How to Apply for a Passport: Complete US & UK Guide (Fees, Forms, Timelines)

To apply for a passport, you’ll need a completed application form, proof of citizenship, a valid photo ID, a passport photo, and the correct fee, submitted either in person or online depending on your country. US citizens use Form DS-11 at an acceptance facility such as a post office or clerk’s office. UK citizens apply through the HM Passport Office (HMPO) website or by paper form. Processing takes 4 to 6 weeks in the US and around 3 weeks in the UK under standard service, with faster paid options available in both countries.

Getting a passport sounds complicated until you break it into pieces. It isn’t. Four things drive the entire process everywhere: who you are, what you need, how much it costs, and how long you’ll wait. This guide walks through how to apply for a passport as a first-time US or UK applicant, what actually trips people up, and where the two systems differ enough to matter.

What You Need Before You Apply for a Passport

You need proof of citizenship, a government-issued photo ID, a recent passport photo, a completed application, and payment before you apply for a passport. Gather these first; showing up without one of them is the single most common reason appointments get rescheduled.

Citizenship documents include a certified birth certificate, a naturalization certificate, or a previous passport if you have one. A driver’s license or military ID usually satisfies the identity requirement, though the accepted list is longer than most people expect. If your name has changed since your birth certificate was issued, bring the marriage certificate or court order that documents it, because a mismatch between names on your documents is grounds for a hold.

Here’s what to have ready before you start:

• Proof of citizenship — birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or citizenship certificate
• Photo identification — driver’s license, government employee ID, or military ID
• A passport photo — taken within the last 6 months
• Payment — check, money order, or card, depending on where you’re applying
• Name change documents, if the name on your ID doesn’t match your birth certificate

One detail catches people off guard: most first-time US applications require the form to stay unsigned until you’re standing in front of the acceptance official. Sign it early, and you’ll be asked to fill out a new one.

How to Apply for a Passport in the United States

To apply for a passport in the United States, complete Form DS-11, gather your citizenship and ID documents, and submit them in person at a passport acceptance facility. First-time applicants, minors, and anyone who doesn’t qualify for renewal by mail must appear in person. It can’t be done online or by post.

The process runs in four stages.

Step 1: Fill out Form DS-11. Complete it online through the State Department’s form filler, then print it, or download the PDF and fill it out by hand. Don’t sign it yet.

Step 2: Gather your documents. Bring original proof of citizenship, an acceptable photo ID, and photocopies of both. If you’re submitting a current or expired US passport as citizenship proof, expect it back within 4 weeks of receiving your new one.

Step 3: Book an appointment. Acceptance facilities include over 7,500 locations nationwide, among them post offices, county clerk’s offices, and public libraries. Some require appointments; others accept walk-ins.

Step 4: Pay and sign. The acceptance official witnesses your signature, reviews your paperwork, and collects the acceptance fee separately from the application fee. Two payments, two different recipients: the State Department gets one, the facility gets the other.

Renewals work differently. If your previous passport was issued when you were 16 or older, is undamaged, was issued within the last 15 years, and carries your current name, you’re eligible to renew by mail or online using Form DS-82, and you’re required to do so rather than apply in person again.

How to Apply for a Passport in the United Kingdom

To apply for a passport in the United Kingdom, submit your application through the HM Passport Office website or by paper form, along with a digital or printed photo and proof of identity. Unlike the US process, most UK applicants never need to visit an office in person.

Online applications are cheaper and faster to process than paper ones, and HMPO steers most people toward the digital route for that reason. You’ll need:

• A digital photo, taken within the last month and checked against the gov.uk photo tool
• Your current or most recent passport, if you have one
• Details of a countersignatory for first-time applications, someone who has known you for at least 2 years and works in an approved profession

First-time adult applicants sometimes need to attend an identity interview, though this applies less often than it used to. Paper applications go through the Post Office’s Check and Send service, where staff review the form for errors and take your photo, for an extra £16 on top of the passport fee. This doesn’t speed processing, but it does cut down the chance of your paperwork bouncing back over a small mistake.

Renewing follows the identical process to a first-time application; the UK has no separate renewal form. Whatever remaining validity is left on your old passport, up to 9 months, carries over onto the new one automatically.

Passport Application Fees: US and UK Compared

A first-time US adult passport book costs $165 total ($130 application fee plus $35 execution fee), while a first-time UK adult passport costs £102 (about $130) online or £115.50 by paper. Fees rise for combination products, faster service, and child applications in both countries.

Item	United States	United Kingdom
Adult passport book/standard	$130 + $35 execution fee = $165	£102 online / £115.50 paper
Adult passport card (US) / 54-page frequent traveller (UK)	$30 + $35 execution fee = $65	£116 online / £129.50 paper
Child passport	$100 + $35 execution fee = $135	£66.50 online / £80 paper
Expedited service	+$60	Fast Track (~1 week): £192
Same-day / emergency service	Regional agency appointment (fee-based, proof of travel required)	Premium same-day: £239.50
Return delivery upgrade	+$22.05 (1–3 day)	+£5 (secure delivery of documents)

Notice the structural difference: the US splits fees between the government and the local facility that witnesses your signature, while the UK charges one combined fee regardless of where you submit. UK fees rose by roughly 8% on 8 April 2026, so figures under £100 you might find elsewhere are already out of date.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Passport

US passport processing takes 4 to 6 weeks for routine service and 2 to 3 weeks for expedited service, while UK passports typically take around 3 weeks under standard service. Both timelines start once your application reaches the processing center, not the day you submit it.

