Application for a child's first British passport can be submitted online or by post. This being the child's first passport, proof of their identity, such as their birth certificate, must be included with the application as well as two passport-sized photographs of the child. An individual must provide a countersignature on the passport form and pictures, see more about first time passports for children
Renewing a passport for children under the age of 16 can also require many steps, the only difference is that no birth certificate is needed. You still need to provide countersigned form and photos (due to the fact that children change greatly in appearance). Furthermore, parents details still need to be added to the form and the current passport must be sent with the application, see more about child renewal of passports
Child can use the fast-track one week service, however the parent will need to both book and attend an appointment at the local passport office in order to use this service.
You can book urgent one week child services by phone (during office hours) or online 24hrs.
Children can only use the Fast-Track One Week service, the premium one-day service is not available for first time child passports, due to UK child abduction rules.
Please note that the one week period is from the time the parent attends the appointment, so please check carefully on the date of your expected travel if you are planning to use the urgent service for a child.
The costs of a child passport can be as follows:
Please note that the one week period is from the time the parent attends the appointment, so please check carefully on the date of your expected travel if you are planning to use the urgent service for a child.
You must pre-book your appointment
If you wish to attend an urgent passport service at a local passport office you must pre-book and pre-pay for the appointment in advance, you are not able to just turn up at the offices without notice due to security procedures in place. You can arrange an appintment in advance either online or by phone, when calling you must give specific information of the applicant for whom the passport is for aswell as the attending party for example on behalf of a child or family member attending on the applicants behalf. See more about children & urgent appointments
It is important to assessment the process and documentation to understand and enable a successful application submission. Parents and guardians should take the time to fully acquaint themselves with the requirements.
Children need another person to sign their passport application. The other person must fill in the relevant parts of the application form, or the online form, to confirm that they have known the child's parent who is making the application for at least two years.
Find out more about who can countersign a passport.