Guidance

Diplomatic and official service: passports and observations (accessible)

Updated 17 July 2025

Version 18.0

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office examiners how to deal with passport applications from members of the British Diplomatic Service and British Diplomatic Missions abroad.

About: Diplomatic and Official service: passports and observations

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff about passport applications sent by United Kingdom government officials, members of the British Diplomatic service and British Diplomatic Missions abroad and their dependents. It explains:

• the difference between Diplomatic, Official and standards passports with diplomatic or official observations
• how these customers apply for British passports
• who deals with these applications and how to process them

Applications for Diplomatic or Official passports or a passport with a diplomatic or official observation are dealt with by examiners in International team 3, based in the Durham passport office. The team was previously called the Diplomatic and Officials team.

Contacts

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

Publication

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

• version 18.0
• published for Home Office staff on 27 June 2025

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated:

• to reflect this department’s change in name to His Majesty’s Passport Office following the death of our sovereign Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
• to reflect who must add diplomatic observations in standard passports from an examiner to an operational team leader working on AMS and:
  • the observation code needed for diplomatic observations in standard passports
• to reflect Queen’s Messenger Service passports to Kings Messenger Service (KMS) passports and: -  the number and type of passports that can be held by King’s Messengers from 5 diplomatic passports and 5 standards to 10 diplomatic passports (all with KMS observations) -  adds a new observation for KMS passports
• to include new instructions for the Diplomatic and Official Passport team when they issue Official passports
• to show customers who hold diplomatic or official status and their dependants may be eligible for an overlap passport if they cannot send their standard passport for renewal
• to reflect a change in role for the Guidance team
• to reflect the change in our sovereign from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to His Majesty King Charles III
• to remove the instruction to transfer the application to AMS if the customer needs an observation in their standard passport showing they are in Diplomatic or Official service
• to make minor terminology changes and confirm that when a customer is applying for a diplomatic or official passport, they:
  • must hold a current and valid British passport for the duration of their overseas deployment. This passport must be used to leave and enter the UK as well as entry and exit of any country being travelled to for personal reasons, such as a holiday
  • must consider, if their standard British passport is due to expire in the next 12 months, whether they need to renew their standard British passport to comply with the guidance
  • the standard passport no longer must have 6 months validity left before a diplomatic passport can be issued
• with minor formatting changes
• to confirm customers can apply online using the Digital Customer Service
• to confirm examiners can process the application using the Digital Application Processing (DAP) system
• to confirm how Durham International team 3 examiners refer an application to the HM Armed Forces team
• to show how Durham International team 3 examiners process renewal applications for a first time Diplomatic and Official passport
• to change terminology from ‘overseas’ to ‘international’ when referring to customers

Diplomatic and Official passports: what are they

This section tells HM Passport Office staff about the British passports we issue to diplomatic or official staff and their dependents. It includes who we issue these passports to.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) are the lead government department for diplomatic or official status and inform Parliament of any changes. They delegate powers to various UK government departments to decide who may hold diplomatic or official status. Customers must get permission from the FCDO or letters from delegated departments before they apply for a British passport used for government service abroad.

HM Passport Office will maintain a record on the Passport Data services database of all passports issued for diplomatic or official purposes. We may be asked to provide the FCDO with information about these passports so they can comply with their responsibilities to Parliament and the Vienna Conventions which govern diplomatic or official status. Government service is recognised in 4 types of British passport:

• a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation
• a Diplomatic passport
• an Official passport
• a Diplomatic passport with a King’s Messenger Service observation

Customers must:

• hold a standard British citizen passport in the same personal details before we issue them a Diplomatic or Official passport
• use their standard passport for personal travel and travel in and out of the UK on government business and their Diplomatic or Official passport for travel in or out of the country they are working in
• maintain a current and valid standard British passport during their overseas deployment

If a customer’s British passport is due to expire in the next 12 months of their application for a passport for diplomatic or official purposes, they must consider whether they need to renew their standard British passport to comply with the guidance of maintaining a British Passport for the duration of their overseas posting.

Who can have a Diplomatic or Official passport

Diplomatic or Official accreditation (official recognition) is governed by the United Nations Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 (VCDR 1961) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 (VCCR 1963).

The government of the country being visited (the host nation) may grant accreditation to recognise the diplomatic status of the passport holder if they are going to be living in the foreign country for a long time. It is the accreditation that gives the holder diplomatic or official status in that country and not the passport itself.

