove who I really am.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

As I said earlier - I think that it's far more likely that I would fail this interview than someone who was trying to fraudulently gain a passport. You can bet that they will be a lot more desperate for the passport and will have probably put plenty of work in to prepare.

Re: First time applicants passport interviews
 

As I said it's not foolproof but currently someone could probably obtain a passport in your name with the contents of your recycling bin if you don't shred personal stuff. That should no longer be possible.

Presumably it'll also be harder for internal fraud to take place within the passport service as more people will be involved in the verification process.