Immigration Corner | How to apply for a first British passport, having arrived from overseas

Dear Mr Bassie,

I would like to know what documents are needed to apply for a first British adult passport having arrived from overseas. I would appreciate any assistance that you are able to provide.

– Y.A.

Dear Y.A.,

Persons can apply for a first adult passport if all of the following apply:

• He/she is a British national

• He/she is aged 16 years old or over (or will be in three weeks of applying)

• He/she has never had a United Kingdom (UK) passport before

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

Persons are advised to check how long it will take to get a passport before applying. If the passport is needed to travel urgently for medical treatment or because a friend or family member is seriously ill or has died, those persons should call the Passport Adviceline. However, persons are advised not make a reservation to travel until they are in receipt of the passport.

WAYS TO APPLY

Those persons who are in the UK, can either apply online – it costs £94.50 or apply with a paper form – which costs £107. Please be aware that there is a different way to apply if the application is being made overseas.

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 applied for on the British passport.

If different, the details should be changed on the 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. Please note that those persons who do not have their original certificates (for example, their birth certificate), will need to get an official copy. Please be advised that if the documents are not in English or Welsh, persons will need to send a certified translation. Persons can send laminated documents if that is the only format in which they are issued.

PERSONS BORN OR ADOPTED IN THE UK

For these persons, what documents are needed will depend on when they were born.

Persons born Before January 1, 1983

These persons will need their full birth certificate or adoption certificate.

Those born on or after January 1, 1983

These persons 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 you 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

If the applicant sends documents relating to their father, he/she must also send their parents’ marriage certificate.

PERSONS WHO WERE BORN OUTSIDE THE UK

For these applicants, what documents needed will depend on their circumstances.

For those who have a certificate of naturalisation or registration

They will need both:

• Their naturalisation or registration certificate

• The passport you used to go into the UK or the foreign passport they are included on

Citizen of a British overseas territory and born before January 1, 1983

Those persons will need all of the following:

• Their birth certificate

• Their current passport

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

Born before January 1, 1983 and your father was born in the UK

Those persons will need all of the following:

• Their full birth certificate showing their parents’ details

• Their father’s birth certificate

• Their parents’ marriage certificate

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

Born on or after January 1, 1983

Those persons will need all of the following:

• Their full birth certificate showing their parents’ details

• The passport used to enter into the UK or any foreign passport that they were 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 the applicant’s father, the applicant must include the marriage certificate showing when he married their mother.

WHERE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE DIFFERENT

If the circumstances are not mentioned above, prospective applicants are advised to read the guidance booklet online to find out what documents they will need. If they apply online, persons will be told what documents they need as part of their application.

HOW YOUR DOCUMENTS WILL BE SENT BACK

The supporting documents will be returned separately from the passport. How they are returned will depend on the delivery option they choose when completing the application.

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