UK government staff and their dependents who are accredited with:

• Diplomatic or consular status are entitled to hold a Diplomatic passport
• Administrative and technical status are entitled to hold an Official passport

Customers may also use their Diplomatic or Official passport when travelling for work to countries that have visa requirements or where a visa would not be necessary if they used a Diplomatic or Official passport.

Who can have a Diplomatic or Official passport: not a British citizen

On rare occasions a British national who is not a British citizen may apply for a Diplomatic or Official passport. HM Passport Office will not issue a Diplomatic or Official passport to them unless we have specific permission from the FCDO and the Passport Policy team.

Permission to issue a passport and advice about any immigration observations that may be needed, must be requested by Durham’s International team 3 using the guidance referral process.

Where we receive permission to issue a Diplomatic or Official passport to a non-British citizen, we will issue the passport in the British nationality the customer holds. For example, the customer has British national (overseas) (BN(o)) citizenship, however the FCDO confirm they require a diplomatic passport.

Standard passports with diplomatic or official observations

The FCDO authorises diplomatic or official observations in standard passports when the holder (or their dependents):

• travels on diplomatic or official business
• is not accredited by a foreign government
• is resident in a foreign country for a short time
• cannot wait for a Diplomatic or Official passport
• need to travel to a politically sensitive area

Who the FCDO treats as a dependent

The FCDO considers a qualifying dependant, as:

• a spouse
• a civil partner
• an established partner
• a son, daughter or step-child who was under 21 years old at the start of the posting and:
  • is living with the member of staff at the post abroad
  • is not married, in a civil partnership or has an established partner
  • has been financially dependent on the member of staff for the greater part of the posting
• a son or daughter, who regardless of their age, is a dependent because of physical or mental disability

Dependent sons and daughters who do not live with the officer abroad do not usually qualify for diplomatic or official status, but this may be exceptionally granted, if they are:

• under the age of 23 years and:
  • do not live at post because they are in full-time education (for example, at a boarding school) or vocational training (not in post graduate studies
  • spends at least two thirds of their holidays with the member of staff at post
  • is not married, in a civil partnership or has an established partner
  • is financially dependent on the member of staff

Diplomatic or Official passports: when not to issue

HM Passport Office will not issue a Diplomatic or Official passport or a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation, if:

• we cannot confirm the customer’s identity and claim to British nationality
• we do not have the correct authorisation from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
• the customer holds a passport in a different name or date of birth

Who deals with applications from diplomatic or official staff

This section tells HM Passport Office staff who deals with applications from diplomatic and official staff.

Members of the British Diplomatic Service and British Diplomatic Missions abroad (and their dependents) must hold at least 1 standard British citizen passport so they can travel outside the UK. Their standard passport may or may not have a diplomatic or official observation. Diplomatic and official staff can also apply for:

• a Diplomatic or Official type passport
• a standard type of passport with a diplomatic or official observation

Only the International team 3 based in the Durham office can process passport applications for Diplomatic, Official or King’s Messenger Service type passports. If the customer has put a BFPO (British Forces Post Office) address on the application, it will be automatically allocated to Durham’s International team 3.

HM Passport Office staff must refer the customer’s passport application to the International team 3, if the customer applies for:

• a Diplomatic or Official passport
• their first British passport and the system tells us the customer has also applied for a Diplomatic or Official passport

Who deals with standard passports without a diplomatic or official observation

Any examiner in HM Passport Office can deal with a customer’s (who holds a Diplomatic or Official passport) application for a renewal or replacement of a standard passport without a diplomatic or official observation.

You must refer an application to the appropriately trained national queue examiner, if you do not have the skills to process the application.

You must refer an application to the International team 3 in Durham, if the customer applies for their first British citizen passport and a Diplomatic or Official passport at the same time.

If a customer completes both applications in the same details, the Digital Application Processing system (DAP) will identify there is a duplicate application. When dealing with a duplicate application, you, the International team 3 examiner, must consider if the customer has completed more than one application because they need to apply for a Diplomatic or Official passport and a standard passport at the same time.

If you, an examiner, have an application for a Diplomatic or Official passport and it needs referring to the International team 3, in Durham, see, Diplomatic and Official passports: referring an application.

Who deals with standard passports with a diplomatic or official observations

Any examiner can deal with an application for a renewal or replacement of a standard passport with a UK government, official observation.

