How to apply for an emergency travel document
Dear Mr Bassie,
Please advise me on how I would be able to apply for an emergency travel document.
KB
Dear KB,
It is recommended that before applying, persons should check if an emergency travel document will be accepted in the countries that they plan to leave, enter and travel through. This should also include whether they will need a visa.
Persons can apply if they have held a United Kingdom passport in the last 10 years. The application costs £100, and it should be noted that persons will not be able to get a refund.
To apply for an emergency travel document online, persons will need:
• A valid digital passport photo that meets the guidelines and has not been used in a previous passport;
• A contact telephone number;
• An email address; and
• A debit or credit card for the fee. Please be aware that a relative or friend can pay for the applicant if he/she is not able to make a payment using the online service, for example, because that person may not have a debit or credit card.
APPLYING ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER PERSON
Persons can apply for an emergency travel document for someone else if they are a British national. Those persons might have to attend an appointment, and they may need to collect their emergency travel document in person.
If applying for a child under 16 years old, the child will need to go to an appointment with both parents or legal guardians. If a parent or legal guardian cannot attend, they will need to send a signed consent letter instead.
AFTER APPLYING
An old passport will usually be automatically cancelled once someone has paid for their emergency travel document.
A person will be told if their passport will not be cancelled. Possible reasons for this could be, for example, because it is with an embassy or he/she has already applied for a new passport. Please be aware that the applicant will receive email updates.
If the application is approved, persons will be told how and when to collect their emergency travel document or whether they need to do anything else, like attend an appointment at the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate.
Persons should be aware that the emergency travel document will usually be ready to be collected in two working days after applying and their travel plans (countries and dates) will be printed on the emergency travel document.
It is important to note that if travel plans are changed, persons will need to apply for a new emergency travel document and pay £100 again.
If the destination is the United Kingdom, border control will keep the emergency travel document upon arrival. Please note that this could also happen in other countries.
Persons should check that they are eligible for an emergency travel document if they have never had a United Kingdom passport or if they had one that expired more than 10 years ago. They will be required to complete the contact form online. After applying, they will be asked to provide evidence of their British nationality, or eligibility for British nationality. They will also be asked to explain what are the exceptional circumstances that require the application for the emergency travel document.
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, the past global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com