All passport applicants must provide 2 identical passport photographs that meet the standard set out in the Identity and Passport Service Guide to taking a good photo for your passport (PDF, 301KB)

All first time applicants

Born before 1 January 1983 in the UK

If you were born before 1 January 1983 in the UK you must provide:

• a photocopy of your current photo ID (foreign passport or residence card and driving licence) and
  
• your full (shows parents details) UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate and
  
• the passport used to enter your country of residence or if not available a letter of explanation
  
• if your current surname differs from the name on your birth certificate you must provide the original name change document e.g. marriage certificate.
  

Born before 1 January 1983 outside the UK

If you were born before 1 January 1983 outside the UK you must provide:

• a photocopy of your current photo ID (foreign passport or residence card and driving licence) and
• your original consular birth certificate or
• your original registration certificate or
• your original full (shows parents details) foreign birth certificate (see Note 1)
  
• and your father's full (shows parents details) UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document
• and your parents marriage certificate as recorded by the state/province/country registrar
• and a marriage declaration (pdf) completed by your parents
• and divorce documents (if applicable)
• and the passport used to enter your country of residence (if applicable)
• if your current surname differs from the name on your birth certificate you must provide the original name change document e.g. marriage certificate.
  

Born after 1 January 1983 in the UK

If you were born after 1 January 1983 in the UK you must provide:

• a photocopy of your current photo ID (foreign passport or residence card and driving licence and
• your full (shows parents details) UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate and
• your mother’s full (shows parents details) UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document or
  
• your father’s full (shows parents details) UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document and marriage certificate as recorded by the state/province/country registrar and
  
• a marriage declaration (pdf) completed by your parents and
• divorce documents (if applicable)
• and the passport used to enter your country of residence
• if your current surname differs from the name on your birth certificate you must provide the original name change document e.g. marriage certificate.
  

Born after 1 January 1983 outside the UK

If you were born after 1 January 1983 outside the UK you must provide:

• your full(shows parents details) foreign birth certificate (see Note 1) and
• a photocopy of your current photo ID (foreign passport or residence card and driving licence) and
• your mother’s full (shows parents detials) UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document or
  
• your father’s full (shows parents details) birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document and marriage certificate as recorded by the state/province/country registrar and
• a marriage declaration (pdf) completed by your parents and
  
• divorce documents (if applicable)
• and the passport used to enter your country of residence (if applicable)
• if your current surname differs from the name on your birth certificate you must provide the original name change document e.g. marriage certificate.
  

Children born on or after 1 July 2006 in the UK

If the passport is for a child born on or after 1 July 2006 in the UK you must provide the child’s:

• full (shows parents details) UK birth certificate and
•  mother’s full (shows parents details)  UK birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document or
•  father’s full (shows parents details) UK birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document and marriage certificate or mother's declaration (pdf)
  

Children born on or after 1 July 2006 outside the UK

If the passport is for a child born on or after 1 July 2006 outside the UK you must provide the child’s:

• full foreign birth certificate (see Note 1) and
• mother’s full UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document or
  
• father’s full UK or British Overseas Territories birth certificate or registration/naturalisation document and marriage certificate or mother's declaration (pdf)
  

Changing information in your passport

If you are applying to change information in your passport, you should provide the relevant documents to support this, in addition you must also provide:

• your current passport or
• your old passport - the passport that has expired.
  

Changing name on marriage

If you have married and wish to change your last name or want your passport to have the observation ‘the holder is also known as’ you must provide:

• your original marriage certificate and
• your old passport
• in order to have an "also known as" observation in your passport you will have to provide a primary ID in the "also known as " name (see note 2)
  

Changing back to your maiden name

If you are divorced and wish to change your last name back to you maiden name you must provide:

• your original birth certificate and
• your original divorce certificate.
  

Changing your name

If you have changed your name through naturalisation, a court order or by Deed Poll you must provide:

• your original naturalisation certificate, court order or Deed Poll
• primary ID in your new name (see note 2)
  

Note 1.  British Nationality law requires that all United States birth certificates be issued within 3 months of the date of birth of the child.  This is due to the fact that adoptive parents can ask for a birth certificate to be issued showing them as the biological parents of the adopted child. Since we are dealing with a question of nationality through descent we need to be sure that no adoption has taken place.  If the birth certificate(s) supplied do not meet this requirement we will require additional documentation.  This can be hospital records, medical bills, baptismal records, insurance bills or the hospital card with baby footprints; the provided documents must show the mother’s name.

Note 2.  Primary ID would be a copy of the photo-page of a foreign passport or a copy of a residence card from the country of residence.

Warning:  If you are sending a photocopy of your passport, unless requested in your application your current passport will automatically be cancelled on the issuing of your new passport.  You should therefore not undertake any cross border journey until you have received your new passport.  To travel before this could leave you stranded in another country.