Newborn passport: How to apply
Have baby, will travel! Planning a holiday or trip abroad with your newborn baby and need to get them a passport pronto? Read our handy guide to everything you need to know about newborn passports.
If the arrival of your newborn hasn't put paid to your wanderlust or you have to travel for family or work reasons with baby in tow then you'll want to get your baby's first passport sorted as soon as possible.
Gone are the days when your baby could just tag along on the back of your own passport. Since the late 90s, babies have needed their very own passport to travel around the world and, for obvious reasons, a passport can only be issued once the child has been born.
Our guide below covers everything you need to know about how to apply for a passport for your baby, as well as all the requirements you'll need to meet, how to take a passport picture and how much a newborn passport costs.
Why do newborns need a passport?
Newborns are considered citizens of their country as soon as they are born (in the UK this is only the case as long as one of their parents is a British citizen or has settled status in the UK). So to travel from one country to another they need to show a valid passport.
One of the main reasons it's particularly important for newborns and children to have a passport is to help stop any illegal adoptions and child trafficking.
How to apply for a newborn passport
The cheapest and most efficient way to apply for your baby's first passport is online. You can also apply by post, although this is a more expensive option and could take a little longer.
If you want some help and support filling out your baby's passport application, the Post Office offers a Passport Check and Send Service or can just provide you with the form to fill out if you're happy to do it yourself.
You can also contact the Passport Adviceline and ask them to send you a form in the post, but for urgent passports, there is a quicker service.
While you can't use the premium service for babies and children, you can apply for the 1-week fast track service.
This service involves personally visiting your nearest passport office for a 10-minute appointment and then your child's passport will be sent by courier 1 week after your visit.
This service is more expensive, costing £135.50 for a child. Passport Customer Service Offices are located in: Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport and Peterborough.
Apply online
Applying for your baby's passport online is the easiest and cheapest option. You can apply on gov.uk here. A child passport using the online service costs £57.50 and on average takes around three weeks to arrive once you've applied. To apply online you'll need to have certain supporting documents to hand (see below), a digital passport photo of your baby and a debit or credit card.
Once you have applied for a newborn passport online you'll need to ask someone to confirm your child’s identity. This can be done online, although you will need to tell the person you've chosen to look out for an email from HM Passport Office. There's no need for them to physically sign the passport picture for online applications.
You can only ask someone to confirm your child's identity for a passport if they meet the following criteria:
- they are 18 or over
- they live in the UK
- they have a current UK passport
- they have known the person applying for at least 2 years (this is the adult making the application if the passport is for a child under 16)
- they know the person applying as a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just a professional relationship)
- they work in or are retired from a recognised profession (you can find the full list of acceptable professions here)
Apply by post
If you'd prefer to apply for your baby's first passport by post it will cost you £69 and will take around 3 weeks to arrive, although it'll be slightly longer than the online service as you'll need to build in the extra time it'll take for your application to arrive by post at the passport office.
You can get a postal passport application form from your local Post Office or from the Passport Adviceline by calling 0300 222 0000. With a postal application, you'll need to get a countersignatory to fill in section 10 of the form and to sign your baby's passport photo to confirm their identity.
Once you have filled in the form, and have a signed passport photo of your baby and all the correct supporting documents (see below) you can send it by post using the pre-addressed envelope that comes with the form or by taking everything to the Post Office and using their Check and Send service.
Supporting documents for a newborn passport application
To apply for your baby's passport online you'll need their birth or adoption certificate or a naturalisation certificate, your/ your partner's passport details, the date of your marriage (if applicable), grandparents' documents (if applicable), and contact details of your digital referee to confirm your child's identity.
To apply for your baby's passport by post you'll need 2 new printed passport photos of your baby, an original copy of the child’s full birth or adoption certificate (the one with parent’s details on it), proof that your child has British nationality (for example a British registration certificate, parent’s passport details or parent’s birth certificates), any valid passports from a different country belonging to the child, and any court orders relating to the child (for example, that describe parental responsibility or residency arrangements),
How to take a newborn passport photo
Taking a newborn passport photo is quick and easy as long as you adhere to the rules. Find a plain light-coloured sheet (a white bed sheet works best) and lie your baby on it.
The best time to take the photo is when your baby isn't hungry or ready for sleep as your baby's eyes need to be open and you don't want them to start crying.
Using a smartphone or digital camera take a photo of your baby from above only including their chest/ upper torso and head.
Encourage them to look at the camera by calling their name or rattling a toy behind the camera. Baby should have their face front on to the camera (not lying on one side) and no smile or frown. Their eyes need to be open and mouth closed if possible. The photo should be a good likeness of them at that exact point in time.
You cannot submit any photos that include dummies, bottles, toys, headbands, hair clips, bows or hats and there shouldn't be any shadows or hands of a parent visible in the photo.
If you don't have a smartphone or camera, don't feel confident taking your own picture, or need printed photos you can take your baby to have their photo taken at photo shops or high street stores such as Snappy Snaps, Jessops, Boots, Timpson's, and large supermarkets.
How will you get your newborn's passport?
Once you've applied, either online or by post there will usually be a three-week wait and then your new passport with be sent to you by courier or Royal Mail. It may be posted through your letterbox or if you're at home your local postal worker will hand it directly to you. If you're out they may leave a card or letter advising how you can pick it up (although they won't mention on this card that it is a passport).
If you've applied online you can choose to have your supporting documents sent back to you via special post at a cost of £5 or just normal post.
How long does a newborn passport last?
A newborn passport (or passport for any child under the age of 16) only lasts for five years. before it needs to be renewed. This is because children change in appearance so much over the course of 5 years that they'll require an updated photo to be identified by passport control. To ensure children are kept safe it's important that they can easily be identified by their passport photo.
Images: Getty Images
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