STOP! Before deciding whether to contact the Passport Unit, please read the information below in full. Due to the large volume of enquiries we are currently receiving, we may not be able to respond further if the answer to your question is provided below.
Passport Services
Please check our website to see if you are eligible to renew by mail. You are able to apply for a passport even after a previous passport has expired.
Most applications to replace an emergency limited validity passport with a full-validity passport can be submitted by mail, including for children. Click here for details.
If the passport service you need requires an in-person appointment, we are unable to waive this requirement. Click here to select the service you require for information on how to book an appointment. If you have recently entered the UK following international travel, your appointment must take place in compliance with UK quarantine requirements following international travel. This may vary depending on which country you have traveled from.Please see the UK government’s website for further details.
The appointment calendar operates in real time so will show any available appointments, including appointments available due to cancelations. Appointments will not be released on a specific date or time so please regularly check the calendar for any availability.
Emergency appointments
If you have urgent overseas travel, you are unable to travel with your expired U.S. passport as described above, and you have been unable to obtain an appointment, please contact us with an emergency appointment request five working days before your travel date.
Please provide the following information:
- The full name of each applicant and which passport/citizenship service they require.
- The date, time and point of departure of the confirmed overseas travel. Please include your confirmed travel itinerary from your airline in pdf form.
- Your UK telephone number.
- The applicant’s current location (nearest city).
- The purpose of your travel.
Emergency appointments remain limited and we continue to prioritize emergency services for life-or-death emergencies. Life-or-death emergencies are defined by the Department of State as serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, and grandparent) that require you to travel within 72 hours (3 business days).
Please also continue to monitor our website as it may be possible for you to book an earlier appointment using our online appointment calendar.
If your request relates to a UK visa application, please visit the UK government’s website and contact the UK government directly with any further questions about your case in light of your expired or expiring passport. They have a process in place to address these issues. As advised, we can only consider emergency appointment requests related to imminent overseas travel.
Status Updates
We are unable to provide routine status updates, including any questions about documents that have been submitted or timeframes for receiving your new passport.Please check your delivery tracking information regularly to see if your passport is on its way. Delivery tracking information can be found on the receipt or other documentation provided to you by the delivery service.
Click here to select the passport service that applies to you for information about the documents, application form, U.S. passport photograph, fee and method of application.
You may ignore the section about U.S. contact details.
If your UK postcode is too long, you should enter as much of the postcode as you can online and then write the rest in by hand once the form has been printed.
We recommend that you provide a UK telephone number. You can write it in by hand once you have printed the form.
If you’re not sure how to answer a question, please complete the form truthfully and to the best of your ability. You may attach an additional page to explain your answer if needed.
Passport cards take longer to process than passports. If you applied for both at the same time, you can anticipate receiving the passport card approximately six weeks after the passport.
If you did not provide two delivery envelopes when you submitted your application, please send us a self-addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope (pre-paid up to 500g) plus a covering letter so that your passport card can be mailed to you when it is ready.
If you applied for your infant’s Social Security card during their CRBA appointment at the Embassy in London, please be aware that Social Security cards are processed through the Federal Benefits (FBU) section of the Embassy and take longer to process than U.S. passports. If you wish to contact FBU, contact information is available from our website here .
We cannot transfer visa or stamps issued by other countries. We also cannot transfer UK leave to remain stamps. When you renew your passport, your old passport will be cancelled and returned to you with your new one. You should then contact the appropriate authority of the issuing country for further information.
For information regarding the transfer of your immigration status in the United Kingdom, you should contact the UK Home Office. Information and contact details are available via their website at https://www.gov.uk/transfer-visa
No. U.S. citizens, including dual/multiple nationals, are required to enter and leave the United States using a valid U.S. passport. U.S. citizens are not eligible for a U.S. visa or ESTA.
You may travel to the United States on your U.S. passport up until the day on which it expires. Please see the information at the top of this page for information on traveling on an expired U.S. passport to the United States.
If traveling to a country other than the United States, please contact the Embassy or High Commission of that country for further information or visit theCountry Specific Information pages of travel.state.gov where you will find passport validity requirements for your destination country, along with other important information,
If you reach three working days before your date of booked overseas travel and you still have not received your passport, please follow the instructions in the ‘Still have a question?’ section below to contact us.
If your question is not answer on our website, click here to contact Embassy London.
if you are in Northern Ireland, click here to contact the Consulate General in Belfast.
If you are in Scotland, email the Consulate General in Edinburgh at Edinburgh-Info@state.gov
