A standard UK passport costs £102 online for an adult and £66.50 online for a child, and HM Passport Office says you will usually get it within three weeks. If you need one faster, the 1 Week Fast Track service costs £192 for an adult, and the 1 Day Premium service – available only for adult renewals – costs £239.50. All fees on this page are correct as at 13 October 2026 and are taken from GOV.UK passport fees.
Below you will find the full fee table, what each urgent service can and cannot be used for, what paperwork you need for every type of application, and the passport validity rules that catch out more UK travellers than any processing delay.
UK passport fees
These are the fees for applications made from within the UK. Fees last increased on 8 April 2026. Applying online is £13.50 cheaper than using a paper form, and the 54-page frequent traveller passport costs £14 more than the standard 34-page one.
| Application | Apply online | Paper form |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (16+), standard 34-page | £102 | £115.50 |
| Adult (16+), 54-page frequent traveller | £116 | £129.50 |
| Child (under 16), standard 34-page | £66.50 | £80 |
| Child (under 16), 54-page frequent traveller | £80.50 | £94 |
| Anyone born on or before 2 September 1929 | Free | Free |
Two charges are easy to miss. Having your supporting documents returned by secure delivery costs an extra £5. And if you apply a second time because the first application is taking longer than you expected, HM Passport Office charges a £34.50 administration fee for each extra application – and you will not get the passport any sooner.
The fee is the same whether this is your first passport, a renewal, a replacement for a lost or stolen one, or a new passport after a name change. There is no renewal discount, because a completely new passport book is issued every time.
Urgent passport services and what they cost
HM Passport Office runs two urgent services. Both require an appointment at a passport office, and both are booked through GOV.UK rather than through any third party.
| Service | Who can use it | Fee | How fast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Premium | Adult passport renewals only | £239.50 (34-page), £253.50 (54-page) | Earliest appointment 2 days after you apply. Passport ready to collect in person about 4 hours after the appointment. |
| 1 Week Fast Track, adult | Renewals, changes of personal details, and replacements for lost, stolen or damaged passports | £192 (34-page), £206 (54-page) | Earliest appointment the next day. Passport couriered to you 1 week after the appointment. |
| 1 Week Fast Track, child | Child first passports and renewals | £156.50 (34-page), £170.50 (54-page) | Earliest appointment the next day. Passport couriered to you 1 week after the appointment. |
Three limits matter more than the prices:
- A first adult passport cannot be fast-tracked at all. Neither urgent service is available, so the standard service is the only route, and you need to allow proper time for it.
- Children cannot use the 1 Day Premium service. Fast Track is the quickest option for any child passport.
- The clock starts at the appointment, not when you apply. Appointments can be booked up to 3 weeks in advance, and in the run-up to school holidays the first available slot may be at an office a long way from home. Factor the wait for an appointment into your planning.
Our guide to fast-tracking a UK passport application covers the appointment process, what to take with you and the collection rules in more detail.
How long does a UK passport take?
HM Passport Office states that you will usually get your passport within three weeks on the standard service (HM Passport Office, About our services, checked 13 October 2026). That is a typical case, not a guarantee. Applications that need extra identity checks, an interview, or documents that have to be posted and returned will take longer, and demand is heaviest in the spring.
HM Passport Office is unambiguous about what this means for your holiday: do not book travel until you have a valid passport in your hand. The new passport will not have the same number as your old one, so a booking made against the old document can cause problems even if the new one arrives in time. Check the current processing time on GOV.UK before you commit to any dates.
Adult passport applications (age 16 and over)
First adult passport
This is the application to plan furthest ahead for, because no urgent service is available for it. You apply for a first adult passport if you are a British national aged 16 or over (or within three weeks of turning 16) and have never held a UK passport. It also applies if you held a child passport and are now applying as an adult for the first time.
- Validity: 10 years from issue.
- What you need: the online application or a paper form from a Post Office, a digital photo (or two printed photos for a paper application), proof of British nationality such as a full birth or naturalisation certificate, and a countersignatory who knows you and can confirm your identity and your photo.
- Interview: first-time adult applicants may be asked to attend a short identity interview, now usually held by video call. HM Passport Office will contact you after you apply if one is needed. It is a routine check, not a sign of a problem.
- Documents: if you apply on paper, you send original documents, which are returned separately. Secure delivery of those documents costs £5.
Adult renewal
Renewing is simpler than a first application and is the only type of application eligible for the 1 Day Premium service. You can renew at any point. You do not have to wait for the passport to expire, and the time left on the old one is not carried over to the new one.
- Who renews: British citizens aged 16 or over with a current or expired passport. If your last passport was a child passport, you will normally be treated as a first adult applicant instead.
- What you need: your current passport, a recent digital photo that meets the photo rules, and a debit or credit card. You will not usually need a countersignatory unless your appearance has changed significantly.
