A child passport in the UK: £66.50 online, £80 on paper, five years' validity

A British child passport costs £66.50 online and £80 on a paper form from the Post Office, and it lasts five years. That £13.50 gap is the price of not filling the form in yourself, and it is close to the only place in this process where you can overpay for nothing.

Up to what age is it a child passport?

You apply for a child passport if your child is under 16, and it is valid for 5 years. If your child is already over 16, or will be within three weeks, you follow the adult process instead — whether or not they have had a child passport before.

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Time left on the old passport is not added to the new one, so any unused months are lost. The new passport also has a different number.

What does it cost?

£66.50 to apply online and £80 to apply with a paper form from the Post Office. The price is the same for a first passport and for a renewal.

There is one more charge: £5 to have your documents returned by secure delivery. By default they come back by normal post, so you choose the service on the application if you want it.

If you need the passport urgently, HM Passport Office runs paid Online Premium and 1 week Fast Track services. GOV.UK's rule holds whichever route you take: do not book travel until you have a valid passport.

Who applies?

Someone with parental responsibility for the child. You must give both parents' details; if you cannot provide the other parent's, you have to say why — for example you are the only parent named on the birth certificate, or you adopted the child on your own.

The person with parental responsibility signs the form. A child aged 12 to 15 signs it as well.

Why do you need someone to confirm the child's identity?

If the child is under 12, another person — a countersignatory — confirms their identity. Applying online, this happens after you have paid and submitted: HM Passport Office emails that person directly and they confirm online. They do not need to sign a printed photo.

By post the mechanics differ: the countersignatory fills in section 10 and certifies the child's photo. On a renewal, countersigning is needed if the child is under 12 or cannot be recognised from their old passport photo.

Which documents do you send?

For a first passport by post: 2 new photos of the child, the full birth or adoption certificate — the one with the parents' details on it, proof that the child has British nationality (a British registration certificate, a parent's passport details or a parent's birth certificates), any valid passports from another country, and any court orders relating to the child, such as those describing parental responsibility or residency arrangements.

A renewal needs less: the child's old passport, any foreign passports (a colour photocopy of every page, blank ones included, will do) and any court orders.

Three rules send applications back. You must send original documents or official copies of certificates — photocopies are not accepted, even "certified copies". Documents not in English or Welsh need certified translations alongside the originals. And laminated documents are not accepted at all.

When can you not renew?

If the child's name or other personal details have changed. That is a new passport application, not a renewal.

In that case you add: a signed and dated letter from everyone with parental responsibility confirming the name change and agreeing to the new passport; a deed poll; and at least one piece of evidence showing the new name in use, such as NHS records, child benefit papers or school records.

A burgundy passport, or one with "European Union" on the cover, does not need replacing early: the child can still use it as long as it has enough time left. How much time counts as enough is decided by the country you are flying to, so check its entry requirements separately.