How Long Does a Baby Passport Last? UK Expiry and Renewal Planner

By the Babbez team · UK Guide · Passport rules and fees checked on gov.uk October 2026

How long does a baby passport last? A UK child passport, a baby’s first one included, is valid for 5 years, and it costs £66.50 online in the UK or £80 with a paper form. How much of that time your baby can use depends on the country they’re visiting.

Key takeaways

• Usable time: in our worked example, with a printed expiry date of 15 July 2031, our date arithmetic on the gov.uk travel advice gives a Spain trip a last day to leave the Schengen area of 15 April 2031, and a UAE visit a last day to arrive of 15 January 2031 (6-month visitor rule); check gov.uk before you travel.
• Timing: for applications made in the UK, HM Passport Office says you’ll usually get your passport within 3 weeks, and gov.uk says do not book travel until you have a valid passport.

How long does a baby passport last?

A baby gets the same passport as an older child: you apply for a child passport if your child is under 16, and a child passport is valid for 5 years, gov.uk says.

Once your child is over 16 (or will be in 3 weeks), you follow the adult process for renewing or replacing a passport. Someone with parental responsibility for the child must apply.

A child passport valid for 5 years isn’t a travel pass for all of them, though. Counterintuitive as it sounds, renewing very early gives up the months that were left, because time left on the old passport will not be added to the new one, while renewing late can rule out a trip.

How much time does a child passport need left to travel?

We checked the passport rules on four gov.uk foreign travel advice pages and turned them into the Usable-Life Map: the last travel date each rule allows for one example passport, issued 15 July 2026, valid to 15 July 2031. It is date arithmetic on the published rules, so check gov.uk before you travel.

The Usable-Life Map: one example passport

Destination	Last travel date in this example	Time after issue
Spain (follows Schengen area rules)	Leave by 15 April 2031	4 years 9 months (example; use the printed expiry date)
Turkey, visitors	Arrive by 15 February 2031 (visitors)	4 years 7 months (example; use the printed expiry date)
United Arab Emirates, visitors	Arrive by 15 January 2031 (visitors)	4 years 6 months (example; use the printed expiry date)
United States	The planned stay must end by 15 July 2031	5 years (example; use the printed expiry date)

Passport rule on gov.uk

• Spain: Expiry date at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area; date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive.
• Turkey, visitors: Expiry date at least 150 days after the date you arrive, and at least 1 blank page (a different rule if you live in Turkey).
• United Arab Emirates, visitors: Expiry date at least 6 months after the date you arrive (different rules with a residence permit or in transit).
• United States: Valid for the length of your planned stay, plus a valid US visa or ESTA before travel, depending on your personal circumstances and purpose of travel; it does not guarantee entry.

Source: Babbez date arithmetic on gov.uk foreign travel advice, read October 2026.

For US trips, the gov.uk US page says that if you’re travelling through another country on your way to or from the US, you should check the entry requirements for that country, as many countries will only allow entry with at least 6 months validity remaining.

A rule met on paper is not a guarantee: the authorities in Spain, Turkey and the UAE set and enforce entry rules, and a valid ESTA or visa does not guarantee you will be allowed to enter the US.

Each page covers people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK and is based on the UK government’s understanding of the rules for the most common types of travel. gov.uk also says to check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements.

Packing for the sun? See what to dress a baby in for hot weather.

When will your child need a new passport?

If the first passport comes in the first year and each one is renewed when it runs out, the ages line up like the Renewal Ladder, which we built from the gov.uk rules on validity, identity checks and photos.