Passport notes: Diplomatic, Official or standard passports

All examining staff in HM Passport Office must make sure our passport records accurately show when customers hold more than 1 passport. You must add a passport note to every valid passport record the customer holds, see Multiple British passports and nationality status guidance for how to do this.

Customers who hold 1 standard passport and 1 Diplomatic or Official passport are not classed as being an additional passport holder. This is because they must always hold a standard passport for personal use.

How diplomatic or official staff apply for a passport

This section tells HM Passport Office staff about how customers apply and how much they cost.

Diplomatic and official staff (and their dependents) can apply for any passport using the:

• online service (using GOV.UK)
• by post (using a paper application form)

They must:

• send, by email, their letter from the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) to the dedicated Diplomatic and Officials email address
• send their other documents supporting their application to the Document Handling Unit (DHU)
• pay the fee for the channel type they use (for example, the international fee for an international application or the paper fee for a paper application)
  • if the customer uses a British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address on their application, they will pay a UK fee

Diplomatic or official passport: additional documents required

After the Diplomatic and official staff (and their dependents) have completed their application online and they are applying for a Diplomatic or Official passport or a standard passport (with a diplomatic or official observation), they must also send their letter of appointment, letter from the FCDO Human Resources (HR) team, or similar letter from the FCDO which confirms the customer’s posting, by email, to the dedicated Diplomatic and Officials email address.

The International team 3 examiner will upload the emailed FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) letter onto DAP (Digital Application Processing) and associate it to the customer’s application. If the customer has completed more than one application, the FCDO letter must be associated to all applications, for example, the customer has applied to renew their standard passport at the same time as applying for their Diplomatic passport.

This will create a Documents received task and transfer the application on DAP to the International team 3 (who specifically deal with issuing diplomatic or official passports).

Delivery fees

The fee paid by the customer includes delivery of the new passport and the return of their supporting documents, to the address they put on the application. This can be:

• a UK residential address
• a BFPO address
• an alternative international address (not to a BFPO), this can be in the FCDO letter supporting the application. If it is not in the FCDO letter, you must follow the when a customer gives an alternative address in the Delivery addresses for passports and documents guidance

DAP will automatically contact the customer, if there is an issue with a payment on a customer’s application because, for example, a customer wants their documents returned by a secure courier or sent to another address they did not put on the application (for example, their home address abroad), see, How DAP deals with fee queries

BFPO address: Diplomatic, Official or standard passports

Customers will use a BFPO (British Forces Post Office) address on their application, if they require a passport for diplomatic or official reasons and live outside the UK. If a BFPO address has been put on an application, it will show as a UK application on the system.

Examiners must check the address is the correct BFPO for the passport and documents to be delivered, see When customers use BFPO addresses.

Refunding overpayments: diplomatic or official applications

Customers who are members of His Majesty’s diplomatic service or who are serving overseas in an official capacity must pay the UK fee for their diplomatic or official passport application.

You must refund the customer if they have overpaid (for example, if they have paid an international fee).

You must have evidence from the customer showing they are a member (or dependant) of the diplomatic or official service, before you process their refund.

Evidence: Diplomatic and Official passports and observations

This section tells HM Passport Office staff what evidence a customer must provide when applying for a Diplomatic or Official passport or a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation.

Customers must send in evidence to confirm they are eligible to hold a Diplomatic or Official passport or a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation. The customer must send:

• a letter from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or relevant UK government department authorising us to issue a Diplomatic or Official passport or a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation
• a colour copy of the details and signature page of their standard passport
• their old Diplomatic or Official passport (if they are renewing it) or a photocopy of the details and signature page of their Diplomatic or Official passport and a letter from the FCDO or relevant UK government department if it cannot be returned to us (for example, if the customer is working abroad and is applying to renew their passport as a frequent traveller (overlap) customer because they must retain their passport at all time)

The FCDO or relevant UK government department authorisation letter

We will not issue, renew or replace a Diplomatic or Official passport or a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation without the correct Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) authorisation.

The authorisation letter must be from the:

• FCDO Human Resources
• FCDO Services Human Resources
• Estates and Security Directorate in the FCDO
• Ministry of Defence
• Head of Mission (UK embassy or consulate abroad) for non-FCDO staff, such as Partners Across Government and British Council staff

If you have any concerns about the authorisation email, you must contact the FCDO to confirm the details.