- Name changes: if your name has changed since your last passport, include the original evidence, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll.
- Sending the old passport: you post it to HM Passport Office when prompted. Once it has gone, do not plan to travel on it. It is cancelled when the new passport is issued, and comes back to you with a corner cut off.
- Help with the form: the Post Office Check and Send service reviews your application and photos before they are submitted, for a fee. It will not speed the application up, but it does catch the mistakes that cause delays.
Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged passport
Report the loss or theft first, using the free online service linked from GOV.UK. This cancels the passport so it cannot be misused. You can report it before you apply for the replacement, and if it was stolen, you should also tell the police.
- There is no separate replacement form. You use the standard application and say what happened to the previous passport.
- If the passport is damaged, you send it in. If it is lost or stolen, there is nothing to send, but you may be asked for additional identity documents, and an identity interview is more likely than on a straightforward renewal.
- The 1 Week Fast Track service is available. The 1 Day Premium service is not available, because replacements often need extra checks.
- Once reported, a passport is invalid for good. If it turns up later, you cannot travel on it and should return it to HM Passport Office. Your replacement will carry a new number.
- Damage matters even when the passport still looks usable. The test is whether there is more than reasonable wear and tear, and a passport that has been through a washing machine can be refused at the border even if it reads perfectly well at home.
Changing your name, gender or appearance
An existing passport cannot be amended. Any change of name, gender or significant change of appearance means a new passport is printed, at the normal fee. The 1 Week Fast Track service is available for these applications. The 1 Day Premium service is not.
What you need depends on the change:
- Marriage or civil partnership: the original marriage or civil partnership certificate. If you want the new passport ready for the honeymoon, you can apply up to three months before the ceremony using the Passports for Newlyweds and Civil Partners form, signed by the person conducting the ceremony. The passport is post-dated to the ceremony date, so it cannot be used before then.
- Reverting to a previous name after divorce: the decree absolute, a signed statement that you have reverted to the previous name for all purposes, and evidence that you are using that name. Your birth and marriage certificates may be needed to link the names.
- Gender: a Gender Recognition Certificate, an updated birth or adoption certificate, or a medical letter confirming the change is intended to be permanent. Include name change evidence as well if the name is changing too.
- Appearance: usually just new photos, and sometimes a countersignatory to confirm they are of you.
One practical point that causes problems at check-in: the name on your booking must match the name in the passport you travel on. Until the new passport arrives, book in your current passport name. If you hold visas in the old passport, check whether the country you are visiting expects you to carry both.
Child passport applications (under 16)
A child passport is valid for five years, costs £66.50 online, and must be applied for by a parent or legal guardian. There is no minimum age, so newborns can have one. At 16, the next passport is an adult passport, valid for 10 years.
A child’s first passport
- Documents: the child’s full birth or adoption certificate showing the parents’ details; proof of British nationality if that is not clear from the birth certificate, for example where the child was born abroad; any court order affecting parental responsibility; and a digital photo of the child, or two printed photos for a paper application. The usual photo rules apply, with some leniency on eyes open for babies under one.
- Countersignatory: required. They need to have known you or the child for at least two years and must be able to confirm the application and photo are genuine. For online applications, they are emailed; for paper applications, they sign the back of one photo and part of the form.
- Parental consent: the form asks for both parents’ details, and everyone with parental responsibility should know about the application. One parent or guardian signs. If you cannot give the other parent’s details, the form gives you space to explain why.
- Interviews: children do not attend identity interviews. HM Passport Office may follow up with the parents if it needs more information.
- Signing the passport: children aged 12 to 15 sign the passport book when it arrives. Under-12s do not.
Renewing or updating a child’s passport
The process mirrors an adult renewal but is handled by a parent or guardian. For a straightforward renewal, you need the old passport and a new photo.
- Countersignatory: one is needed when the child no longer closely resembles the photo in the old passport. Children change a great deal in five years, so expect to need one for most renewals and check the requirement on GOV.UK before you book someone’s time. Our guide to who can countersign a passport application explains who qualifies.
- Changes of name or other details: include the legal evidence, such as an updated birth certificate or change of name deed. The application is for a new passport with the new details rather than a simple renewal, though the route through the form is the same.
- If it is urgent: the 1 Week Fast Track service covers child renewals and replacements. The parent or guardian attends the appointment; the child usually does not need to be there.
- If it has already expired: you cannot travel on it, even if it recently expired. Check expiry dates before you book, not before you pack.
Check that your passport will actually be accepted
An in-date passport is not always an acceptable one. This is the problem that catches out more UK travellers than processing delays, and it is worth ten minutes before you book anything.
- The issue date can matter as much as the expiry date. Some countries apply rules based on how old the passport is as well as how long is left on it, so a passport that has not expired can still fall outside a destination’s requirements. Check the issue date printed in the passport against the entry requirements for the country you are visiting.
