Under no circumstances should Applicants be asked to approach the authorities in the country of origin to obtain documents, or to take any other steps that could place family members or associates who remain in the country of origin at risk. Copies should be made of all original documents provided by the Applicant.4 A description of each document, including whether an original or copy was provided and the date it was received in the Office, should be noted in the appropriate section of the RSD Application Form and/or UNHCR’s case management database, as appropriate. UNHCR staff should take the utmost care in handling original documents of Applicants. When examining or copying original documents UNHCR staff should ensure that the documents remain intact and are not damaged or lost. Original documents presented by an Applicant should be returned to the Applicant promptly after copying, and should not be retained on the Applicant’s file. 3.2.9 Assigning Registration Numbers A unique registration number should be assigned to every individual who is registered with UNHCR. Refugee Status Applicants and each accompanying family member/dependant who is applying for derivative refugee status should also have an individual registration number. The registration number should remain static and should be used to identify the individual for all purposes and through all stages of the RSD process and subsequent UNHCR procedures, even if the status of the individual within the household unit, or with UNHCR, changes during the procedures. 3.2.10 Opening the RSD File During or as soon as possible after the Registration Interview, an individual RSD file should be opened for each Refugee Status Applicant pursuant to established file management procedures (see § 2.2.2 – Procedures for Opening RSD Files). In order to promote the integrity and confidentiality of UNHCR RSD procedures, it is recommended that separate linked RSD files also be opened for family members/ dependants applying for derivative refugee status. 3.2.11 Alternative Procedures for Registration of Applicants for RSD As a general rule, Refugee Status Applicants and all accompanying family members/dependants should be required to register with UNHCR and apply for RSD in person (see also § 3.2.5 – Registration Interview). Where known conditions in the host country/country of asylum or an individual’s personal and contextual circumstances make it difficult for him/her to access UNHCR Offices to apply for RSD without undue economic hardship or exposure to security or other protection risks, UNHCR Offices should take all feasible steps to register Applicants for RSD in locations outside of the UNHCR Office (i.e. detention centres, police stations, airport or medical facilities, refugee camps, through home visits or mobile registration etc.). 4 110 All pages of documents presented by the Applicant at registration (such as national passports, birth or marriage certificates, etc.) should be copied and kept on the individual file. Procedural Standards for RSD under UNHCR’s Mandate