Quick answer A UK child passport, including a baby’s, is valid for 5 years, half as long as an adult passport. Yes, your baby needs their own passport to travel internationally, there’s no minimum age and no “family passport” option post-Brexit. Standard processing officially takes up to 10 weeks, though many are issued in 3 to 6 weeks outside of the summer rush. It costs £66.50 online or £80 by paper form.

Why 5 years and not 10: a baby’s appearance changes dramatically in ways an adult’s doesn’t. The passport office deliberately keeps child passports shorter so the photo stays a reasonably accurate likeness, rather than trying to match a 5-year-old’s face to a photo taken as a newborn.

• No leftover validity carries over. Unlike some adult renewals, every child passport is a fresh 5 years from the issue date, regardless of when the previous one expires
• You can renew up to 9 months early without losing anything, if you renew early because of an upcoming trip, you simply get a full new 5 years starting then
• Many destinations require 6 months of validity remaining beyond your travel dates, so check the expiry well before booking, not just whether it’s technically still valid

Apply early, even if you’re not planning a trip yet This is a habit worth building regardless of which country’s passport you’re dealing with. We’ve always applied for our own baby’s passport well ahead of any specific trip, purely so we’re never caught out by a spontaneous opportunity or a booking deadline. A passport sitting ready in a drawer costs you nothing extra and removes one entire category of last-minute stress.

Application method	Cost
Online, standard 34-page	£66.50
Paper form, standard 34-page	£80
54-page option	Slightly more, useful for frequent travelers
1 Week Fast Track (renewals only)	From around £122

Two things worth knowing about the price

• There’s no discount for a baby versus an older child, the fee is identical for anyone under 16
• The Fast Track expedited fee only applies to renewals, a first passport can’t be expedited at any price

A quick heads-up on fees

UK passport fees increased on 8 April 2026, so double-check the current price on gov.uk before applying rather than relying on an older figure you might have seen elsewhere. The £66.50 online / £80 paper figures above reflect the current rate at time of writing.

• No minimum age. A baby a few days old can be issued a passport, there’s no waiting period built into the eligibility rules themselves
• No “family passport” option. This used to exist in some countries decades ago, it doesn’t for the UK now, each traveler needs an individual document
• Even for EU travel, post-Brexit, a UK baby still needs a full passport, an expired or soon-to-expire one can mean refused boarding or entry
• Domestic UK travel doesn’t require one, a passport is only needed for crossing an international border

A good habit, regardless of nationality: get your baby’s passport sorted early, well before you have a specific trip booked. We’ve always done this ourselves, it means never being blocked from a last-minute opportunity or a good flight deal just because the paperwork isn’t ready yet.

• Standard processing: up to 10 weeks (officially), commonly 3-6 weeks in practice outside peak season
• Summer months (May-August): allow extra time, this is consistently the slowest period
• 1 Week Fast Track: available, but only for renewals, not first-time child passports
• Online Premium (same day): not available for child passports at all, this service is restricted to adult renewals only

The detail that catches parents out most

If this is your baby’s very first passport, there’s no way to pay for a faster service, no matter how urgently you need it. The expedited options only exist for renewing an existing child passport. If a first passport is time-sensitive, the only real lever is applying as early as possible, not paying more later.

• Someone with parental responsibility must submit the application, both parents’ details are required, even if only one is applying
• Gather documents: the baby’s full birth certificate, details of both parents, and any adoption or parental responsibility paperwork if relevant
• Line up a countersignatory for a first passport, or if your baby is under 12 months or looks noticeably different from a previous photo. This person must have known you (the parent) for at least 2 years, hold a current British or Irish passport, work in a recognized profession or meet the identity criteria, and not be a relative or live at your address
• Apply online: £66.50, or £80 by paper form through the Post Office
• Post the original birth certificate as part of the application, use a trackable method

Renewals are simpler. No countersignatory needed for a straightforward renewal, and you can apply up to 9 months before the current one expires without losing any validity.

If parents are separated, sort this out first. Everyone with parental responsibility needs to consent to the application, not just the parent submitting it. If you can’t provide the other parent’s details, you’ll need to explain why (for example, you’re the only parent named on the birth certificate, or you adopted independently). Don’t assume the other parent will simply go along with it, confirm explicitly before you apply, this is one of the most common causes of a stalled application.

The rules that actually make this possible

• Babies under 1 can have their eyes closed, a rare and genuinely useful exception to the usual “eyes open, looking at camera” rule
• Under-6s don’t need to look straight at the camera, unlike older children and adults
• Photographed lying down on a plain, light-colored sheet is an accepted and common technique, rather than trying to hold baby upright against a wall
• Baby must be alone in the photo, no toys, no dummy, no hands (yours or anyone else’s) visible in frame, even to support their head

Practical tips for getting it right the first time

• Take far more shots than you think you’ll need, a handful of usable frames out of dozens attempted is normal
• Try right after a feed, when baby tends to be calmer and more settled
• Use the GOV.UK photo checker tool before submitting, it flags common issues instantly rather than waiting for a rejection
• Consider a professional passport photo service if you’re struggling, many are experienced specifically with babies and know the lying-down technique well

• Applications from abroad go through HM Passport Office’s overseas service, not the domestic gov.uk portal, the forms, fees, and processing times can differ
• Processing generally takes longer, since documents may need to travel further and there’s no local Post Office identity check option in most countries
• If your baby was born outside the UK, you’ll typically need to register the birth with the relevant British consulate or apply for a “Report of Birth” first, or provide equivalent proof of British citizenship, before the passport application itself
• Countersignatory rules still apply, but finding someone who meets the criteria (known you 2+ years, holds a British or Irish passport) can be harder living outside the UK, some parents use a trusted friend back home instead

Start earlier than you would in the UK. Between longer processing and the extra step of registering a birth abroad if relevant, the timeline from “baby is born” to “passport in hand” is almost always longer outside the UK. If you’re a travel-heavy family living abroad, this is one more reason to apply the moment you’re eligible rather than waiting for a specific trip to force the timeline.

My verdict

“Five years sounds like plenty of time, until you remember there’s no fast-track for the first one.”

Apply well before you actually need it, not once a trip is already booked, since the first passport can’t be rushed no matter how much you’re willing to pay. Get the photo right the first time by using the lying-down technique and the official photo checker, and mark the 5-year renewal date somewhere you’ll actually see it. Whatever passport you’re dealing with, applying early removes an entire category of stress later.