The Renewal Ladder: a child’s passports

Passport	Age when you apply	Photo allowances	Identity check online	Paper form or post
First	Under 1, if applied for in the first year (expires at 5 to 6)	Under one, eyes need not be open; you can support their head with your hand, but your hand must not be visible	Online, for a first passport, someone confirms your child’s identity after you’ve paid and submitted	on a paper form for a first passport, a countersignatory fills in section 10 and certifies the photo
Second	About 5 to 6, if the first is renewed when it expires	Under 6, no need to look directly at the camera or have a plain expression	Renewing online under 12, someone confirms their identity after you submit	by post, a countersignatory is needed if your child is under 12 or can’t be identified from their old passport photo
Third	About 10 to 11, if renewed when it expires	Standard rules (the allowances above are for children under 6)	Under 12: identity confirmed online	a countersignatory by post (under 12, or if they can’t be identified from their old passport photo)

Source: Babbez arithmetic on the rules at gov.uk; the ages hold if the first is issued at age 0 to 1 and each is renewed on its expiry date (renewing earlier moves every age down).

Fourth child passport, or an adult passport through the adult renewal process: About 15 to 16: renewing more than 3 weeks before the 16th birthday is a child renewal (a fourth child passport); from 3 weeks before 16, the adult process. Photo allowances: standard rules.

For a child renewal: on a paper form, children aged 12 to 15 sign the form too; by post, a countersignatory is needed only if they can’t be identified from the photo in their current passport, as they are 12 or over.

At the online fee gov.uk listed in October 2026, the first three child passports in the Ladder cost £199.50 (3 x £66.50), and fees can change.

If your child’s name or other personal details have changed, you cannot renew their passport; you must apply for a new passport instead. A burgundy passport, or one with ‘European Union’ on the cover, can still be used as long as it has enough time left on it.

When should you renew a child’s passport?

1. Find the expiry date in your child’s passport.
2. Look up your destination’s entry requirements on gov.uk: how much validity it asks for, counted from the day you arrive or the day you leave.
3. Count back from the expiry date, as in the Usable-Life Map, to find the last travel date that rule allows.
4. Leave time to apply: for applications made in the UK, HM Passport Office says you’ll usually get your passport within 3 weeks, but it may take longer than 3 weeks if more information or an interview is needed, and you’re told within 3 weeks. The processing time starts when HM Passport Office receives your documents.
5. Do not book travel until you have a valid passport: the new one will not have the same number as the old one.

If your child’s passport has expired, you must renew it before they can travel. There are different turnaround times if you’re applying from another country, and different rules if you’re applying from outside the UK.

How much is a baby passport?

gov.uk’s passport fees page says you cannot get a refund if you cancel your application or you’re not entitled to a passport.

Child passport fees for applications made in the UK

What you pay for	Fee
Standard 34-page child passport	£66.50 online; £80 by paper form (applying in the UK)
54-page frequent traveller child passport	£80.50 online; £94 by paper form (applying in the UK)
Fast Track service, child passport	£156.50, or £170.50 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport
Return of documents by secure delivery	It usually costs an extra £5
Babbez arithmetic: paper form vs online	£13.50 more by paper form (£80 - £66.50)

Source: gov.uk passport fees and gov.uk urgent passports, checked October 2026.

The Fast Track service can be used to get a child passport, though not if you’re outside the UK: the earliest appointment is the next day after you apply, and the passport is delivered by courier 1 week after your appointment.

What are the passport photo rules for babies?

Your application will be delayed if your photos do not meet the rules, so we turned them into the Photo Check:

• Children must be on their own in the picture, and babies must not be holding toys or using dummies.
• Children under one do not have to have their eyes open; you can support their head with your hand, but your hand must not be visible.
• Digital photos: children under one should lie on a plain light-coloured sheet, photographed from above; taken against a plain light-coloured background, with your child in clear contrast to the background; at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, at least 50KB and no more than 10MB.
• Printed photos: 2 identical printed photos for a paper form, 45 mm high by 35 mm wide (about 1.77 in by 1.38 in), on a plain cream or light grey background, with the crown of the head to the chin between 29 mm and 34 mm high (between about 1.15 in and 1.33 in).
• The photo must have been taken in the last month, and you need a new photo for a new passport, even if your child’s appearance has not changed.

Photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than a photo taken using your own device. Our tip as a clothes shop: a plain top in a mid or darker shade stands apart from a light background more easily than a white one. Our baby grows guide covers plain basics.

Baby passport questions