Your Child's Documents,
Sorted.

Your child is eligible for a British passport because you are a British citizen. Children born abroad to a British parent are entitled to British citizenship by descent, regardless of where they were born or what other passports they hold.

Apply online via the official GOV.UK passport service. Select 'First child passport' and follow the prompts. You will complete the form online and receive instructions for submitting documents.

Obtain two identical, recent passport-sized photos of your child that meet UK photo requirements. These must be printed on photographic paper and meet strict criteria for size, background, and expression.

For a first child passport, you need a countersignatory — a professional person who has known you (the parent) for at least two years and can confirm your child's identity. This is one of the trickier requirements when living abroad.

Collect all required original documents. You will need to send these to HM Passport Office — use a secure, tracked courier service and keep copies of everything.

The fee for a child's first passport application from overseas is £65.50 (standard). Pay online during the application process. Once paid, you will receive a reference number and instructions for sending your documents.

Processing times for overseas applications typically take 6–10 weeks from the date your documents are received by HM Passport Office. You can track your application online using your reference number.