Would you like to travel to other countries? If you are a British national and don’t have a UK passport before, it’s time for you to apply for your first UK adult passport. Therefore, you have the opportunity to travel abroad and enjoy different cultures. In this article, we will show you some details on how to apply for your first British passport.
Who can apply for a UK passport?
As long as you meet the following requirements, you can apply for your first adult passport:
- You have recently become a British national, such as a British citizen, British Overseas Territory citizen, British subject and British protected person, etc.
- You have never had a British passport before.
- Your last UK passport was issued before 1 January 1994.
In addition, applicants must not have a serious criminal record, arrest warrant or court order, which prevents them from applying for a passport and restricts their travel. Therefore, the government will consider your eligibility and entitlement to issue a passport.
What documents do you need?
- Digital or printed passport-size photos of you.
- Someone who can confirm your identity.
- Support documents such as your full birth certificate, adoption certificate and parents’ immigration status, naturalization or registration certificate, and your current passport.
- The passport you used to travel to the UK.
- A credit or debit card to pay for your application.
Here you must provide all the original documents. Photocopies are not accepted. And you need to make sure that all documents are in English or Welsh, otherwise you will be asked to provide a certified translation.
How to apply for a British passport
There are two ways to apply for a UK passport: online and paper. You can choose the way you like according to your needs.
Apply online
- Launch the passport application online.
- Prepare and upload a digital passport photo.
- Fill out the application form with your personal details.
- Pay for your passport fee for￡82.50/adult, or￡53.50/child.
- Get someone to confirm your identity online.
- Track your application process by email and text, such as sending supporting documents as required.
- Attend the interview if needed.
- Wait for the new UK passport.
Apply with a paper form
- Obtain and complete a paper application form from a Post Office or Passport Adviceline. (You must complete sections 1,2,3,4,5 and 9)
- Get a countersignatory to confirm your identity. (They need to fill out section 10, sign and date on your photo.)
- Take all required documents, such as the application form, 2 printed passport photos, and supporting documents to the Post Office in person or send them in an envelope that comes with the form.
- Pay for the application fee for￡93.
- Attend the interview.
- Get your UK passport.
How to get a passport photo?
Since there are two ways to apply for a UK passport, you need to prepare the corresponding passport photos with various specifications, digital or printed.
Digital passport photo
You can get and upload a digital passport photo with a code from a photo shop or booth. Or you can take it home with a smartphone or digital camera. No matter which way you choose, the digital passport photo must meet the following requirements:
- The photo must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall.
- The photo must be taken within a month.
- The background should be plain light colored.
- There is even light in the photo, no shadows.
- You must show plain expression and all facial features, with your eyes open.
- No headwear or glasses except for religious or medical reasons.
- The photo cannot be altered by computer software.
- JPG or JPEG files are acceptable.
- The size of the uploaded photo should be at least 50KB and less than 10 MB.
Printed passport photo
The basic rules for passport photos are similar. However, the printed passport photo has some different requirements:
- The photo must be 45mm high and 35mm wide.
- They can’t be cut from a larger picture.
- The photo cannot be marked on either side unless it needs to be countersigned.
Get a countersignatory
When you apply for a passport with a paper form, you must ask someone to sign the passport photo and print it. And your countersignatory must meet the following requirements:
- Be a UK citizen and now live in the UK.
- Have known you for over 2 years.
- Be ‘a person of good standing in their community’ or a professional (working or retired).
- Someone can’t be related to you by birth or marriage.
- Someone can’t be in a relationship with you or live at the same address.
Passport interviews
After you have submitted your passport application, you may need to be interviewed for about 30 minutes to confirm your identity, such as your name, address, family relationship , etc. Her Majesty’s Passport Office may write to you that you should schedule a passport interview with one of its offices or hold an online video interview. Just relax and honestly talk about your basic information. You must attend the scheduled interview on time. Otherwise, you must restart the application and pay another application fee.
How long will you get your new passport?
It usually takes 3 weeks or so to process your passport, after government officials have received your application. If they need more information, the processing time will be longer. Finally, you will receive your new passport by courier or registered delivery. Original supporting documents will be returned separately.
How much is a British passport?
If you apply for an adult British passport online, it will cost you￡82.50. The child passport fee will be￡53.50. But if you appy with a paper form, it will charge you more, with the price of￡93 for an adult. This shows that it will be cheaper for you to apply for your UK passport online.
How long is a UK passport valid for?
If you have a standard 32-page adult UK passport, it is valid for 10 years. However, the child ‘s UK passport will be valid for 5 years.
Conclusion
It’s easy to get a British passport. If you are looking forward to traveling abroad, it’s time to get a passport. Don’t book tickets until you have a passport. Because you don’t know if your application will be rejected or not. And if you want to take a digital passport photo at home, you can upload this on AiPassportPhotos to help you get a passport-compliant photo, to avoid the rejection of an unqualified passport photo.
Erin Lo