The authorisation letter must be on official FCDO or relevant UK government department headed paper and confirm:

• the customer’s name
• the customer’s address, if they are not in the UK
• if customer is applying for a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation and not a Diplomatic or Official type passport. If they want a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation, the letter must confirm:
  • why the customer is applying for a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation
  • the wording of the observation

You must check the authorisation document to make sure the correct person or department has authorised the passport. A list of the departments and the evidence they will send is found in Diplomatic and Official passports – evidence and validity table.

You must ask the customer for a new authorisation letter, if the original letter is not signed or not on official FCDO or relevant UK government department headed paper.

Dealing with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office letter

When the FCDO letter is received, by email, you, the examiner dealing with the Diplomatic and Official email inbox, must:

1. Search the Digital Application Processing system (DAP) for the application the FCDO letter is connected with.

• the customer must put their application number on the email with the letter attached. If they have completed more than one application, they must put all the application numbers on

2. Make sure the application details match the details on the FCDO letter (for example, customers name). This must be done to make sure the correct application is sent to Durhams’s International team 3.

3. If the letter is marked sensitive or the content is sensitive or it comes from a restricted source, you must complete the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) letter received confirmation form needed as the original letter cannot be scanned onto application.

4. Upload the FCDO letter or the FCDO letter received confirmation form to the Digital Application Processing (DAP) system applications relating to the customer.

5. Record the letter or form as an FCDO letter which will automatically transfer the application to the International team 3 for examination.

When you upload the FCDO letter or form, if we have not received the customer’s supporting documents, DAP will cancel the outstanding document request (as it will assume the FCDO letter is the supporting document we are waiting for) and send the application into the national queue to wait to be assigned to the International team 3.

When you, the examiner in the International team 3, receive the application on DAP, you must:

1. Check the FCDO letter includes why a diplomatic or official passport is needed and posting address.
2. Check the letter includes all the names of the people who have applied for the passport and the dependant’s normal residence (if applicable).
3. Add a case note to the application to confirm you have the correct information and authorisation to issue a diplomatic or official passport.
4. Work through any examination task on the list presented that can be completed without the rest of the supporting documents, in line with the guidance for the specific task.
5. Delay any tasks you cannot complete without the customer’s documents.
6. Put the application on hold and wait for the customer’s documents to arrive to deal with any remaining tasks.

If the supporting documents do not arrive after a week, you must request the supporting documents again and follow the standard withdrawal timeframes. When the customer’s documents are received, the remaining tasks can be completed.

Customer not accredited: Diplomatic or Official passports

You may receive an application that does not have the correct authorisation evidence because the customer is not accredited. The FCDO HR department will provide a letter if this is the case, confirming the customer needs a Diplomatic or Official passport but they do not have the correct paperwork as they are not accredited. You must accept this letter as authorisation, as it will confirm what type of passport and validity is needed.

You must contact the customer to ask for the correct authorisation document if the customer does not send it in or the authorisation evidence is incomplete (for example, there is no signature on the letter, or the evidence does not say which type of passport is needed). If you have a valid reason to doubt the authenticity of the application, you must contact FCDO Human Resources so they can confirm the application.

Once the customer’s entitlement and eligibility is confirmed, you must case note the application and scan all correspondence as a permanent record.

Posting relocation forms and letters

You can accept relocation forms and letters as evidence only if they are accompanied by a letter of appointment which confirms the customer’s posting. A customer who is moving to a location overseas will complete the posting relocation form or use the FCDO’s Manage Your Move (MYM) service to generate a relocation letter. These forms and letters will:

• be in a standard format on FCDO headed paper
• give details of any dependants
• be completed by the customer and may not carry a signature

Posting relocation forms and letters are not acceptable on their own if the customer is applying for an additional Diplomatic or Official passport. A letter confirming the need for an additional Diplomatic or Official passport from the FCDO HR department will also be needed.

Documents for dependents

If you receive a Diplomatic or Official passport application from a dependent born in a foreign country and the parent is already at post, the parent will need to send in:

• the correct nationality and identity documents for the country where they are resident
• a FCDO confirmation letter (or Status of Partners Across Government (PAG) officer approval form (also known as Annex A) signed by the head of mission, or the parent’s posting relocation form or MYM relocation letter naming them as a dependent

If you receive a Diplomatic or Official passport application from a dependent living in the UK, it must include a posting relocation form or a MYM relocation letter naming them as a dependant.

