Immigration Corner | Documents needed to apply for first British passport

Dear Mr Bassie,

I plan to apply for my first British adult passport, and I would like to know what documents are needed to complete the application. I look forward to any information that you can provide.

– N. F.

Dear N. F.,

The documents needed to be provided by those persons who were born or adopted in the United Kingdom (UK) will depend on when they were born.

Those persons that were born before January 1, 1983, will need to provide their full birth certificate or adoption certificate.

Those persons who were born on or after January 1, 1983, 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 status 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

Please note that if sending documents relating to the father, persons must also send their parents’ marriage certificate.

PERSONS BORN OUTSIDE OF THE UK

Persons who were born outside of the UK should note that the documents to be sent will depend on their circumstances.

Persons who have a certificate of naturalization or registration

Those persons who have a certificate of naturalisation or registration will need both their naturalisation or registration certificate and the passport they used to enter the UK or the foreign passport on which they were included.

Citizens of a British overseas territory who were born before January 1, 1983

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

• their birth certificate;

• their current passport;

• the passport they used to come 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

Those persons who were born before January 1, 1983, and whose father was born in the UK 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 that was used to enter the UK or foreign passport they were included .

Persons 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 they used to enter 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.

Again, it should be noted that if these documents relate to the applicant’s father, they must include the marriage certificate showing when he married the applicant’s mother.

DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES

If the circumstances are different, it is advisable that the guidance booklet be read online to find out what documents will be needed. If they apply, online persons will be told what documents they need as part of their application.

When applying for the first adult British passport, persons must send original documents as photocopies are not accepted. Those persons who do not have their original certificates (for example, their birth certificate) will need to get an official copy. Please be aware that if the documents are not in English or Welsh, they will need to send a certified translation. Laminated documents can be sent if that is the only format in which they are issued.

Please note that the supporting documents will be returned separately from the passport. How they are returned will depend on the delivery option chosen when the application is being completed.

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