HM Passport Office (HMPO) has issued an alert to parents and caregivers
Families may want to take note(Image: Images By Tang Ming Tung via Getty Images)
HM Passport Office (HMPO) has issued an alert to anyone planning to apply for a new or replacement passport for a child.
A valid passport is needed for anyone, including children, to travel abroad. Prior to October 5, 1998, children under 16 years old could be included on a parent or family member’s passport. But since this date, all children – regardless of age – are required to hold their own individual passports to travel internationally. The sole issuer of UK passports, HMRC, shared a message on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
It reads: “A child’s application must be completed by a person with parental responsibility. You’ll also need to provide documentation to confirm this.”
Parental responsibility is automatically granted if you give birth to the child. If you are a father or second female parent, you may have automatic parental responsibility depending on your personal circumstances.
You will also typically have automatic parental responsibility if you are married to or in a civil partnership with the birth mother at the time of the child’s birth. The child’s biological father will automatically acquire parental responsibility if they marry or enter into a civil partnership with the child’s birth mother after the child is born.
If your child was conceived via fertility treatment, you will automatically have parental responsibility provided you consented to the treatment and are married to or in a civil partnership with the birth mother. Should you not be married to or in a civil partnership with the birth mother, parental responsibility can be obtained by jointly registering the birth alongside the mother.
Separate rules apply when registering a birth for same-sex couples. Should the birth not be registered together, an application for parental responsibility can be made.
How much is a passport for a child?
At present, a new or replacement passport for a child costs £66.50 when applying online, or £80 when submitting a paper form. This is the price for a standard 34-page document.
Should you require a “frequent traveller” 54-page child’s passport, this will cost £80.50 or £94 when applying online or via the paper form, respectively.