The form or MYM letter will tell us if the dependents will be living at the post abroad. The spouse or dependant will not qualify for a Diplomatic or Official passport if they won’t be living at the posting abroad. However, there are exceptions if they are a dependent who is visiting parents based in Russia.

Dependents in full time education in the UK (for example, at a boarding school) are not entitled to Diplomatic or Official passports, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

The Head of Mission may approve applications for Diplomatic or Official passports for dependents.

Dependents of staff based in Russia

Children of Diplomatic or Official passport holders working in Russia may be exceptionally granted a Diplomatic or Official passport, even if they are not living in Russia. This is because they cannot visit their parents in Russia without this passport.

Customers must send in an FCDO Status of Partners Across Government (PAG) officer approval form (also known as Annex A) as authorisation for the passport. The Annex A must tell us how much validity to place on the passport.

You, the examiner, will calculate the validity for the passport, based on the parent’s last day in post, plus 6 months (for example, if the parent is due to leave Russia on 17 August 2020, the dependent’s passport will expire on 17 February 2021).  

You must issue a 5 year passport, if the intended passport holder is a child under 16 years old and the parent’s posting is longer than 5 years.

Government business travel to China

British government staff travelling to China on government business must hold Diplomatic passports.

Authorisation for these passports will come from the FCDO Human Resources (FCDO HR) team who will email their authorisation to the diplomatic and official email address and provide a copy to the customer. The FCDO’s Asia Pacific Directorate will also give the customer a letter confirming they can apply for a Diplomatic passport.

The customer must send the 2 letters as authorisation to support their passport application. These customers will not have relocation letters or forms or a Status of Partners Across Government (PAG) officer approval form (also known as Annex A).

You must check the letter to confirm the validity needed on the passport. FCDO staff must be issued with passports valid for 10 years and staff employed in any other department (known by the FCDO as Partners Across Government (PAG)) must be issued with passports valid for 3 years.

Diplomatic or official observations in a standard type passport

If a customer asks for a diplomatic or official observation to be included in their standard type of passport, for example, the person needs their passport for urgent government business and cannot wait for a Diplomatic passport to be printed, you, the examiner, must have the correct authorisation. The authorisation letter will tell you which observation to use.

You, must:

• not use the diplomatic observations pre-coded into either passport issuing systems as these refer to Her Britannic Majesty and are incorrect
• continue to use UK government official observations coded into the system as they are correct and do not make reference to His Majesty

You must:

1. Add a case note to the application requesting a diplomatic observation, to say:

‘Customer requires diplomatic observation’

2. Refer the application to an operational team leader (OTL).

You, the OTL, must use the free text observation OBTZ if a diplomatic observation is needed in a standard passport. You must copy the required diplomatic observation from the Observations in passports guidance and paste it into the observation field on the system.

You must:

• issue the passport without the observation, if the customer does not provide a letter and we are unable to contact them on the first try
• add a case note to the application and upload any correspondence to the application, if the customer tells us they no longer need the observation
• tell the customer to contact the FCDO, if they ask for the observation after their passport is issued

Diplomatic and Official passports: referring an application

This section tells HM Passport Office staff which applications must be referred to the International team 3, based in the Durham office and how to refer an application to the team if it is processed on the Digital Application Processing (DAP), and how to refer a HM Armed Forces application to the HM Armed Forces team.

Applications for Diplomatic or Official passports must be dealt with by the International team 3, based in the Durham office.

Applications submitted with the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) postcode HA4 6EP will also be automatically transferred to the International team 3 on DAP.

Dependants of diplomatic or official personnel may apply for their standard passport through the Diplomatic or official route. We will return their passports and documents using this route, but we must confirm their identity and nationality using standard guidance produced for the general public.

Referring a Diplomatic and Official passport application

If you, the examiner, are dealing with the application on DAP (Digital Application Processing), you must transfer the application to the International team 3 in Durham, if it is an application for:

• Diplomatic or Official passport
• a renewal or replacement of a standard passport with a UK government, official observation
• a first British passport and the system tells us the customer has also applied for a Diplomatic or Official passport

If you believe you have received an application that needs to be transferred to the International team 3 in Durham to process, you must, on DAP:

1. Re-categorise the letter from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO) on the Document tab as a FCDO letter.

