24 June 2025
His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) has advised of the following changes to British passport application processing.
HMPO will now directly contact applicants if additional information or documents are required to support an application. If original documents are requested by HMPO, applicants must post them directly to the address provided in the HMPO correspondence.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that prompt action is taken on any correspondence received from HMPO. There is a strict six-week timeframe for documents to be received by HMPO calculated from the date HMPO’s correspondence was sent.
Required Documents for all First-Time and Renewal Applications:
- A full birth certificate (and marriage certificate if applicable)
- If born after 31 December 1982, your mother’s birth certificate
- If applicable your parents’ marriage certificate (to show mother’s change of name)
- Two (2) passport-type photographs (signed)
- Your current passport (for renewals)
- A colour copy of the bio-data page of the passport belonging to the person who countersigns your application.
| Passport Type | Passport Fee (Cheque payable to HMPO, submitted with application) | Handling Charge (Cash, paid at Customer Service Centre, receipt submitted with application) |
| Adult 34-page standard passport | £120.50 | £18.80 |
| Child 34-page standard passport (where the applicant is under 16 years of age) | £82.50 | £18.80 |
Your counter signatory must meet specific criteria as outlined by HMPO:
Accepted Occupations/Criteria:
A counter signatory must either:
- work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession
- be ‘a person of good standing in their community’
Examples of recognised professions include:
- Accountant
- Chairman or Director of a limited company
- Commissioner for oaths
- Councillor, for example local or county
- Justice of the Peace
- Minister of a recognised religion (including Christian Science)
- Nurse (Rgn or Rmn)
- Person with honours, for example an OBE or MBE
- Police Officer
- Post Office Official
- Salvation Army Officer
- Social Worker
- Solicitor
Your counter signatory cannot:
- Work for HM Passport Office
- Be a doctor, unless they state that they know you well (for example they’re a good friend) and that they recognise you easily from your photo
- Be related to you by birth or marriage
- Be in a relationship with you or live at the same address as you.
The counter signatory must hold a current British or British Overseas Territory Citizen (BOTC) passport. If your counter signatory does not meet these requirements, you will be asked to find someone else.
For any queries regarding the above information, please contact the Immigration Office.
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