Yes, you can get your child a British passport while you live overseas, and you apply online through GOV.UK just like parents in the UK. The difference is the paperwork. Depending on whether it’s a renewal or a first passport, you could be posting original birth certificates to the UK from another country, so it helps to know what’s needed before you start.
I learned most of this the hard way. With three children born close together, I once had two passports expiring within weeks of each other and a third that vanished in a house move. Add a time difference and an international courier to that and you can see why getting it right first time matters!
Is it a renewal or a first passport?
This decides almost everything else.
If your child already has a British passport, you’re renewing. You apply online with a digital photo, then post the old passport to HM Passport Office, which cancels it and sends it back to you.
A first application is for a child who has never held a British passport. For families abroad that usually means a baby or child born outside the UK, and this is where it slows down.
NB: If the old passport has been lost or stolen, report it before you apply for a replacement. You may be asked for more documents than a normal renewal needs.
What documents prove my child is British by descent?
If your child was born abroad, their British citizenship almost always comes through you. HM Passport Office needs to see that on paper, which normally means:
- your child’s full birth certificate, the long version naming both parents
- the British parent’s full UK birth certificate, or their naturalisation or registration certificate
- the British parent’s passport details
- translations of any document not in English
Lots of overseas registries hand out a short-form certificate by default, so ask for the full one. You’ll be sending originals. They do come back, but separately from the passport, so don’t panic when the passport turns up alone.
Sometimes HM Passport Office asks for more, such as your marriage certificate or your own parents’ birth certificates. It depends on when and where everyone was born.
There’s one catch that surprises a lot of parents. British citizenship by descent usually passes down one generation only. If you were born abroad and are British by descent yourself, your child born abroad may not be automatically British, and a passport application can’t fix that. You’d need to look at registering them as a British citizen first.
First applications also need a countersignatory: someone who has known you for at least two years and holds a current British or Irish passport. That can take some tracking down when you live abroad, so line someone up early.
Do both parents need to sign?
No. One person with parental responsibility can apply, which is a relief if you’re separated and the other parent lives in another country.
There are exceptions. If there’s a court order about where your child lives or whether they can travel, send a copy with the application. If the other parent has told HM Passport Office they object, expect questions before anything is issued.
A grandparent with a court order, or anyone else who holds parental responsibility without being a parent, also needs to send proof of it.
What are the photo rules for children and babies?
The photo is the bit that catches most of us out. You need:
- a plain, light background with no shadows
- nobody else in the shot, so no supporting hand or dummy
The rules relax for little ones. Babies under one don’t need their eyes open, and children under six don’t have to look straight at the camera or keep a neutral expression. For a baby, lay them on a plain white sheet and take the photo from above. It took me four goes with my youngest, and that was with the older two “helping”.
Unless you can find a photo shop that issues a GOV.UK photo code, you’ll take the picture yourself and upload it.
Why does a dual-national child need a British passport now?
Since 25 February 2026, British and Irish citizens, children included, can’t get a UK ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation). Visitors from many countries now need an ETA to travel to the UK, but dual British nationals aren’t eligible for one.
If your child has two nationalities and you’ve always flown to the UK on their other passport, that no longer works. They’re expected to travel on a British passport. The alternative is a certificate of entitlement in their foreign passport, which costs a lot more than a child passport and still needs the same citizenship evidence. So if you’re planning a summer visit to Granny, sort the passport out well before then.
How long does it take from abroad?
Longer than you’d think, mostly because of the post. You’re couriering documents to the UK and waiting for them to come back, and that time sits on top of HM Passport Office’s processing. Renewals move faster than first applications. Check the current guidance on GOV.UK before you book flights, and don’t book anything you can’t afford to lose.
A child passport lasts five years, so you’ll be doing this again sooner than you’d like. Set a reminder about six months before it expires, as some countries won’t let you in with only a few months left on a passport.
Getting help with a child passport application from abroad
A child renewal from abroad is usually the simpler route, because the old passport record does most of the identity work, even if it expired years ago. A first application for a child born outside the UK is slower, because citizenship has to be shown from source documents: the British parent’s full birth certificate and the child’s full birth certificate naming both parents. If you would rather not manage it alone from another time zone, ASAP Passports is an independent UK passport agency set up to deal with child passport applications from overseas, and it checks your documents and photo before anything goes to HM Passport Office. HM Passport Office still decides the application and issues the passport.
It won’t be worth it for everyone. A straightforward renewal with a good photo is very doable on your own, and you’ll pay for the service on top of the government fee. A second pair of eyes is most useful on a first application, especially with foreign-language certificates or a family history that needs piecing together.
Whichever way you go, the official rules sit on GOV.UK in the overseas passport section, so read them before you post a single original document.
