Guidance

Digital Fast Track: who can apply

Published 5 August 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-fast-track-caseworker-guidance/digital-fast-track-who-can-apply

Version 4.0

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff who can apply for a passport using the Digital Fast Track service.

About: Digital Fast Track: who can apply

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office operational staff about who can apply using the Digital Fast Track (DFT) service.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think the guidance has factual errors, email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance, email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

  • version 4.0
  • published for Home Office staff on 9 April 2025

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to remove reference to how a customer can apply using the Fast Track service, if they are unable to use our online priority services.

Who can use the Digital Fast Track service

This section tells HM Passport Office staff about who can use the Digital Fast Track service when applying for a passport.

The Digital Fast Track service (DFT) allows a customer to apply online through our Digital Customer Services (DCS) online application system, where they will receive their new passport within 7 calendar days, by secure delivery.

If the customer makes their application online using the DFT service, they must pay an extra fee and book an appointment at the public counter. Customers must bring to the public counter, their:

  • supporting documents, where they will be scanned, validated and associated with their application
  • previous British passport so we can cancel it (if they have one)

The DFT service can be used to:

  • renew an:
    • adult or child passport
    • additional passport
  • change the personal details on a passport (for example, the name, place of birth or gender)
  • replace a lost, stolen or damaged passport
  • apply for a first child passport

The DFT service can be used by customers living in the UK. If a customer lives overseas and they use the DFT service, they must be in the UK when the application was completed and provide us with a UK delivery address.

First time adult passport applications can not be made using the DFT service.

If a customer applies for their first passport within 3 weeks of them turning 16 years old, they can:

  • not use the DFT service, if they are applying for their first passport
  • renew their passport using the DFT service, after they have turned 16 years old

Welsh language applications

The DFT service does not currently have the functionality to deal with Welsh language applications online.

If the customer would like to submit a Fast Track application in Welsh, the customer must contact the Passport Adviceline. The Passport Adviceline will:

  • contact Newport Counter Managers
  • arrange for a Welsh speaking member of staff to contact the customer within 2 working days

When the customer is contacted, Newport Counter will book the customer a Fast Track appointment. The customer will be told to collect a paper Welsh application form, complete this, and bring this to their appointment. A paper Welsh application form can be collected from the:

  • Post Office
  • Newport office
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