Immigration Corner | How to obtain a first adult UK passport

Dear Mr Bassie,

I would like to apply for a first United Kingdom adult passport. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

VJ

Dear VJ,

Persons will be able to apply for a first United Kingdom (UK) adult passport if all of the following apply:

• They are British nationals;

• They are age 16 years old or over (or will be in three weeks);

• They have never had a UK passport before.

Persons must also apply if their last UK passport was issued before January 1, 1994. They should also be aware that they can use their child passport until it expires, even if they are over 18 years old. Please note that an adult passport is valid for 10 years.

HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE

Applicants are advised to check how long it will take to get a passport before applying. If a passport is needed to travel urgently for medical treatment or because a friend or family member is seriously ill or has died, persons are advised to call the Passport Adviceline. However, persons should not book their travel until they have received their passport.

APPLICATION OPTIONS

Persons who are in the UK can either:

• Apply online – the cost is £88.50; or

• Apply with a paper form – the cost is £100.

Please note that there is a different way to apply if the applicant is not in the United Kingdom.

PERSONS WITH A NON-BRITISH PASSPORT

Persons who have dual citizenship (‘dual nationality’) and have a non-British passport, the name and gender on the non-British passport must match the name and gender they want on their British passport. Please note that if they are different, persons should change the details on their non-British passport before applying for a new British passport.

WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE NEEDED TO APPLY

Applicants must send original documents, as photocopies are not accepted. If they do not have original certificates (for example, their birth certificate), they will need to get an official copy.

If the documents are not in English or Welsh, they will need to send a certified translation. Persons are permitted to send laminated documents if that is the only format in which they are issued.

Persons who were born or adopted in the UK, the documents they will need to supply will depend on when they were born. If they were born before January 1, 1983, those persons will need their full birth certificate or adoption certificate.

If born on or after January 1, 1983 they will need their full birth certificate or adoption certificate and either:

• Their mother’s or father’s full UK birth certificate, or the Home Office certificate of registration or naturalisation, or a British passport belonging to one of their parents that was valid when they were born, or a British passport number for either parent.

• Evidence of one of their parents’ immigration statuses in the UK at the time of their birth. For example, a foreign passport belonging to one of their parents that was valid when they were born.

Those persons who send documents relating to a father must also send their parents’ marriage certificate.

PERSONS BORN OUTSIDE THE UK

The documents needed by persons born outside the UK will depend on their circumstances.

Those persons who have a certificate of naturalisation or registration will need both:

• Their naturalisation or registration certificate; and

• The passport they used to arrive in the UK or the foreign passport on which they are included.

Citizens of a British overseas territory and born before January 1, 1983 will need all of the following:

• Their birth certificate;

• Their current passport;

• The passport used to arrive into the UK or the foreign passport they are included on.

PERSONS BORN BEFORE JANUARY 1, 1983 AND THEIR FATHER WAS BORN IN THE UK

Persons will need all of the following:

• Their full birth certificate showing your parents’ details;

• Their father’s birth certificate;

• Their parents’ marriage certificate;

• The passport used to arrive into the UK or foreign passport they are included on.

PERSONS BORN ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 1983

Persons will need all of the following:

• Their full birth certificate showing your parents’ details;

• The passport used to arrive into the UK or any foreign passport that they are included on;

• Evidence of one parent’s British nationality, for example, their UK birth or adoption, naturalisation or registration certificate.

If these documents relate to their father, they must include the marriage certificate showing when he married their mother.

OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ARE DIFFERENT

If a person’s circumstances are not listed, he/she should read the guidance booklet to find out what documents he/she will need. If applying online, the applicant will be told what documents will be needed as part of their application.

HOW THE DOCUMENTS WILL BE SENT BACK

The supporting documents will be returned separately from the applicant’s passport. How they are returned will depend on the delivery option chosen when they fill in their application.

I hope this helps.

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