British Passport Application

Types of application

Which route you take depends on whether this is a first passport, a renewal, a child application or a replacement.

A British passport is issued by HM Passport Office to British nationals. It is not an immigration application, but for most of our clients it is the final step after naturalisation — and the first-time process is more demanding than a renewal because your identity and your claim to British nationality are both checked from original documents.

• First adult passport

  For British nationals aged 16 or over (or turning 16 within 3 weeks) who have never had a UK passport, or whose last UK passport was issued before 1 January 1994. Original documents proving your nationality are required, someone must confirm your identity, and you may be asked to attend an interview. Urgent services are not available.

• Passport renewal

  For an expired passport or one without enough validity for the country you are visiting. Send your old passport and any valid foreign passports. Renewals can use the online service, the paper form, the 1 week Fast Track or the 1 day Premium service.

• Child passport

  For children under 16, applied for by someone with parental responsibility, giving both parents’ details. A child passport costs £66.50 online or £80 on paper and is valid for 5 years. A first child passport needs someone to confirm the child’s identity.

• Replacement — lost, stolen or damaged

  You must cancel a lost or stolen passport before applying, and a damaged passport must be replaced. Replacements can be made online, on paper or through the Fast Track service, and someone must confirm your identity if the passport was lost or stolen.

Eligibility for a first adult passport

Everything in the list must be true. If your circumstances differ, the GOV.UK guidance booklet sets out what applies.

• British national

  You must hold a form of British nationality — for most of our clients, British citizenship acquired by naturalisation or registration.

• Aged 16 or over

  Or you will be 16 within the next 3 weeks. Under-16s apply for a child passport.

• No previous UK passport

  You have never had a UK passport, or your last one was issued before 1 January 1994.

• Consistent identity

  If you hold a non-British passport, the name and gender on it must match those you want on your British passport. Change the non-British passport first if they differ.

Fees and costs

Figures as published on GOV.UK, last updated 12 January 2015 (first adult passport and renewals), 23 December 2014 (child passports) and 4 November 2024 (urgent services).

Adult passport — apply online

£102

Adult passport — paper form

£115.50

Child passport — apply online

£66.50

Child passport — paper form

£80

1 week Fast Track — adult

£192 (£206 for 54 pages)

1 week Fast Track — child

£156.50 (£170.50 for 54 pages)

1 day Premium — adult renewal only

£239.50 (£253.50 for 54 pages)

Admin fee — duplicate urgent application or late cancellation

£34.50

Processing times and urgent services

The standard service has no published fixed timescale on the GOV.UK application pages; the two urgent services do.

Standard service

Check the current time on GOV.UK before you apply

1 week Fast Track — earliest appointment

The day after you apply

1 week Fast Track — delivery

By courier 1 week after your appointment

1 day Premium — earliest appointment

2 days after you apply

1 day Premium — collection

4 hours after your appointment

Appointments can be booked

Up to 3 weeks in advance

Appointment length

Up to 10 minutes

Adult passport validity

10 years

Child passport validity (under 16)

5 years

Changing an urgent appointment is free if it is more than 48 hours away; closer than that you must cancel and rebook, and a £34.50 admin fee applies to refunds. A missed appointment is not refunded. Someone else can attend for you with your PEX reference number, your old passport, their own ID and — for Premium — a signed letter from you authorising them to collect the new passport.

Documents you will need

Send originals — photocopies are not accepted, and documents not in English or Welsh need a certified translation. Supporting documents are returned separately from your passport.

• Born or adopted in the UK before 1 January 1983: your full birth certificate or adoption certificate.
• Born or adopted in the UK on or after 1 January 1983: your full birth or adoption certificate, plus either a parent’s full UK birth certificate, certificate of registration or naturalisation, or a British passport (or passport number) valid when you were born — or evidence of a parent’s immigration status in the UK at the time of your birth. If the documents relate to your father, add your parents’ marriage certificate.
• Naturalised or registered as British: your certificate of naturalisation or registration, and the passport you used to enter the UK or the foreign passport you were included on.
• Born outside the UK on or after 1 January 1983: your full birth certificate showing your parents’ details, the passport you entered the UK on, and evidence of one parent’s British nationality (their UK birth, adoption, naturalisation or registration certificate) — with the marriage certificate if that parent is your father.
• Renewals: your old passport, and any valid passport from another country (the passport itself or a colour photocopy of every page).
• Replacements: for a lost or stolen passport, cancel it first; for a damaged passport, send the damaged document.
• Paper applications: 2 identical printed photos, one signed and dated on the back by your countersignatory.
• A credit or debit card for online applications; paper applicants can pay by card or by cheque payable to HM Passport Office.

