Terms and conditions

By applying for a passport you agree to these terms and conditions.

You confirm that you or the applicant:

are a British national and haven’t lost or given up your national status
aren’t breaking the terms of a court order by making this application
don’t owe any money to the UK government for repatriation costs, for example when the government pays to get you home from abroad
understand by voluntarily applying for a UK passport you may lose citizenship of another country
will tell HM Passport Office if you were born through surrogacy

If this is an application for a child passport, you confirm that you:

have parental responsibility
will send any court orders relating to the child’s residence, contact or removal from the UK

We may ask for more information before we can continue with your application.

Warning If you give untrue or misleading information to get a passport you could be prosecuted.

Your new photo

Your new photo must look like you and must not have been altered in any way. It must have been taken in the last month.

Photos that pass our online checks may still be unsuitable for your new passport. We may ask for a different digital or paper photo.

Your new passport

When you get your new passport you must sign it with black ballpoint pen. You can’t use it until you do.

If you can’t sign your name, provide an explanation before you pay. Your passport will show ‘the holder is not required to sign’.

Passport fee

Payments are managed by a company called Worldpay. They are responsible for the availability of their service.

Applying with Post Office Digital Check & Send

Payments are managed by the Post Office. You’ll need to pay for the passport application, together with the Post Office fee in the Post Office branch where you apply.

Lost, stolen or damaged passports

You confirm that you or the applicant will:

contact HM Passport Office immediately if the old passport is lost, stolen or damaged after you’ve applied
return a lost passport to a UK passport office if it comes into your possession

Applying with the standard service

Cancellation and refunds

You won’t get a refund if:

your application is delayed because we need to make extra checks
we haven’t received your old passport or documents within 90 days of submitting your application
we withdraw your application because we haven’t received all the information we’ve asked for
you cancel your application or you’re not entitled to a passport

You can cancel your application at any time but you’ll need to do it in writing. Contact us to find out what you need to do.

Applying with the 1 week Fast Track or 1 day Premium service

Changes and cancellations

To change or cancel your collection appointment, contact us. But if your appointment is less than 48 hours away:

you won’t be able to change it
a £30 administration charge will be taken from your refund of the fee if you cancel it

Refunds

Any refunds will be credited to the original payment card in 10 working days.

1 day Premium service

To use the 1 day Premium service you must attend an appointment at a passport office to drop off your old passport, and return to the same office 4 hours later to collect your new passport.

Your application will be rejected and you will get a full refund if:

you tell us more than 48 hours before your appointment that you have lost, stolen or damaged your passport since you made your application

Your application will be rejected and a £30 administration charge will be taken from your refund if:

you don’t tell us that you’ve lost, stolen or damaged your passport since you made your application, or you notify us within 48 hours of your appointment
you’ve already submitted a passport application
you are 16 or older and have never had a British passport
your passport has less validity than normal (adults 16 or older normally have a 10 year passport, children 15 or younger normally have a 5 year passport)
you’re applying on behalf of someone who can’t make their own decisions
you’re renewing a diplomatic or Official passport

Your application will be downgraded to the standard service and you will be eligible for a refund of the difference between the 1 day Premium and standard fee if:

you’re not a British citizen or British subject, but you hold a different type of British nationality, for example you’re a British national (overseas)

You won’t get your new passport 4 hours later or get a refund if:

your old passport has previously been reported as lost or stolen and has been cancelled
you’ve changed your name since your last passport
your application is delayed because we need to make extra checks
we move you to a different service and your application takes longer, for example you’re moved from 1 day Premium to 1 week Fast Track

Your application will be rejected and you won’t get a refund if:

we withdraw your application because we haven’t received all the information we’ve asked for
you’re not entitled to a passport
you miss your appointment - you’ll need to withdraw your application, apply and pay again

Uncollected passports will only be kept for 28 days before they are cancelled. You won’t get a refund. You’ll have to apply and pay again.

1 week Fast Track service