Help for problems with forms

If there are any problems with your form we will let you know. We will also tell you how long it is likely to take to provide you with the things you have asked for in the form.

There are strange grey rectangles all over the form

These are form fields – places in the form that allow you to type in your answers only in the space provided. This protects other parts of the form so that you can’t delete or change them by mistake.

I can’t fill in the form fields

This can happen when the form is opened straight from the Internet. Go back to the download page and save the form first as described in How to download, fill in and email us a form.

Some of the layout looks strange

If you’re using Microsoft Word, this might be because you are looking at the form in the wrong view. These forms are best viewed and completed in print layout view – 'View > Print Layout'.

Why can’t I use spell check?

Because the form is ‘protected’ spell-check does not work. You could copy the information you are giving us into a new document and do a spell-check from there, before pasting your text into the form.

I can’t change the appearance of my text

Some formatting tools are switched off in forms that use form fields to protect the rest of the form, such as font size and type, bullet points and so on. You should have no need to change the font settings, but you could represent bullet points using asterisks or hyphens for example.

I have typed in my details but now the form layout looks wrong

Don’t worry. It’s not always possible to allow enough space for every answer. Many of our forms use boxes that get can get bigger as you type. This means that some answers might break over pages but as long as you’ve included the information that we need you need not worry about how it looks.

I've got a message saying my emailed form wasn't delivered

Please check the email address you are sending to. Your Internet service provider may be having problems, so you could try again later.