Short answer: if you're British, 16 or over and have never had a UK passport, apply for a first adult passport on GOV.UK. It costs £102 online or £115.50 with a paper form, and lasts 10 years. You'll need original documents proving your nationality, a photo, and someone who has known you for 2 years to confirm your identity (GOV.UK: Getting your first adult passport).
GOV.UK's first adult passport pages checked on 3 November 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the linked GOV.UK page before you pay.
Originals only, no photocopies; documents not in English or Welsh need a certified translation (GOV.UK: Documents for a first adult passport).
| You were | Send |
|---|---|
| Born or adopted in the UK before 1 January 1983 | Your full birth or adoption certificate |
| Born or adopted in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 | Your full birth or adoption certificate, and a parent's UK birth certificate, naturalisation or registration certificate, or British passport details (or proof of a parent's immigration status when you were born) |
| Naturalised or registered as British | Your naturalisation or registration certificate, and the passport you came to the UK on |
| Born outside the UK on or after 1 January 1983 to a British parent | Your full birth certificate, the passport you came to the UK on, and proof of one parent's British nationality |
If the documents are about your father, include your parents' marriage certificate too. Other cases are in the booklet linked from GOV.UK: Documents for a first adult passport.
| Passport | Online | Paper form |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (16 and over), 34 pages | £102 | £115.50 |
| Child (under 16), 34 pages | £66.50 | £80 |
| Adult, 54-page frequent traveller | £116 | £129.50 |
| Child, 54-page frequent traveller | £80.50 | £94 |
Fees from GOV.UK: Passport fees. You can't use the urgent services for a first adult passport (GOV.UK: Get a passport urgently). Don't book travel until it arrives.
Online, someone confirms it from an email after you've paid: they must be 18 or over, live in the UK, have a current UK or Irish passport, have known you for 2 years as a friend, neighbour or colleague, and work in or be retired from a recognised profession. They can't be a relative, a partner or someone you live with (GOV.UK: Confirm someone's identity online). On a paper form a countersignatory signs section 10 and one of your photos: see who can countersign a passport photo.
Get the form at a Post Office with Passport Check and Send, or from the Passport Adviceline. Fill in sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9, and send it with 2 identical printed photos and your documents. It costs £115.50 and takes longer than online (GOV.UK: Getting your first adult passport).
Or make it at home. Picproved costs £5.99 (free while we launch) for one person's photo in every size you need, and it checks the size, background, head size and face rules before you save. The office still makes the final decision. Make your United Kingdom Passport (online) photo
