In a bid to tackle fraud, Britons applying for a new passport will soon have to go through a face-to-face interview.
The Home Office's Identity and Passport Service (IPS) launched the new initiative yesterday, which will see more UK residents called in for interview before being issued a new passport.
IPS figures reveal that there were 6,500 cases of attempted passport fraud last year.
"We are currently one of only a few western nations that do not have a face-to-face element to the passport application process," said Joan Ryan, Home Office minister.
"We know that this leads to fraudulent applications and that is why things are going to change this year, starting with first-time adult customers."
She said that the Home Office did not want the British passport to become "a second-rate travel document" and therefore an easy target for potential fraudsters.
The new face-to-face initiative will start in 2009.
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