• if there is no FCDO letter with the application, but you are made aware the application must be transferred to the International team 3 in Durham, you must use the DAP: asking for documents process and select Need more documents, no task to ask for them

2. Select delay decision on this task, on all the tasks.

3. Select Submit.

Referring an application to the HM Armed Forces team

When you, the Durham International team 3 examiner, have an application that needs to be transferred to the Peterborough HM Armed forces team as it is a HM Armed Forces application, you must:

1. Select I cannot do this and choose the HM Forces application option.
2. Add a case note to explain the reason you are transferring the application.
3. Select Submit.

DAP will transfer the application to the Peterborough HM Armed Forces team and create a HM Forces application task for them to complete.

Additional passports for diplomatic and official purposes

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners and the International team 3 in Durham how to process requests for additional passports from member of the British Diplomatic Service and British Diplomatic Missions abroad (or a dependent).

Customers who hold 1 standard passport and 1 Diplomatic or Official passport are not classed as being an additional passport holder. This is because they must always hold a standard passport for personal use.

DAP will show the task Multiple British passports, when it identifies the customer holds more than one British passport. You must only apply the additional passport guidance if the customer wants to apply for an additional standard (with or without a diplomatic or official observation) or additional Diplomatic or Official passport.

If a government employee applies for an additional Diplomatic, Official, or standard passport with an observation, they will need to send in authorisation from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The evidence must confirm they have permission to hold an additional Diplomatic, Official, or standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation. The letter must come from the: 

• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Human Resources
• FCDO Services Human Resources
• Estates and Security Directorate in the FCDO
• Ministry of Defence
• Head of Mission for non-FCDO official staff, such as Partners Across Government and British Council staff

Additional standard passports with or without observations

In exceptional circumstances, a UK government employee may not be able to use their combined standard and Diplomatic or Official passports to meet all their travel needs.

You must issue an additional standard passport (with or without a diplomatic or official observation) using the additional passports guidance. If the customer applies for a standard passport with a diplomatic or official observation the request must be specifically supported by a letter from the FCDO. If the customer does not need an additional passport but cannot send their standard passport with their application (because they must always keep at least 1 standard passport with them) they can apply for an overlap passport.

You must refer requests to issue a customer with 3 or more standard passports (with or without diplomatic of official observations), to a Higher Executive Officer (HEO) for approval.

HM Passport Office has agreed HM government employees can, in certain circumstances have additional passports while there is a current and ongoing need to travel (for example, between China and Taiwan). The FCDO’s letter must explain why more passports are needed, above the usual limits. 

You must contact the Passport Policy team, through the regional Quality and Examination Support team (QuESt), if there is any doubt about the exceptional nature of the request. The Passport Policy team will contact the FCDO for advice.

You must not include full Diplomatic or Official passports issued by HM Passport Office in the total number of standard passports a government employee holds.

Diplomatic and Official passports appear on our passport records. You must not cancel these when you issue a standard passport (with or without an observation). However, when you issue a new standard passport, you must put a passport note on each valid passport.

Additional Diplomatic or Official passports

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) must specifically authorise any additional Diplomatic or Official passport. The customer must provide a letter authorising an additional Diplomatic or Official passport from the FCDO if they need one.

Some departments have limited the number of passports their staff can hold. You must refuse requests for additional passports (above the maximum allowed) until the customer returns a previous Diplomatic or Official passport to HM Passport Office for cancellation or declares a passport lost or stolen.

Customers from these departments can hold a maximum of:

• 10 valid Diplomatic passports with King’s Messenger Service observations
• 2 Diplomatic or 2 Official passports (if they are FCDO floating staff)
• 3 Diplomatic or Official passports (if they are FCDO Services staff)
• 2 Diplomatic or 2 Official passports (if they are international security contractors)

Diplomatic or Official passports: frequent travellers (overlap) customers

The customer must send us their old Diplomatic or Official passport or their standard British passport (without a diplomatic or official observation) if they apply to renew it. However, there are some cases, a customer may be considered for an overlap passport using our additional passports guidance, because they:

• are working abroad and cannot send in their old Diplomatic or Official passport for renewal
• need a visa added to their new passport while they continue to work

The customer must send us documents confirming they are eligible for an additional (overlap) passport, see: Proof of frequent travel for overlap customers. If the overlap passport is for:

• a Diplomatic or Official Passport, we require a colour copy of their personal details page, signature page and any observations
• a standard passport (their personal passport), we require a colour copy of all the passport pages including visa pages

The FCDO or other government department must return the old passport to the Customer Service Management team (CSMT) for cancellation when the customer receives their new passport.

