UK EXTENDS BIOMETRICS TO CHILDREN UNDER 5 YEARS OLD
07 August 2014
"What is the change? The U.K. is rolling out a new biometrics requirement for visa applicants under 5 years old."
See:
New biometrics rule set for young children (link)
And see:
UK Visas and Immigration (link):
"As of 07 July 2014, children under the age of five will be required to apply for their UK visa in person in order to attend a biometric enrolment appointment. New rules governing the collection of biometric data comes into effect at this time, requiring all applicants to provide a live-capture digital photograph."
See:
Home Office guidance on Biometric Information (126 pages, pdf) does not seem to have been updated, it says:
"Children under the age of six (at the date of application, not at the date of enrolment). The requirement for fingerprints to be taken from the age of six comes from EU Regulation 380/2008. Up to the age of six the Home Office only requires a digitised image of the child’s face, although the regulation does not prevent fingerprints being recorded from children aged less than six years. There is no upper age limit for biometric information to be taken."