Last Updated 23rd June 2025. Welcome to our passport data breach claims guide. Firstly, we define what a personal data breach is and discuss who could be eligible to make a passport data breach claim.
We also answer the questions, “What can someone do with your passport number?” and “How do I find out if my personal data has been compromised?”
Furthermore, we discuss how data breach compensation is calculated in successful cases and what the perks are of working with a No Win No Fee solicitor.
Key Takeaways
- You may be able to make a claim if you suffer financial and/or psychological harm because an organisation failed to comply with data protection laws.
- If your data breach claim succeeds, you might receive compensation for certain financial losses and/or the psychological harm you endured.
- Your data breach claim will need supporting evidence.
- Human error and deliberate acts can be responsible for passport data breaches.
- Our expert solicitors can help you claim through a No Win No Fee agreement.
Keep reading to find out more about passport data breach claims. Alternatively, contact our team of advisors at any time for free guidance about your potential claim. If our advisors think your case could be successful, they can connect you with one of our data breach solicitors:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Fill out our online ‘contact us’ form
- Message the live chat on this page
Select A Section
- What Is A Passport Data Breach?
- How Do You Check If You Were Affected By A Passport Data Breach?
- Passport Numbers – What Can Someone Do With Your Passport Number?
- Is There A Responsibility To Record Lost Documents?
- Compensation For A Breach Of Data Protection – Passport Data Breach Claims
- How Could A Passport Data Breach Happen?
- Start Your No Win No Fee Passport Data Breach Claim Now
What Is A Passport Data Breach?
A passport data breach could be a breach that has involved your passport or passport details in some way. It could also include if there is a data security incident at the HM Passport Office.
For example, suppose an organisation had your details because you were in the process of renewing your passport. If your personal data was stolen because it was left out in the wrong place, and you were harmed in some way as a result, you could potentially claim compensation.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent body that upholds information rights. According to their definition, a personal data breach is a breach of security that leads to the loss, unlawful destruction, alteration, access to, or unauthorised disclosure of, personal data. These could be accidental or deliberate and unlawful incidents, such as cybercrime.
To be eligible to make a data breach claim, you must prove that:
- A breach occurred because an organisation failed to comply with data protection laws.
- The passport data breach led to your personal information being compromised.
- You were resultingly harmed, financially or psychologically (or both).
Article 4 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) defines personal data as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes information that can be used to identify a data subject (such as yourself) directly or indirectly. The UK GDPR, along with the Data Protection Act 2018, are the key pieces of legislation that protect the personal data of British citizens.
Personal data includes your name, email address, and passport number. Your passport might also contain biometric information. Due to its sensitivity, this type of information is termed special category data and is given additional protections under the UK GDPR.
How Do You Check If You Were Affected By A Passport Data Breach?
Sometimes, if a data breach occurs, you may be notified by the organisation involved in the incident. If they are aware of the breach and believe it might affect your rights and freedoms, they are obligated to inform you of it without ‘undue delay.’ They also must report the incident to the ICO within 72 hours.
You may also discover your passport data breach by noticing the consequences. For example, you might start to receive suspicious messages asking you to click on links or disclose further personal information.
Contact our advisors today to find out more about how you could claim if you were affected by a data breach.
Passport Numbers – What Can Someone Do With Your Passport Number?
Someone with your passport number can potentially use the information to impersonate you and engage in criminal activity. For instance, they might use this personal data to commit phishing attacks or even try to forge a passport.
Call our advisors if you would like to know more about the potential impact of a personal data breach involving passports. Our team is available 24/7, so you can always be sure you’ll get a quick response to your questions.
Is There A Responsibility To Record Lost Documents?
As mentioned, if there is a data breach that infringes on the freedoms or rights of the data subject (you), the organisation must report the breach to the ICO within 72 hours. Organisations such as HM Passport Office may also record the loss on a security log.
