Everything you need to know about passports

Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading flight price comparison website, caters to the nation’s travel identification needs with this new guide to passport queries. Frequent fliers may already have most of their passport needs in check, but with commonly changing requirements, there is always something they may need to be updated on, particularly in the event of a lost or stolen passport.

Following these useful tips from Cheapflights.co.uk will keep travellers in the know regarding any passport related events.

Applying for a passport…
UK residents can apply for a passport either through the Home Office’s Identity and Passport Service (IPS) directly or by using the Check & Send service available through select post offices outlined on the IPS website.

Check & Send is the most recommended method of application. For a handling fee of £25, the service checks that application forms have been correctly filled in and all supporting documents and fees have been included. It will then forward this information directly to the Home Office on the applicant’s behalf, reducing processing times and ensuring the accuracy of what is being submitted.

Those who prefer to go through IPS directly can collect an application form from select post offices, fill out an online application request to have the form posted to them, contact the 24-hour Passport Adviceline, or fill out an online application.

Non-UK residents can still apply for a passport through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or by contacting their nearest embassy, consulate, or high commission. Applications can also be made in person while visiting the UK by making an appointment at a passport office and providing a UK address to which the passport can be posted once it’s ready.

Application process and required documentation…
All adults applying for first time passports are required to go through an interview process, which is a friendly, 30 minute meeting where the applicant is asked facts about themselves that presumably only they would know.

In addition to having an interview and completing the application form, applicants must provide a birth certificate, two identical photographs one of which has to be countersigned, and the fee which can be paid by cheque, cash, debit or credit card.

At what age can applications be made and what are the fees?
Persons of 16 years and over are considered of adult age concerning passports and would therefore apply for a 10-year adult passport. All applicants under the age of 16 would apply for a child passport. Under the new regulation, children are no longer able to travel on a parent’s passport and are obliged to hold one of their own from birth onward.

The cost of an adult passport is £72 unless the application is for a jumbo passport, 48 pages in length, where the cost rises to £85. A child passport costs £46 and is valid for five years. Therefore, if the applicant is 15 years of age, he/she would still apply for a five year child passport which must be renewed at the age of 20, when it will have reached its expiry.

Passport renewals…
Adult passports are renewable for a period of 10 years provided that the owner’s current passport is a standard 10-year adult passport which has not been damaged and does not require a name or national status change.

The documents required for passport renewals are exactly the same as those for first time passports, except that the applicant must submit their current passport as well. A full fee of £72 also applies. However, if the applicant’s current passport was issued only for a restricted period such as one year or less, he/she is required to call the Passport Adviceline prior to pursuing a renewal.

Child passport renewals must be performed every five years prior to the age of 16 when he/she becomes eligible for an adult passport. Renewing a child passport is possible provided that the applicant’s current passport is a standard 5-year child passport which is still available for submission, has not been damaged and does not require a name or national status change. The only documents required in applying for a renewal are the child’s current passport as well as a fee of £46.

Lost or stolen passports…
Passports which have been lost or stolen in the UK should be reported to IPS immediately along with a completed LS01 form, which can be obtained from the 24-hour Passport Adviceline, a post office, a local police station, and post offices that offer the Check & Send service.

In incidences of theft, the crime must also be reported to a local police station with the crime reference details inserted into the relevant section of the LS01 form. It is also recommended that applications for a replacement passport be made right away.

For passports that have been lost or stolen abroad, notifications should be made to the local police station and either the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Embassy or High Commission of the country the traveller is in. They will also be required to fill in an LS01 form which is available through posts overseas.

The FCO post will report the loss or theft and forward the relevant information to IPS who will cancel the current passport, and issue replacement travel documents to enable travel back to the UK.

Returning a passport…
Passport returns apply in the event of someone’s passing and are necessary so as to prevent their identity from being used illegally. If the passing of a next of kin occurs in the UK, a relative is required to hand the deceased’s passport to the nearest passport office. However, if the death occurs overseas, the passport must be sent to the nearest British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission.

For more information on passports, visit:

cheapflights.co.uk/useful-links/visasandpassports.html.