Passport Articles | Adult Passports

Can I Travel on my Child Passport as an Adult?

Quite often people have many questions about their upcoming passport renewal. What to do if I have lost my passport? Which sections do I have to fill out? Will I have to attend an interview? But with summer nearly upon us the questions asked by many young adults are:


• How do I change my passport from a Child Passport to an Adult Passport?

• Am I able to use the urgent services when changing from a Child to an Adult Passport?


Why Change?

If you have ever been abroad as a child you would have had your own passport, which is required for every person travelling abroad, regardless of age. But many of us that travel when we are younger leave all paperwork to our parents. But with coming of age, often brings the want to travel on our own or with our friends without our parents and therefore you will require your own adult passport if you are over the age of 15 years.

So if you are thinking of travelling soon and are unsure about your passport situation please read on. If you currently have a child passport and you are 16 years of age or older and your passport has expired you now have to apply for your first adult passport.


Can I still use my child passport as an adult?

Yes, if you are 16 years of age or older and your child passport is still valid you can still use this passport to travel until it expires, even if you are over 18 years old you will not have any issues when using your child passport, this is due to the fact that when you pay the full fee for a 5 year child passport, it is valid for a full 5 year period and the Passport Office will honour this period of expiry. This could save you time and money if you don't actually have to renew your passport prior to travelling.


How long does it take?

How long the application process takes depends on your situation, and whether you have ever had your own passport.

• I have never had a passport - If you have never had a child passport then unfortunately you are unable to use any of the urgent services, you need to apply for a first time adult passport, this will take the 4-6 weeks via the postal service, you will also be required to attend an interview at your local passport office.

• I was on my parents passport - If you were on your parents passport as a child and you did not have your own passport, unfortunately you are unable to use any of the urgent services, you will need to apply for a first time adult passport and wlil be required to attend an interview, this will take between 4-6 week via the postal service.

• I have my own child passport - If you have your own child passport and it has expired then you can apply for your first adult passport and you are eligible to use both the Premium 1 Day Service or the One Week Fast-Track Service. (Please note however if you wish to use the 1 Day Premium Service you must have the passport in your possession and it cannot be damaged).

• I had my own child passport but I have lost it - If you did have your own child passport but you have lost it you are only eligible for the one week Fast-Track service and you must also fill in an LS01 form as well as your application form, (both of which can be obtained from your local Post Office).


Fast track services

There are two types of fast track services you can use when applying for your first child to adult passport, the 1 Day Premium service and the one week Fast-Track service. Both of these services are great and if you are travelling within the next 4 weeks we highly recommend these services.

1 Day Premium Service

You can get your passport the same day if you provide a completed application form, 2 photos and all your supporting documents. You can usually collect it 4 hours after your appointment. Please note in order to use this service you must have your old passport in your possession and it must be not damaged in any way.

One Week Fast-Track Service

Your passport is sent to your home within 1 week of your appointment (excluding bank holidays) if you provide a completed application form, 2 photos and all your supporting documents, this includes your completed LS01 form if you have lost your old passport.

* Neither of these services are available if this is your first ever passport (this means if you have never had a British Passport in the past even as a child or if you were included on a parents passport this does still not count as your own passport)

Post Office Check & Send

The Post Office does offer a check and send service, however please note that this is not a fast track service, this is simply an additional service that the Post Office offer, whereby they will check your application form prior to sending via 2nd class post, therefore you application will still take between 4-6 weeks.


What if I need an appointment?

If you would like to use the fast track services you will need to make an appointment with your local Passport Office, these are located in;

London
Newport
Peterborough
Birmingham
Liverpool
Durham
Belfast
Glasgow

Don't worry if you have never made or attended an appointment at the Passport Office, we can help. If you are unsure as to which office is closest to your location you can use our Nearest Passport Office Tool.


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