How to Apply for a UK Passport

There are faster services, but not for a first adult passport, for that, you must use the standard service. The 1-week Fast Track service is for renewals, changes to your details, lost, stolen or damaged replacements, and child passports. Book it online on gov.uk. The Passport Adviceline phone service is only for urgent medical travel, or travel for a serious family reason. The Online Premium (1-day) service is only for adult renewals. Places are limited, so check there is a free slot before you book any travel.

Yes, if you apply online and your old passport is not damaged. You only post it when HMPO asks for it. Until then, you can keep travelling with it. When it is cancelled, HMPO sends it back to you.

The steps are mostly the same. For your first passport, HMPO may ask you to come to an interview. This only happens if HMPO asks for one. Send your naturalisation certificate with your application. HMPO will send it back to you. Do not laminate it. HMRC and employers will need it later too.

A standard adult passport costs £102 online, or £115.50 by post. A child passport costs less. Fees can change, so check the latest fee on gov.uk before you apply. Online is cheaper and faster than the paper form.

A person who has known you for at least 2 years and lives in the UK. They must work in a recognised profession, or be retired from one, for example a teacher, a solicitor, or a civil servant. They confirm who you are online. They cannot be your relative, your partner, or someone who lives at your address.

10 years if you are 16 or over. 5 years if you are under 16. Check the expiry date before you travel: many countries want your passport to be valid for 3 to 6 months after your trip. If you travel to the EU, the US, or Asia, renew your passport in its last year.

First, check you have British citizenship or status: you can get a British passport if you are a British citizen, a British overseas territories citizen, or you have another qualifying status, and if you became British not long ago, use your naturalisation certificate, while if you were born outside the UK to a British parent, you may need to register as British first. Then get a digital photo that follows the rules: take it with your phone against a plain, light wall, with no shadows on your face, your head uncovered unless you cover it for religious or medical reasons, and a plain face, or get a photo code from a photo booth or shop, noting that glasses are allowed only in rare cases and the online check rejects photos with glare or a cut-off head right away. Then apply online and pay: the online form at gov.uk takes about 10 to 15 minutes for a renewal and longer for a first passport, and it costs £102 online for an adult and £66.50 for a child, with fees from 8 April 2026, while on paper it costs more at £115.50 for an adult and £80 for a child, and you can save the form and finish it later. Then arrange a countersignatory if required: a first adult passport, and a replacement for a lost, stolen, or damaged one, needs a countersignatory who lives in the UK, has known you for 2 years or more, has a current British or Irish passport, and should be a professional or a person of good standing in the community, who cannot be your relative and cannot live at your address, and who checks your photo and confirms it is you, online or on paper. Then send supporting documents for first passports only, as the form tells you what to post, such as your birth certificate or naturalisation certificate, adding a pre-paid envelope if you post from outside the UK so your originals can be sent back, while renewing an adult passport that is not damaged usually needs nothing posted. Then track the application online: HMPO says you will usually get your passport within 3 weeks after they receive your documents, though it can take longer if HMPO needs more information or wants an interview, in which case they will tell you within 3 weeks, and HMPO does not give updates by phone anymore. Your new passport comes by courier or post, your old passport is cancelled and sent back separately, and you should sign your new passport as soon as you get it, since an adult passport lasts 10 years and a child passport lasts 5 years. In short, to apply for a UK passport, confirm your British status, get a compliant digital photo, apply online at gov.uk and pay, arrange a countersignatory for a first passport, and track it online until it arrives.