Photo requirements

Photos that break the rules delay the application. You need a new photo for every new passport, even if your appearance has not changed.

• Taken in the last month, in colour, clear and in focus, and not altered by computer software.
• Plain light-coloured background (plain cream or light grey for printed photos), with you in clear contrast to it and no other people or objects.
• Facing forward and looking straight at the camera, plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible, no hair across the eyes, no shadows on your face or behind you.
• No head covering unless for religious or medical reasons, nothing covering the face, and no glasses unless you must wear them — never sunglasses or tinted lenses.
• Digital photos: at least 600 pixels wide by 750 pixels tall, between 50KB and 10MB. Photos from a booth or shop with a code are more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device.
• Printed photos: 2 identical copies, 45mm high by 35mm wide, head from crown to chin 29mm to 34mm, professionally printed on plain white photographic paper with no border, sent loose and not attached to the form.

Countersignatory requirements

A countersignatory confirms your identity for a first adult or child passport, a replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged passport, and some renewals.

• Has known you (or the adult who signed a child’s form) for at least 2 years and can identify you personally — a friend, neighbour or colleague rather than someone who knows you only professionally.
• Is a person of good standing in their community, or works in or is retired from a recognised profession — GOV.UK’s examples include accountants, bank officials, civil servants, company directors, engineers, journalists, nurses, police officers, solicitors and teachers.
• Lives in the UK and holds a current British or Irish passport, if you are applying in the UK.
• Is not related to you by birth or marriage, is not in a relationship with you and does not live at the same address.
• Does not work for HM Passport Office. A doctor can only countersign if they state that they know you well and recognise you easily from your photo.
• Online applications: they receive an email from HM Passport Office and confirm your identity online — no printed photo is signed.
• Paper applications: they complete section 10 of the form, add their passport number, and write “I certify that this is a true likeness of [title and full name]” on the back of one photo, signed and dated.

Renewals, replacements and interviews

Points from the GOV.UK renewal and replacement guidance that regularly catch applicants out.

• You must renew before you travel if your passport has expired or does not have enough validity left for the country you are visiting — check that country’s entry requirements.
• Your new passport will have a different number from your old one, so do not book travel until it arrives.
• A burgundy passport or one with “European Union” on the cover remains valid for travel until it expires.
• HM Passport Office treats a passport as damaged if any details cannot be read, pages are ripped, cut or missing, the cover has holes, cuts or rips or is coming away, or pages are stained by ink or water.
• After you apply you may be asked to attend an interview to confirm your identity; interviews are held by video and booked after your application has been processed.
• Your new passport is sent by courier or Royal Mail — posted through the letterbox, handed to you, or a card is left telling you how to collect it. It will not say the package contains a passport.
• Applications are tracked online using your application reference number.

Common reasons applications are delayed or rejected

• Photos that break the rules — older than a month, wrong size or resolution, shadows, glasses, or a patterned background.
• Sending photocopies or laminated documents instead of originals, or foreign-language documents without a certified translation.
• Missing nationality evidence — for example no parent’s birth, naturalisation or registration certificate for someone born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983, or no marriage certificate where the evidence relates to your father.
• A countersignatory who does not qualify (related to you, at the same address, no current British or Irish passport) or who cannot be contacted by HM Passport Office.
• Name or gender on a non-British passport that does not match the details requested on the British passport.
• Applying for a first adult passport through the urgent services, which GOV.UK does not permit.
• Applying for a replacement without first cancelling a lost or stolen passport.
• Paying for an urgent passport while a standard application is already in progress, which incurs a £34.50 admin fee and does not speed things up.

Source note

Information sourced from GOV.UK (Getting your first adult passport, last updated 12 January 2015; Renew or replace your adult passport, 12 January 2015; Get a passport for your child, 23 December 2014; Get a passport urgently, 4 November 2024; Get a passport photo, 25 March 2015; Countersigning passport applications and photos, 17 November 2014) and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rules change; we verify requirements at the point of instruction.

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