For US applicants, add up to 2 weeks each way if you’re mailing a renewal, since the department’s clock doesn’t start until the envelope physically arrives. That means a routine mail-in renewal can realistically run 8 to 10 weeks door to door, even though the official processing window reads 4 to 6. If your trip falls within 14 calendar days, routine and even expedited service won’t work; you’ll need an appointment at a regional passport agency and proof of imminent international travel.

UK applicants generally see faster turnaround. HM Passport Office processed 99.7% of straightforward applications within 3 weeks in 2025, though the agency recommends applying at least 10 weeks before travel during busy periods like school holidays, when demand spikes and that buffer disappears fast. Fast Track service cuts the wait to roughly 1 week; Premium same-day service, available only for adult renewals, issues a new passport within hours at a walk-in office.

Whichever country you’re in, apply early. A missed flight over passport timing costs far more than the fee for faster service ever would.

Passport Photo Requirements

A US passport photo must be 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm) with a plain white or off-white background, while a UK passport photo must be 45mm x 35mm against a plain light-colored background. Both countries reject photos with shadows, glasses glare, or non-neutral expressions.

For US applications, the photo needs to be color, taken within the last 6 months, and show your full face with a neutral expression, eyes open, no head coverings except for religious or medical reasons. Filters and heavy editing get flagged during review, so skip them entirely.

UK applicants can use the gov.uk photo checker built into the online application to upload a photo taken on a phone. It automatically flags framing problems before you submit, which is one reason the online route causes fewer rejections than mailing in a printed photo. If you’d rather not do it yourself, a Post Office or pharmacy typically charges £6 to £10 for a compliant print or digital file.

Poor photo quality is consistently cited by both governments as one of the top reasons applications get delayed, so don’t treat this step as an afterthought.

Passport Book vs. Passport Card

A US passport book allows international travel by air, land, and sea, while a US passport card only works for land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. The United Kingdom doesn’t issue a passport card equivalent; every British passport is a book.

Most US applicants choose the book because it covers every travel scenario. The card exists mainly for frequent border crossers, people commuting to Canada or Mexico who want something wallet-sized and cheaper at $30 versus $130. You can apply for both on a single DS-11 form and pay one execution fee rather than two.

If your travel plans include flying anywhere outside North America, the card alone won’t get you on the plane. Choose the book, or choose both if cost isn’t a concern and border-crossing convenience matters to you.

Why Passport Applications Get Rejected

Passport applications get rejected most often because of mismatched names, expired or unacceptable identification, poor-quality photos, incomplete forms, and insufficient citizenship evidence. Each of these is preventable with a five-minute check before you submit.

A name that doesn’t match across your ID, citizenship document, and application form is the leading cause of delay in both countries. If you’ve legally changed your name through marriage, divorce, or court order, bring that paperwork; without it, the acceptance official can’t verify who you are, and the application stalls.

Other frequent rejection triggers:

• Signing Form DS-11 before your appointment, which voids the form
• Submitting a birth certificate that’s a short-form abstract rather than the full certified version some states issue
• Using a photo with shadows, glare, or a busy background
• Paying State Department fees with a credit card, which isn’t accepted for that portion of the US fee
• Leaving sections of the form blank rather than marking them “N/A”

None of these are complicated fixes. They’re just easy to miss under time pressure, which is exactly when most people are applying.

How to Apply for a Passport With Dual Citizenship

Dual citizens apply for a passport the same way single-nationality citizens do, using their citizenship evidence for the country issuing that specific passport, without needing to disclose the other nationality on most applications. The US and UK don’t require you to renounce or report a second citizenship to get a passport from either country.

If you were born a US citizen abroad, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a foreign birth certificate plus evidence of a US citizen parent typically satisfies the citizenship requirement. UK dual nationals born overseas may need to provide a certificate of entitlement, now issued digitally as of February 2026, which links permanently to your passport record and never needs re-purchasing once granted.

One rule matters for travel, not for the application itself: US citizens are legally required to enter and exit the United States on a US passport, even if they hold a second nationality. The UK doesn’t enforce an equivalent rule, but immigration officers on both sides sometimes ask which passport you’re traveling under, so keep your documents consistent for the trip you’re actually taking.

How to Check Your Passport Application Status

You can check your US passport application status through the Online Passport Status System at passportstatus.state.gov, and your UK application through the tracking link emailed to you after submission. Status typically isn’t available for the first 2 weeks after you apply, while your documents are still in transit to the processing center.

US applicants need their last name, date of birth, and application locator number, found on the receipt from your acceptance facility, to check status online. If it’s been longer than the quoted processing window with no update, the National Passport Information Center can look into it directly.

UK applicants receive a reference number by email at submission and can track progress through the same online account used to apply. Most updates arrive automatically; there’s no need to check daily. If your application sits past 3 weeks without movement and your travel date is close, HMPO’s contact center can escalate it.

Conclusion

Applying for a passport comes down to the same core checklist everywhere: proof of who you are, proof of where you’re from, a compliant photo, and the correct fee, submitted through the right channel for your country. The US process runs almost entirely in person for first-timers, while the UK leans on its online system for nearly everyone. Fees differ, timelines differ, and the paperwork format differs, but the underlying logic doesn’t change. Get your documents right the first time, apply weeks earlier than you think you need to, and the rest of the process moves the way it’s designed to.

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