From mid-2007 all first-time adult passport applicants will be called to a face-to-face interview. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) says this is being done in order to combat the growing problem of identity fraud.

Applications can still be made by post, but all those aged 16 or over who have never held a passport before will be interviewed after preliminary background checks have been completed. Interviews should last between 10 and 20 minutes and in them people will be asked some basic information about themselves. IPS says this should not be deeply private information, but it will need to be information that can be checked. IPS says it is aiming that 95% of the population will be within an hour's travel of an office where interviews will take place, and over half within 15 minutes.

They also promise that the offices should be easy to find, with good parking and public transport access. For those in more remote areas, they will conduct interviews over a secure webcam link. Applicants will be asked to provide information before interview (for example, their national insurance number and previous addresses) which will be checked against government and private sector databases.

These changes to the application process will mean an increase in the passport fee, but IPS has not yet announced how much the new charge will be. For more information go to the IPS website: www.passport.gov.uk For free, independent, confidential advice go to the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk or consult Sudbury CAB.

This article is intended as a guide only. Please do not rely on this guide for advice in your personal situation. If you have any specific concerns or questions about how the rules could help you, then the Sudbury and District Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to help.

The Citizens Advice service is a network of independent charities that helps people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing advice and information and influencing policymakers.

The advice provided by Citizens Advice is free, independent, confidential and impartial and open to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.

Sudbury and District Citizens' Advice Bureau, Belle Vue, Newton Road, Sudbury CO10 2RG, telephone 01787 374671, fax: 01787 881564, email: contact@sudburycab.org.uk.