Dear Mr Bassie,
I am now a British citizen and I need to get a British passport to go to Jamaica. How quickly can I do this?
– G.D.
Dear G.D.,
Persons may be able to obtain a passport within three weeks by paying for a faster service. Persons may need to book a passport office appointment and pay online. They can book an appointment up to three weeks in advance.
Persons who need a passport to travel urgently for medical treatment or because a friend or family member is seriously ill or has died, can instead call the ‘Passport Adviceline’. It is also advisable to check current COVID-19 travel advice before travelling. If the passport application is successful, it does not mean that currently persons will be allowed to travel.
Persons can apply for a faster service if they are in the United Kingdom and need to renew or replace a passport or get a first child passport.
Persons should use the non-urgent service if either they are applying for a first adult passport or if they do not need a passport within the next three weeks.
Persons who are outside of the United Kingdom should apply for an emergency travel document. Applicants should also track their passport application if they have already applied for a passport and have not received it. Persons should not pay for an urgent passport – they will not get a passport sooner or get a refund.
There are two ways to apply for an urgent passport. Persons can either use the Online Premium Service or use the One-Week Fast Track service. As part of the application, persons will need to attend an appointment at their nearest passport office.
Persons may wish to use the Online Premium service. Those persons will be able to get their new passport at the appointment. It should be noted that appointments last up to 30 minutes and persons can use this service to renew an adult passport.
A Person’s new passport will be delivered to their home within one week of their appointment. Please be aware that someone might need to be in to sign for it.
Persons can also use this service to:
• Renew an adult or child passport;
• Change their name on the passport (for example, with a marriage certificate or deed poll);
• Make changes to their personal details on their passport (for example, a gender change);
• Replace a lost, stolen or damaged passport;
• Apply for a first child passport.
Please note that those persons who cannot apply online, can book their appointment and pay by calling the ‘Passport Adviceline’.
Good luck.
John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, global vice-president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com [2]