- Minimum remaining validity varies by destination. Three months and six months after your date of departure are both common requirements. Check each country on your itinerary, not just the one you are flying to.
- Transit counts. If you change planes or cross a border on the way, that country’s entry rules apply to you too.
- Blank pages. Some destinations require a minimum number of blank pages, which is the main reason to consider the 54-page passport.
The authoritative source for every destination is the GOV.UK foreign travel advice entry for that country, under Entry requirements. Airline and holiday company websites summarise these rules and are not always current.
What to do if your passport will not arrive in time
If a trip is approaching and the passport is not back yet, work through these in order:
- Do not submit a second application. It will not speed anything up, and HM Passport Office charges £34.50 for each extra application.
- Check whether an urgent service is open to you. If the application is a renewal, a change of details, a replacement or a child passport, you may be able to switch to Fast Track or, for an adult renewal, Premium. A first adult passport cannot be upgraded.
- Call the Passport Adviceline if you are travelling for compassionate reasons, such as medical treatment or a seriously ill or bereaved relative. There are arrangements for these cases that are not on the standard booking pages.
- Talk to your airline or tour operator early rather than on the day. Changing a name or a date is almost always cheaper and more possible before departure than at the desk.
- Check your travel insurance before you assume it covers this. Most policies treat a passport that did not arrive in time as the traveller’s responsibility rather than an insured event. Read the wording rather than relying on a summary.
An Emergency Travel Document is not an alternative here. It is for British nationals who are already outside the UK and cannot use their passport.
Where a passport fits into planning a trip
Most people book flights and accommodation months ahead and check their passport last. It is worth doing in the opposite order. Before you pay for anything, check four things on every passport in the party: the expiry date, the issue date, the condition of the book, and the number of blank pages. Then check the entry requirements for every country on the itinerary. If anything needs renewing, start that before you book, because HM Passport Office’s own advice is not to book travel until the valid passport is in your hand.
Once documents are sorted, the rest of the departure can be arranged. Compare airport parking with APH to book a car park at your departure airport, or look at airport hotels with parking if you have an early flight and would rather travel down the night before.
More passport guides from APH
- Who can sign my passport photos and application form?
- Passport photos: I have grown a beard, put on weight, gone bald or had a tattoo – do I need a new one?
- How to fast track your passport application
Frequently asked questions
As at 13 October 2026, a standard 34-page adult passport costs £102 online or £115.50 using a paper form. A child passport costs £66.50 online or £80 on paper. The 54-page frequent traveller version costs £14 more in each case. Anyone born on or before 2 September 1929 pays nothing. Fees last rose on 8 April 2026, and the current figures are published on GOV.UK.
The 1 Day Premium service is the fastest, but it is only available for adult renewals. The earliest appointment is two days after you apply, and the new passport is ready to collect in person from the passport office about four hours after that appointment. It costs £239.50 for a standard passport. It is not a same-day counter service, and it cannot be used for a first adult passport, a child passport, a replacement, or a change of name.
Yes, but not in a day. Children cannot use the 1 Day Premium service. The 1 Week Fast Track service covers both first child passports and child renewals, and costs £156.50 for a standard 34-page passport or £170.50 for the 54-page version. A parent or guardian books and attends the appointment; the child usually does not need to be there. The passport is couriered out a week after the appointment.
Do not apply again, because a second application costs £34.50 and will not arrive any sooner. Check whether your application type is eligible for Fast Track or Premium, which a first adult passport is not. If you are travelling for compassionate reasons, call the Passport Adviceline. Speak to your airline or tour operator early rather than at the airport, and read your travel insurance wording, because most policies do not treat a late passport as an insured event.
It depends on the destination. Some countries ask for three months of validity after your departure date, others six, and some also have rules about how old the passport is rather than only when it expires. Check the entry requirements for every country on your itinerary, including anywhere you change planes, using the GOV.UK foreign travel advice pages. An in-date passport is not automatically an acceptable one.
There is no need to. Apply and book urgent appointments through GOV.UK. Third-party websites charge a markup for submitting the same application and cannot obtain an earlier appointment or faster processing than the official service. The only paid help worth considering is the Post Office Check and Send service, which reviews your form and photos before submission.
Sources and review
Fees and service details on this page are taken from GOV.UK passport fees, GOV.UK urgent passport services and HM Passport Office, About our services, all checked on 13 October 2026. We check them against GOV.UK every quarter, and after any announced fee change. Passport rules, fees, appointment availability and processing times can change between reviews, so confirm the current position on GOV.UK before you apply or book travel.
Reviewed by T. Liaqat, Group Acquisition Manager, APH. Last reviewed 13 October 2026. APH has arranged airport parking and airport hotels for UK travellers since 1980 – more about APH.