CHILD PASSPORT APPLICATION FORM REQUIREMENTS

• The name of the child should match the one on their birth or nationality certificate.
• If the child has a middle name, leave one box blank for a gap between the two names.
• For the personal details section of the passport, you can only include 30 characters (including spaces) for the first & middle name, and another 30 for the surname. If your child's name won't fit, please write it in a way you would like shown on their passport. Please then write your full name in Section 8 and this will be added to the observation page on their passport.
• Provide the child's full residential UK address. The Passport Office may check that they live at the address given. If they discover the child does not live there, this may delay the application unless you provide an explanation of the circumstances in Section 8.
• Cross the relevant box to indicate whether the child is male or female.
• Provide the names of the town and country the child was born in... These details must match what is stated on the birth, registration, or naturalisation certificate, or their previous British passport.
• Please provide a UK telephone number only. International contact information will not be accepted. If you have a text relay number, write this in Section 8 if you cannot fit it in the boxes given.
• If you do not have enough space to write the child's name or contact details, please use Section 8 of the application form.

• First passport and renewal: This section must be completed.
• Replacement passports: This section must be completed as fully as possible along with an LS01 form obtainable from any major post office.

• Section 4 is required for all types of child applications.
• Complete parent's details.
• If both parents were born after 31 December 1982 or were both born abroad you must also provide the grandparent's details in Section 8 or on a separate piece of paper.
• In the law, for nationality purposes, parents are defined as 'mother' and 'father'. Nationality cannot always be achieved by birth, through either parent's national status. This includes parents who are of the same sex. Therefore, it is essential that the 'father' and 'mother' are entered in the correct boxes. Others taking a parental role (including step-parents) that are not defined by 'mother' or 'father' must not fill in their details in Section 4.
• If you are unable to provide any information e.g parents' place of birth, passport number etc, please refer to Section 8 or provide a letter addressed to the passport office stating the reasons.
• Adoption: In the United Kingdom, when a child is adopted, nationality can be gained through either parent. Should the adoptive parents be of the same sex, the parent who is listed first on the adoption certificate should provide their information in 'mother or parent 1' section, and the parent who is named second should complete the 'father or parent 2' section regardless of sex.
• Assisted reproduction: A child who is born of assisted reproduction treatment performed by a licensed practitioner after 6 April 2010 and a parental order has been granted in the UK, nationality can be gained through either parent named on the order. If parents are of the same sex, the parent listed first on the parental order must complete the 'mother or parent 1' section, and the parent named second must complete the 'father or parent 2' section. If a female couple that are in a civil partnership have a child born of assisted reproduction treatment that is performed by a licensed practitioner, and the female giving birth has the agreement of her civil partner to have this treatment, nationality can be gained through the partner who gave birth to the child if the conception took place before 6 April 2009. Nationality can be gained through either female parent named on the birth certificate if the conception of the child took place on or after 6 April 2009.
• Surrogacy: If a parental order has been granted in the UK after 6 April 2010 for a child born of surrogacy, nationality can be taken through either parent who has been named on the order. For parents of the same sex, whoever appears first on the order must fill out the 'mother or parent 1' section, and and the parent who is named second must fill out their details in the 'father or parent 2' section. Applications involving surrogacy can be complex and further information may be needed. The parent's details will not appear on the passport.
• Child with one parent: If the child has only one parent, fill in either the 'mother or parent 1' section or 'father or parent 2' section, whichever applies to you, and leave the other blank. Add a note on Section 8 to show that you are the only parent and why. For example, you do not know who the other parent is, or you are an individual adopter etc.

• Complete if applicable. If yes, please provide a copy of the child's certificate of registration or naturalisation.
• Cross the 'no' box if the child has been British since birth. You do not need to fill in any more details in Section 5.

• If the child applicant is aged 12 to 15 or will turn 12 within the next 3 weeks, ask him or her to sign and date this section. The person giving permission as a parent must still sign Section 9 of the form.
• Ensure the child signature does not touch the borders of the box and is done with a black biro.
• If your child is not able to sign the form please leave this section blank, and use section 8 or send a covering letter confirming why the child cannot sign. This can be written by the parent or the child's carer or doctor.