Renewing or replacing standard passport type applications: diplomatic or official staff

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners how to deal with a passport application from a member of the British Diplomatic Service and British Diplomatic Missions abroad (or a dependent), if the customer asks for a diplomatic or official observation in a standard British passport or wants to renew their standard British passport (without a diplomatic or official observation).

You, the examiner, may receive a passport application from diplomatic or official staff or their family members (dependents) asking to renew or replace their standard passport. Customers who hold a Diplomatic or Official passport must also maintain a standard British Passport for the duration of their international posting for personal use. The customer’s standard passport may or may not include a diplomatic or official observation.

If a customer holds a Diplomatic or Official passport, you must not count their Diplomatic or Official passports as an additional passport if the customer applies to renew their standard passport or needs an additional standard passport. If a customer is asking for an additional standard passport with or without an observation, see Additional passports for diplomatic and official purposes.

Renewing standard passports from Diplomatic or Official passport holders

If the customer is posted overseas on official or diplomatic service, you must deal with their application as if it was submitted from the UK, if the customer has:

1. Sent a signed letter from the FCDO or post abroad confirming they are Diplomatic or Official staff members.

1. Paid the UK fee (through the Digital Customer Service (DCS).

3. Provided either a:

• UK residential address
• British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address

Customers who live abroad and were recruited abroad (known as locally engaged staff) are usually not entitled to diplomatic or official status and are not eligible to renew their standard passports in this way. These customers must apply using the international application route, pay the relevant international fee and confirm where they live (for example, if the customer is employed in South Africa, they must apply and declared they live in South Africa). The customer can provide a letter confirming they want the passport being delivered to an alternative address, for example, a BFPO.

Processing first time standard applications

This section tells the HM Passport Office’s International team 3 in Durham how to process a first time standard application sent in at the same time as an application for a Diplomatic or Official passport.

Examiners must refer a customer’s first British passport application to the International team 3 in Durham, if the customer applies for their first British citizen passport and a Diplomatic or Official passport at the same time.

If you, an examiner, have an application for a diplomatic or official passport and it needs referring to the International team 3, in Durham, see, Diplomatic and Official passports: referring an application.

The system will identify there is a duplicate application when the customer completes both a standard application and diplomatic or official application in the same details. When dealing with a duplicate application, you, the International team 3 examiner, must consider if the customer has completed more than one application because they need to apply for a Diplomatic or Official passport and a standard passport at the same time.

How to process a first time standard passport with a link to a Diplomatic or Official passport

HM Passport Office will not issue a Diplomatic or Official passport, unless we have issued the customer with a fully valid standard British citizen passport.

You, the examiner, must:

1. Examine all first time standard passport applications, in line with current HM Passport Office guidance.

2. Consider if you need more information and documents.

3. Consider if you can reduce the amount of identity evidence needed and remove the need for an identity interview if the customer is also applying for a Diplomatic or Official passport.

4. Look at the letter from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to see if it provides significant evidence of identity, for:

• change of name purposes (for example, evidence of name in use)
• address evidence
• confirming a customer’s identity (for example, an interview may not be needed)

Evidence of name and address

HM Passport Office checks the customer’s name and address evidence for international applications. A letter from the FCDO will usually be enough to confirm both the customer’s name and address. If the customer tells you, the examine, the evidence is difficult to get, you must speak to your operational team leader (OTL) to make sure there is enough evidence to issue a passport.

The address evidence for international applications may be a residential address or a British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address. Members of the British diplomatic service and Missions abroad generally use BFPO addresses for correspondence, tax, and banking purposes. This will show in the documentation the customer provides. When examining the name and address evidence, you must consider where the passport is being delivered. If you need it, you must ask the customer for more evidence.

Interviews  

The system will automatically invite customers to attend an interview, when the application is for a first time adult passport and they are resident in the UK.

There are some customers who are exempt from attending an interview, see UK and international customers we will not interview. If a customer is applying for a diplomatic or official passport, they are usually exempt from an interview because:

• the FCDO conducts strict security checks on UK government staff and their families before their posting is confirmed and they move from the UK to overseas
• the customer will already hold a standard passport where we will have confirmed identity and nationality

If there are any risk indicators or you have identity, safeguarding or vulnerability concerns, you must refer the application for investigation.

If PPS agrees there are identity concerns, you must raise a guidance query and ask the Passport policy team to contact FCDO Human Resources and decide how to proceed.

