Please note that we only deal with second passports for business clients. Unfortunately
we cannot assist with renewals, lost/stolen passports, change of details, existing cases
you may have already with the passport office or same day/emergency passports. We
would advise you to contact the HMPO directly by calling 0300 222 0000.
Application Form
Overview
The Passport Application Form is the first requirement for any kind of British passport
application. The form is an A3-sized orange paper with 10 sections that is issued by Her
Majesty's Passport Office. The same form is used for all types of passport applications;
however the way it is completed differs. You will find guidance below on how to
successfully complete it.
Where to obtain it
The passport application form can be obtained from:
- Rapid British Passports' private agency; we send the form to our clients by post or
courier if needed.
- Some post offices; to locate a post office that has the form go to http://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder
and select "passport Check & Send" in the service drop down menu.
- You can fill in an application form on www.gov.uk, but you won't be able to use Rapid
British Passports' services if you follow this route. You will need to print the
form out at the end, and send it to the Passport Office along with your supporting
documents.
(Copied forms are not accepted)
How to complete the application form
General requirements
- The form must be completed in black ink.
- Writing must be in block capital letters.
- All written answers need to be within the white boxes on the form.
- Minor mistakes can be crossed out in black ink. Correction fluid is not permitted.
- If you make more than three mistakes on any line or do not provide a clear signature in
Section 9, you should complete a new application form.
Guidance per section
Section 1: What type of passport are you applying for?
- Cross the "Child" box next to the type of passport application being made.
- A child passport can only have 32 pages.
Section 2: Who is the passport for?
- 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.
Section 3: Have you had or been included on a passport before?
- 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: Parent's details
- 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.
Section 5: Certificate of registration or naturalisation
- 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.
Section 6: Children aged 12-15
- 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.
Section 7: Blank
Section 8: More information
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.
Section 9: Declaration
- 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.
Section 10: Countersignature
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