Website of the UK government

Passports

The basics

Passport applications and enquiries are dealt with by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS).

A passport must be valid throughout the whole of a trip. If your passport is due to expire (run out) while you are away, you should get a new passport before you leave.

Some countries insist that your passport is valid for at least six months after the date you enter the country. If you have any questions about this, ask the country's consulate or embassy in the UK.

• Apply for a passport online (opens new window)
• Foreign embassies in the UK (opens new window)

Passport safety

Before and during your journey:

• keep a note of your passport number, date and place of issue in a safe place separate from your passport
• if there is a protected hotel safe, leave your passport there during your stay and carry a photocopy with you
• check your passport expiry date before you travel
• take contact details for your next of kin and leave a copy with a friend or relative
• carry another identity document that has your picture on it
• immediately contact the nearest British consulate or embassy if your passport is lost or stolen overseas

How much does a passport cost?

The cost of a UK passport will vary depending on how you apply. For example:

• £72 for a basic postal application
• £97 for a fast-track, one-week service
• £46 for a child's passport

Find full details of passport fees on the Identity and Passport Service website or call the Passport Fee Information Line on 0800 056 6654 or the Textphone service on 0808 156 1559.

• More about passport costs (opens new window)

Applying for a passport

There are four different ways to apply for a passport:

• Apply for a passport online (opens new window)
• Request an application form (opens new window)
• Find your nearest IPS high street partner (opens new window)
• Find your local passport office (opens new window)

Passport interviews

From April 2007, anyone aged 16 or over who is applying for a passport for the first time, may have an interview as part of the application process.

The interview will confirm that your passport application actually belongs to you and that you are the rightful owner of that identity.

If you have previously held a child passport, you will not need to be interviewed to get your first adult passport. You will only need an interview if you have never held a British passport before.

You apply in the usual way but after sending your application form, you will get a letter asking you to arrange an interview. To begin with, not everyone applying for a first passport will be interviewed. If you have not had a letter asking you to arrange an interview within eight working days of your application being received then you do not need to be interviewed.

• More about passport interviews (opens new window)

Visas

If you are travelling to a place outside British territories you may need to apply for an entry visa from the country's consulate or embassy. The Foreign Office website lists contact details of foreign embassies in the UK. Some countries have websites with visa information - so, for example, the United States Embassy website has details of who needs a visa to travel to the US.

If you are a British dependent territories citizen, British overseas citizen, British subject, British national overseas or a British protected person you may need to apply for a visa even if British citizens do not.

• Foreign embassies in the UK (opens new window)
• US Embassy - visa services (opens new window)