Hi we will shortly be applying for the wife's first UK passport and we are aware that for some years now it has been necessary to attend an interview on the application for a first adult passport.

However the Wife's sister was round last night and she claimed that 2 of her friends (Thai) who had applied last year for there first UK passports had not been called for interviews!

I was initially very dismissive and did not believe her, but it got me thinking that the interview is probably the same process as for a bio-metric residence card so do they accept this in lieu of an interview?

I've had a good look on the government website and can find nothing to support this theory, anyone got any recent experience or knowledge on this subject?

Your wife will be called for interview. Very informal and just to verify that your wife is who she says she is.

Really nothing to worry about.

It is compulsory if your wife wants to receive her British passport.

Cheers for the response, not worried at all just curious about the sister in laws comments and whether it was going to amount to the usual misinformation!

Everyone has to have interview for passport now, Waterloo, including British citizens who were born here.

Officially, all first time adult British passport applicants* are supposed to attend an interview. My wife did when she applied for her first British passport over 10 years ago.

But this is not the first time I have heard of people not having to attend one; so maybe in practice it's random?

Or perhaps they had a period of not interviewing when they had that huge backlog of applications to clear?

Anyway, the interview is quite painless and is intended to prevent fraud and identity theft.

4. Your passport interview

You’ll be asked to confirm facts about yourself that someone trying to steal your identity may not know.

* Unless born on or before 2 September 1929.

* Unless born on or before 2 September 1929.

LOL.

* Unless born on or before 2 September 1929.

LOL.

yes I read that also

Officially, all first time adult British passport applicants* are supposed to attend an interview. My wife did when she applied for her first British passport over 10 years ago.

But this is not the first time I have heard of people not having to attend one; so maybe in practice it's random?

Or perhaps they had a period of not interviewing when they had that huge backlog of applications to clear?

Anyway, the interview is quite painless and is intended to prevent fraud and identity theft.

4. Your passport interview

You’ll be asked to confirm facts about yourself that someone trying to steal your identity may not know.

* Unless born on or before 2 September 1929.

It would be interesting to know if those who were not called all had bio metric residence cards already!

As the process is probably identical it could be argued that this is a duplication of the process.

A BRP is not really relevant here; as said, the purpose of the interview is to confirm, as much as possible, the identity of the applicant.

You could argue that retaking biometrics and checking them against the BRP will do that; but, of course, people who are British by birth wont have a BRP!

Neither will people who were granted ILR or PR before the introduction of BRPs and are only now applying for their first British passport.