Written Question·Home Office·UIN 98988
Passports: Photographs
Tabled: 10 December 2025
Answered: 6 January 2026
Question
James McMurdock
Independent — South Basildon and East Thurrock
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether passport photographs are being enrolled into biometric databases accessible for live facial recognition searches; and what assessment she has made of the privacy implications of this policy.
Answer
Sarah JonesPassport photographs are not being enrolled into biometric databases accessible for live facial recognition searches. However, His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) may conduct retrospective facial recognition searches against the passport database, on beh...
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