Fast Track Passport Advice

[AlexanderHamilton]

Anyone renewed a child to adult passport recently? The form says one thing and guidance notes another.

Dd’s Child passport expired earlier this year. She is now 17. She has a last minute opportunity to go on a free trip to Auchwitz in just over 2 weeks time.

We have appointment booked in Liverpool tomorrow morning.

Application form says if this is her first British Passport (it isn’t obviously)she has to take full birth certificate. If it’s a renewal she just has to take old passport.

Guidance Notes talk about first Adult Passport needing birth certificate.

She doesn’t have a full birth certificate as she was born before you needed one for a passport.

Its not a first adult passport as that's for people who've never had a child passport. It's a standard renewal so shouldn't need other supporting documents apart from the form, photos and old passport

Phew. We’ve had the photos countersigned just in case as she was 11 when her last photos were taken

It’s just the wording on the guidance notes is really vague.

I renewed my dd passport when she was 18 last year she had a child's passport. I remember it being straightforward I think i was worried but I think it's only complicated if it's first passport so it's a renewal so the usual . I didn't need to send birth certificate just the expired passport and signed photos .

Apply for a first adult passport if you’re aged 16 or over (or will be within 3 weeks) and never had a child passport

Is that the wording online? That’s what I wS hoping for.

We’ve had to fill in a paper form for fast track 5 day.

That's from .gov website

I think that’s what I remember reading but then the paper guidance notes seemed contradictory.

But thanks. At least I know it’s not £144 down the drain.

I don't understand the 'doesn't have a full birth certificate' are there different types/levels?

Yes. There is a short birth certificate which states your name, date and place of birth or the longer one you have to pay extra for which has your parents details on.

It appears that these days they both cost the same but the short one used to be free or cheaper.

Interesting that about the birth certificates. My eldest has just turned 16 and I recall the distinction between short and full birth certificates - and the need to have the full one for passports existed at that point. So from what you say it must have been quite a new rule change then. I wonder how many years it took before they accepted that charging extra for a full birth certificate that you needed if you ever wanted to apply for a passport, wasn't helpful. (more than 3 at any rate!)

Hope the passport renewal goes through efficiently!

It's if they were born after 1/1/1983 That you need to send the full birth certificate. Think you get the short one free and have to pay for the full one

But not for a renewal

Dd was born in late 2001 and we got her first passport at the beginning of 2003 with the short birth certificate.

Ds was born early 2004 & the registrar told us we needed a long one if we ever wanted to apply for a passport for him.

The change in 1983 might have been children needing their own individual passports? There was a complete overhaul then of the rules of citizenship / rights to passports etc (I know because, being born to a British mother outsider the UK, we weren't entitled to a passport, but were able to be registered retrospectively after the 1983 changes).

It's a renewal not first adult passport. Updated picture and old pp should be fine.

Well her appointment was at 1pm. She arrived 1.45pm got through security etc.

At 3 minutes past one I got a phone call from her to say it was all approved and she should get her passport within the week.

Renewals are much easier than first applications. Glad all went well