Compensation For A Breach Of Data Protection – Passport Data Breach Claims
Compensation for a breach of data protection can consist of:
- Non-material damage: The psychological harm you suffered because of a passport data breach, such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Material damage: The financial loss resulting from a breach.
Below, you can find some examples of psychological harm taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document that publishes suggested brackets for data breach compensation, which can be helpful to solicitors when assessing a claim.
Please note that the top figure in the table isn’t from the JCG, and none of these brackets are a guarantee of compensation as every case is unique.
| Injury | Severity | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe types of harm plus financial losses (such as lost earnings) | Severe | Up to £250,000+ |
| Psychiatric damage generally | Severe | £66,920 to £141,240 |
| Moderately severe | £23,270 to £66,920 | |
| Moderate | £7,150 to £23,270 | |
| Less severe | £1,880 to £7,150 | |
| PTSD | Severe | £73,050 to £122,850 |
| Moderately severe | £28,250 to £73,050 | |
| Moderate | £9,980 to £28,250 | |
| Less severe | £4,820 to £9,980 |
As mentioned, it is also possible to claim for certain financial losses, such as:
- Past and future loss of earnings.
- Investing in additional security for your home.
- The cost of relocating to a new address.
- Counselling or therapy expenses if you suffered psychological harm because of the data breach.
In order to claim for these losses, you must be able to provide evidence. As such, it can be a good idea to keep any bank statements or invoices that are relevant to your personal data breach claim.
Contact our team today to find out how one of our solicitors could help you claim compensation.
How Could A Passport Data Breach Happen?
As we have stated, a passport data breach can happen if an organisation does not meet their obligations, as set out by the UK’s data protection laws. Below, we have provided some useful examples showing how such a failure can lead to valid passport data breach claims. These may help you to answer the question, ‘Can I claim for a passport data breach?’
- An employee at the Passport Office leaves your application unattended on a desk. That failure allows an unauthorised person to take the documents, meaning that they now have access to your personal information, including your home address and full name. Not knowing who has access to your data causes you to suffer severe anxiety.
- The passport office fails to regularly update its online security systems. That inaction leaves it vulnerable to a cyber attack, whereby cybercriminals steal your personal data. You receive threatening letters to your home address, meaning that you have to relocate.
- A travel agent accidentally emails your passport details and personal data to a different email address than the one you provided. This leads you to develop PTSD.
Get in touch with our advisors today to find out if you can make a claim for passport data breach compensation. They will assess the specifics of your case and advise you on how to sue for a passport data breach.
Start Your No Win No Fee Passport Data Breach Claim Now
You don’t need to hire legal representation to start a claim, but we always recommend it. Hiring a lawyer could give you a better chance for success, as they will have a deep understanding of the claims process to expertly guide you through every step.
Our solicitors can offer their services on a No Win No Fee basis under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). That means:
- Not having to pay any solicitor fees upfront.
- No solicitor fees appearing during the claims process.
- Zero solicitor fees to pay for the work done on your claim if you don’t win.
If the claim wins, then your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation as payment for their work. However, you’ll keep most of the compensation as the percentage that is taken is legally capped.
Whether you’re ready to claim or would like further guidance, please contact us today to speak with an advisor. Our team are available 24/7 to offer free legal advice personalised to your claim and possibly connect you with one of our specialist solicitors. Get started using the details below:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Fill out our online ‘contact us’ form
- Message the live chat on this page
Further Reading
For further reading, please see some of our other guides below:
- Get more information on your rights after your personal data is lost with our helpful guide.
- Advice on what to do after a solicitor data breach.
- Learn how to make a social services data breach claim and find out how a solicitor could help you.
External resources that may also be helpful:
- Government guidance on making a data protection complaint.
- Findings on cyber security breaches in 2024.
- Read about the work of the National Cyber Security Centre.
Please get in touch if you have any further questions about passport data breach claims.
Written by Morrissey
Edited by Victorine
