Miscellaneous and General Seizure of travel documents
The cancellation of foreign travel documents and British passports is an important tool in the fight against terrorism, and in particular in disrupting people travelling to conflict zones to fight or receive terrorist training ("foreign fighters").
	Present legislation (Schedule 8 to the Anti-social behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014) allows a police officer, customs officer or Immigration Officer to seize an invalid foreign or British travel document at a port. It also allows a police officer to seize a British (but not foreign) passport, away from a port, where that passport has been cancelled on public interest grounds, and where the Home Secretary has authorised use of the power. There is currently no power to seize an invalid foreign passport away from a port.
	In December 2014, the EU made some technical changes to the Second Generation Schengen Information System ("SIS II"), in which the UK takes part, encouraging participating States to notify each other via SIS II when they had cancelled the travel document of a suspected foreign fighter. The objective of this change was to encourage other Member States to seize the travel documents if they came across them. At present, the UK would be unable to take action if the police or immigration enforcement came across a cancelled travel document away from a port. This means that the bearer would be able to continue using the document for travel, which creates a security risk.
	Section 163 addresses this issue by providing a power to search for and seize invalid foreign travel documents away from ports and provide an accompanying power of entry to premises to search for and seize invalid foreign travel documents and British passports cancelled for reasons related national security.