Immigration Corner | Returning to the UK without a UK passport

Dear Mr Bassie,

Please inform me what I can do if I need to travel back to the United Kingdom (UK) and I do not have my UK Passport. I would appreciate any advice.

TV

Dear TV,

Persons may be eligible for an Emergency Travel document (ETD) if they do not have their UK passport. An ETD allows persons to travel from abroad if they need to travel urgently and cannot use their UK passport. This document is usually valid only for one single or return journey. In addition, persons can travel through a maximum of five countries using this document.

In order to be eligible to apply for an ETD, all of the following must apply to those persons:

• They are British nationals;

• They are outside the United Kingdom;

• They need to travel within six weeks;

• The UK passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, is full, has recently expired, or is with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy;

• They cannot renew or replace their UK passport from abroad before they travel;

• They have had a valid UK passport in the last 10 years

PERSONS WHO HAVE NOT HELD A UK PASSPORT IN THE LAST 10 YEARS

Persons who have not had a UK passport before, or they had one that expired more than 10 years ago, will usually need to apply for a UK passport.

However, they might be able to get an ETD if all the following apply:

• They have, or are eligible for, British nationality;

• They are outside the UK;

• They need to travel within six weeks;

• They have an urgent and unplanned reason to travel due to exceptional circumstances.

WHAT ARE CONSIDERED EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Persons will have to explain and provide evidence to show why their journey is urgent and essential. Persons’ applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Please note that exceptional circumstances may include, but not be limited to, if:

• Their child was born unexpectedly;

• They need urgent medical treatment that they cannot access without travel to another country;

• They wish to attend the funeral of a close relative.

Please note that those persons who have never held a UK passport, or not held one in the last 10 years, cannot get emergency travel documents for activities such as holidays, weddings, family events and job interviews.

APPLYING

Before persons apply, they should check if an ETD will be accepted in the countries that they plan to leave, enter and travel through. They should also inquire whether they will need a visa for travel.

Persons are eligible to apply if they have held a UK passport in the last 10 years. The application costs £100, and it should be noted that persons cannot get a refund.

To apply for an ETD online, persons will need:

• A valid digital passport photograph that meets the guidelines and has not been used in a previous passport;

• A contact telephone number;

• An email address;

• A debit or credit card for the fee.

Please be aware that a relative or friend can pay the application fee if the applicant is not able to make a payment using the online service. This may be because, for example, he/she has lost their wallet.

All the best.

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, the past global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com