• Please leave blank

Use Section 8 to give extra information such as:

• Names that would not fit in Section 2.
• Grandparents' details if both parents named in Section 4 were born after 31 December or were both born abroad.
• If the passport was lost or stolen, and you have already sent us a Lost & Stolen LS01 Form, please state this here.
• If your child has a disability that means you cannot meet the passport photo requirements, please include a letter from your doctor and tell us if this is a permanent or temporary disability.
• If a signature could not be provided in Sections 6 or 9, please attach a letter of explanation from an appropriate person such as a parent, carer or doctor.
• If you have parental responsibility, you should say if you have enclosed any court orders that relate to the child's residence in, contact with, or removal from, the UK.
• If the applicant was born of any surrogacy arrangement.
• If the address given in Section 2 is not where you live, please give an explanation as to why.
• If there is not enough space in Section 8, please continue on a blank piece of paper, sign this, and include it in your application.

• The parent or person with parental responsibility must sign this section for all child applications. If the child's parent is under 16, they can sign on behalf of the child.
• If a child's parents are married, either parent can give permission if they were married at the time of the child's birth (or for those living in Scotland, when the mother became pregnant), or married at any time after the child's birth.
• The mother can give permission and the father can only sometimes give permission, if the child's parents are not married: if the father has a parental responsibility order or agreement which must be sent with the application, or has a residency order, or is named on the birth certificate, which must be sent with the application, and the birth was jointly registered on or after 15 April 2002 in Northern Ireland, 1 December 2003 in England and Wales, or 4 May 2006 in Scotland.
• If a child has been adopted, either of the adoptive parents can give permission.
• If the parents are divorced, a custody order or maintenance order will not automatically take away the parent's parental responsibility.
• If a child has been born of assisted reproduction treatment, the birth mother, or if this does not apply, either parent named on a parental order or court order granting parental responsibility can give permission. If both parents are females in a civil partnership and the partner and the partner not giving birth agreed to the treatment, either parent can give permission.
• If a child has been born of a surrogacy arrangement, the birth mother or if this does not apply, either parent can be named on the parental order or birth certificate (following a parental agreement or court order giving them parental responsibility), can give permission.
• Step-parents (adults who enter into a marriage or civil partnership with someone who is already defined as a parent as explained above) can give permission only if they are named on a parental order or parental responsibility agreement.
• If the child is living with foster parents or is in care, we will need permission from the local authority before a passport can be issued to the child.
• If the court has made an order about custody of the child, or about the child having a passport, this must be sent with the application. If an objection has been made against the child having a passport, the passport office may refuse to deal with the application.
• If an adult is acting as a parent in a situation other than one described here, please explain the situation in an accompanying letter with the application. You will also need to send in documents to prove your responsibility for the child.
• If you cannot sign the form leave this section blank and explain why in Section 8 or a covering letter. This is normally done by the person filling in the application form on your behalf. Your passport will note that the holder does not have to sign.
• Please ensure your signature does not touch the borders of the box.

This section must be completed by the counter signatory for

• a first application and
• For a passport renewal if the child is less than 11 years of age or when the appearance of the applicant has changed and cannot be recognised from his/her existing passport.

Who is a counter signatory? A counter signatory is someone who can confirm your identity and confirm to the best of their ability that the information you have provided is correct. It is also to confirm that they have known the adult who signed the declaration in Section 9 of the application form for at least 2 years. They must confirm that the person has a parental responsibility for the child, and confirm the child's photo. The countersignatory must be a valid UK passport holder, must live in the UK, have known the applicant for 2 years, have professional capacity and must not be related to you (by birth or marriage), be in a personal relationship with you or work for the HM Passport Office. For more information on who can qualify to be your counter signatory, please click here.

• They must give their full address and contact details of where they can be contacted, this could be a home or business address.
• Ensure the signature of the counter signatory does not touch the borders of the box.
• The counter signatory must certify one of the applicant's photographs, and state that they certify it is a true likeness of 'applicant's name' and sign and date it.
• They must write their initials next to any mistakes they make in Section 10.
• The Passport Office will check that the counter signatory is genuine; they may ask you to provide a new application form with a new counter signatory if they are not satisfied with the one provided.

Please click here for more information on the countersignature