- Renewing your UK passport from inside the United Kingdom takes 5 weeks.
- Renewing your UK Passport from outside the United Kingdom takes 6-8 weeks.
- First Time UK Passport processing times 10 to 16 weeks.
- Register as a British citizen first before applying for your UK passport, it will take close to 6-9 months: 4-7 months to register as a British citizen and up to 2 months to get your passport.
- Urgent passport request, please click here.
Any communication with the UK passport office, including any requests for additional documents, will add to the processing time.
Tip: Click here for country-specific information: Canada and USA.
First Time UK Passport
The processing time for a first time UK passport is normally between 6-12 weeks, provided your case is a routine one. Routine, in this case, means one or both of your parents were born in the UK.
If the UK Passport Office has to contact you or request additional documentation for any reason, you can expect the processing time to increase. However, if you provide everything necessary to prove your citizenship, you might get your passport application approved within as little as 4 weeks.
Click the link to learn more about First Time UK Passports
Renewal UK Passports
Unfortunately, the processing time for renewing your British passport is the same as a first time application: 6-8 weeks. If you provide all necessary documentation to prove you previously held a UK citizen passport, you may have your British passport application approved in as little as 6-8 weeks.
If you are renewing the old blue passport, you can expect additional delays and may be required to provide additional documentation not normally required for a renewal passport application.
Click the link to learn more about Renewal of a UK Passport
Registration as a British Citizen
If you must register as a British citizen first, because of one of the following conditions, the process is a two-part procedure:
- You were born to a British mother before 1983
- You were born to a British father, but your parents were not married, before 2006
If either of the above cases apply, you can expect Registration as a British Citizen to take anywhere from 4 to 6 months, and then the first UK passport application will take an additional 1-2 months.
Next: Learn how to Prove Your UK Citizenship to Get Your Passport
