SECOND PASSPORT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Your name should match your birth, marriage or nationality certificate.
• If you have a middle name, leave one box blank for a gap between the two names.
• For the personal details section of the passport, you can only include 30 characters (including spaces) for the first & middle name, and another 30 for the surname. If your name won't fit, please write them in a way you would like them shown on your passport. Please then write your full name in Section 8 and this will be added to the observation page on your passport.
• Provide a full residential UK address. The Passport Office may check that you live at the address given. If they discover you do not live there, this may delay your application unless you provide an explanation of the circumstances in Section 8.
• The Passport Office will return your passport to the address given. If you want it delivered elsewhere, you must explain why, and give the return address in Section 8. This does not apply to clients using Rapid British Passports as we collect them from the Passport Office personally and send them back to you.
• Cross the relevant box to indicate whether you are male or female.
• Provide the names of the town and country you were born in. These details must match what is stated on your birth, registration, or naturalisation certificate, or your previous British passport.
• Please provide a UK telephone number only. International contact information will not be accepted. If you have a text relay number, write this in Section 8 if you cannot fit it in the boxes given.
• If you do not have enough space to write your name or contact details, please use Section 8 of the application form.

• Provide your current passport number.

• Complete your parent's details.
• If both of your parents were born after 31 December 1982 or were both born abroad you must also provide your grandparent's details in Section 8 or on a separate piece of paper.
• Parents are defined in law as 'mother' and 'father' for nationality purposes. Nationality by birth cannot always be achieved through either parent's national status. This includes parents of the same sex. Because of this, it is essential that the 'mother' and 'father' are entered in the correct boxes. Step-parents and others taking a parental role that are not defined by 'mother' or 'father' must not fill in their details in Section 4.
• If there is some information which you are unable to provide, e.g parents' place of birth, passport number etc, please refer to Section 8 or provide a letter addressed to the passport office stating the reasons why you cannot provide it.

• Cross the 'no' box if the applicant has been British since birth. You do not need to fill in any more details in Section 5.
• If applicable, fill in the section and provide a copy of your certificate of registration or naturalisation with your passport application.

• Not applicable.

• Leave blank.

Use Section 8 to

• You must state in Section 8 or in a letter addressed to the passport office, where your current passport is. Since you will be providing a photocopy of the information page of your passport with your application you must provide an explanation for where your passport is. (We would advise you to say that it is in an embassy).
• Complete a section you have not been able to fully complete due to a lack of space (e.g. your names could not fit in the dedicated boxes).
• Add a note to explain the reason why you do not have sufficient information (e.g. parents' place of birth, passport number is missing on Section 4).
• Explain the reason why a signature could not be provided in Sections 6 or 9. You can also attach a letter of explanation from an appropriate person such as a career, doctor, parent or social worker.
• Add any extra information to support your application.
• Current passport needed for travel so copy provided.

• Ensure your signature does not touch the borders of the box.

• This section must be completed by the counter signatory.

Who is a counter signatory? A counter signatory is someone who can confirm your identity and confirm to the best of their ability that the information you have provided is correct, along with verifying that the photograph is of you. The counter signatory must be a valid UK passport holder, live in the UK, have known the applicant for 2 years, have professional capacity and must not be related to you (by birth or marriage), be in a personal relationship with you or work for the HM Passport Office. For more information on who can qualify to be your counter signatory, please click here.

• The counter signatory must give their full address and contact details of where they can be contacted, this could be a home or business address.
• The counter signatory must certify one of the applicant's photographs, and state that they certify it is a true likeness of ‘applicant's name' and sign and date it.
• They must be their initials next to any mistakes they make in section 10.
• The Passport Office will check that the counter signatory is genuine; they may ask you to provide a new application form with a new counter signatory if they are not satisfied with the one provided.
• Ensure the signature of the counter signatory does not touch the borders of the box.

Please click here for more information on the countersignature