The British passport is issued only by Her Majesty’s Passport Office and can be applied either for the first time or as a renewal online, through the post, or at a post office that offers the passport check and send service. There are five basic British passport application requirements which are
- British Citizen
- British Overseas Territories Citizen
- British Subject
- British National (Overseas)
- British Protected Person
The HM Passport Office website, which can be accessed via www.gov.uk clarifies the background to each of these five requirements.
Regardless of your preferred method of application, you will still need to fill in an application form, whether online or handwritten, before sending it off to the Passport Office with two photographs and any necessary additional documents, or taking it to a participating post office who will check the details and send the passport off for you. Although this is usually a quicker method then the standard three weeks delivery time, it does cost more, £81.25 compared to the standard fee of £72.50 online or via the post. Those who are renewing or replacing passports will need to include two new photographs of themselves, one of which will need to be counter-signed along with the application form if they differ significantly from the photograph in the passport to be replaced. This also applies if your passport has been lost or stolen, and the specifications of who can act as a counter-signatory are given in detail on the website.
If the three week waiting time is an issue and you require a passport renewal immediately, the Passport Office offers two solutions. With their Premium service you can have a passport within four hours, though you will need to book an appointment at one of their passport centres, and then collect it from there too. This service costs £128, with the alternative Fast Track service which will deliver it to your home address within a week of its approval costing £103. Neither of these services, though, are available for someone applying for their first adult password.
There are also private agency companies who provide a service to guide clients through the British passport application requirements, aiming to minimise the process to their client. Advice is offered on all aspects of the application process, including urgent delivery, though a fee will be charged on top of the regulation passport fee.
