Step-by-step: standard online renewal
- Go to gov.uk/renew-adult-passport and click the green Start now button.
- Fill in the form: name, address, contact, and passport details (about 10 minutes).
- Upload a new digital photo, or use the one on file if your last passport was issued after 2015 and you look the same. The photo tool on gov.uk walks you through the rules (plain background, neutral expression, no glasses).
- Pay £88.50 by debit or credit card (American Express is accepted for online renewals, with no surcharge).
- Receive the confirmation email and the address label for sending your old passport.
- Send your old passport by Royal Mail Tracked within 2 weeks of submitting the form. Do not book travel until you have the new passport in hand.
- New passport arrives in 7 to 10 working days from receipt of the old one.
The whole process from start to finish takes about 3 to 4 weeks. The right time to start is 4 to 5 months before your passport expires.
Paper renewal by post
In most cases only if you cannot use the online route (e.g., name change, lost or stolen passport, child under 12). Download the paper application form from gov.uk, print a passport photo, fill in the form, send the form + photo + old passport to the address on the form. The total cost is £100 for an adult and processing is up to 6 weeks. The paper route is slower, more expensive, and more error-prone than the online route — use it only when the online route is not available to you.
Premium 1-to-2-day service
The smart move is for emergency travel within 3 weeks. Book an appointment at a passport office (London, Peterborough, Durham, Glasgow, Belfast, or Liverpool), attend in person with your old passport, a printed photo, and supporting documents, and pick up the new passport 1 to 2 working days later. The total cost is the standard £88.50 fee plus the £66.50 Premium service fee = £155. Book the appointment as soon as you know you need to travel, because slots fill up fast in summer and around school holidays.
Fast Track 1-week service
The middle ground between standard (3 weeks) and Premium (1 to 2 days). Apply online, select Fast Track at checkout, and the new passport is delivered in 1 week for an extra £30.50. A practical choice if you are traveling in 2 to 4 weeks and do not want to attend an in-person Premium appointment. Not available for paper applications or first-time adult passports.
How to pick the right service
Renewing a US passport instead? The fees and timings are completely different - see our US passport cost guide. Photo requirements and prices are covered in the passport photo cost guide.
Use the standard online renewal at £88.50 if you are traveling more than 4 weeks out. Use Fast Track 1-week at £119 total if you are traveling in 2 to 4 weeks. Use Premium 1-to-2-day at £155 total if you are traveling within 3 weeks. Use the paper route at £100 only if you cannot use the online route (name change, lost/stolen, child under 12). Renew 9 months before expiry, not at expiry. The total cost over 10 years is the same whether you renew online or by post (because the renewal fee is the same every 10 years), but the online route is faster and cheaper per renewal.
Photo: JoshuaWoroniecki, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/merry-christmas-boarding-pass-travel-5219496/)
Fazlur Rahman
