Guidance

EU Settlement Scheme: information needed when applying for your child's first British passport

Published 12 March 2019

© Crown copyright 2019

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/applying-for-a-child-passport-if-granted-ilr-under-the-eu-settlement-scheme/eu-settlement-scheme-information-needed-when-applying-for-your-childs-first-british-passport

Introduction

This guidance does not tell you everything about applying for a passport. This guidance must be used alongside:

It’s cheaper and easier if you apply for your passport online. If you need to get a passport urgently, it costs more.

For the latest information on passport fees:

  • Passport fees
  • Phone: 0300 222 1999 (24-hour)
  • Textphone: 0300 222 0222
  • Text relay: 18001 0300 222 0000

Establishing British identity

The British Nationality Act 1981 came into force on 1 January 1983. Anyone born in the UK on or after this date is only automatically a British citizen if one of their parents was a British citizen or settled in the UK at the time of their birth. Before a passport can be issued we need evidence to show that the child has a claim to British nationality.

If you were granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will be settled in the UK and any children born to you in the UK after that date will be British citizens.

However, some people who were granted ILR under the EU Settlement Scheme may have already been settled. This would be the case if you got permanent residence on the basis of EEA law, such as by having lived in the UK for 5 years as a worker or a self-employed person, or as the family member of a qualified EEA national.

If your child was born after you were granted ILR under the EU Settlement Scheme, and you want to use that status to show that you were settled in the UK at the time of your child’s birth, you must give us the right information.

Information to show settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

If you were granted ILR under the EU Settlement Scheme and you are applying for your child’s first British passport, you will need to give us your unique application number (UAN). This is a 16-digit number in the format of xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx. You will find your UAN on the email you got from the Home Office to confirm that you had been granted ILR under the EU Settlement Scheme. The UAN will be found at the top right-hand side of your Home Office email; located beside ‘Our Ref’.

You can write your UAN on a piece of paper or send us a printed copy of your email. You should send us this along with your supporting documents if you apply online. Alternatively, if you are applying using a paper form, you can write your UAN in section 8 (More Information section).

If you have lost or mislaid your email which contained your letter, you should check all your email folders including spam and junk folders.

If you do not give us your unique application number (UAN) it will delay your child’s passport application.

Documents you need to send us

You must give us all the documents we need to support your child’s passport application.

If you apply for your child’s passport online, we will tell you which documents to send us,

Alternatively if you apply using a paper form, the guidance booklet that comes with the form will tell you what documents you need to send us.

If you do not give us all the documents we need it will delay your child’s passport application.

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