{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/british-nationality-general-regulations-2003/regulation-7EA",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/british-nationality-general-regulations-2003/regulation-7EA.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2003/548",
  "legislation_title": "The British Nationality (General) Regulations 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/british-nationality-general-regulations-2003",
  "path": "regulation/7EA",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "7EA",
  "heading": "Power to use and retain existing biometric information",
  "text": "(1) This regulation applies where—\n(a) a person makes an application for registration or naturalisation as a British citizen; and\n(b) the Secretary of State already has a record of the person’s fingerprints or a photograph of the person’s face in their possession (for whatever reason).\n(2) Where this regulation applies, the Secretary of State may use or retain that information for the purposes of these Regulations.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. IIA inserted (6.4.2015) by The British Nationality (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/738), regs. 1(1), 2(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Reg. 7EA inserted (1.7.2021) by The Immigration (Collection, Use and Retention of Biometric Information and Related Amendments) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/772), reg. 1(1), Sch. para. 1(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/548/regulation/7EA",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T06:30:21.742433+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}