Processing Diplomatic or Official type passport applications

This section tells HM Passport Office staff working in the Durham office International team 3 how to process applications for Diplomatic or Official or King’s Messenger service passports.

Passport applications for Diplomatic or Official passports:

• are completed by the International team 3, based in the Durham office
• are printed centrally in the UK and cannot be printed in an application processing centre (APC)
• are not eligible for a premium or fast-track service (they cannot be upgraded)
• cannot be issued as a Frequent Traveller passport book

Anyone needing a Diplomatic or Official passport must already hold a British citizen passport unless the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) and Passport Policy team have given specific permission for a British national who is not a British citizen to hold a Diplomatic or Official passport. HM Passport Office will only issue a Diplomatic or Official passport if the customer:

• has the same name in all the passports they hold
• already holds a fully valid standard British citizen passport or a fully valid British passport (where specific permission for a non- British citizen holder has been granted)

If the standard British passport is due to expire in the next 12 months, the customer must consider whether they need to renew their standard British passport to comply with the guidance of maintaining a British Passport for the duration of overseas posting

This means anyone holding a Diplomatic or Official passport will have a minimum of 2 or more valid passports at any time.

We will only consider the customer’s application for a Diplomatic or Official passport if their standard passport is acceptable. The customer must:

• apply for their first British citizen passport (if they do not already hold one)
• replace their standard passport (if it has been lost or stolen)
• consider if they need to renew their standard passport to make sure they maintain a British passport during their posting
• renew all of their passports (if they have changed their name) as we will not issue a Diplomatic or Official passport in a different name to the customer’s other passports

When completing a Diplomatic or Official passport application on the DAP (Digital Application Processing) system will show a task to tell you the customer has an additional passport. You, the examiner, must make sure you:

• cancel the correct passport; and,
• do not cancel the customer’s standard passport

You must check if you must update any ARD (Application Received Domain) handling instructions, to either:

• not cancel a passport
• cancel any additional passports sent in the customer no longer requires

When you are dealing with the application on DAP, you must:

1. Put the application for a Diplomatic or Official passport on hold until the standard application is completed, and the passport is issued.
2. Check the supporting documents to confirm the customer is eligible for a Diplomatic or Official passport.
3. Select the correct Diplomatic or Official book type.
4. Edit the validity of the Diplomatic or Official passport (if applicable to the application).
5. Check the fee paid and refund any excess, for example if an international fee has been taken.

Checking the standard passport

If the customer has more than 1 valid British passport on passport records, DAP will generate a Multiple British passports task.

If the system does not complete this check, you must check passport records to confirm the customer already holds a British citizen passport. You must check the record to confirm the:

• customer’s personal details on the Diplomatic or Official passport application match with the details of any valid passport they hold
• customer can be identified from our passport records
• customer’s standard passport was a fully valid passport (not a restricted validity)

You must investigate and resolve any differences you find between the details on a customer’s standard passport and their Diplomatic or Official passport application, in line with the correct guidance. If they are applying for another passport and their personal details are different, you must contact the customer and ask them to renew their standard passport.

HM Passport Office must approve and issue the standard passport, before we can complete the Diplomatic or Official passport application. The customer can apply online to renew their standard passport. Standard passports can be processed by any examiner, if the customer has not used a British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address or sent in a letter of authorisation from the FCDO.

If you have asked the customer to renew their standard passport, you, the examiner, must:

1. Put the application for a Diplomatic or Official passport on hold.
2. Check the system to identify the customer’s standard passport application.
3. Associate the FCDO letter to the customer’s standard application, this will direct the application to the International team 3 in Durham.
4. Process the standard passport application, dealing with any tasks using the relevant guidance. Once the standard passport is issued, you can issue the Diplomatic or Official passport.

First-time Diplomatic or Official passport application: Passport cancellation not required

If you receive a renewal application for a first-time Diplomatic or Official passport, you must:

1. Select I can’t do this application.
2. Select the reason Passport cancellation not required.
3. Click Submit.

This will return the application to the queue, and DAP will generate a Passport cancellation not required task.

When you receive a Passport cancellation not required task, you must:

1. Continue to process the application as a renewal.
2. Clear the Passport cancellation not required task.
3. Complete any other DAP tasks and finish processing the application.

Clearing the Passport cancellation not required task stops the customer’s current live passport being cancelled during the renewal process for a first-time Diplomatic or Official passport.

Issuing a Diplomatic or Official passport type

This page tells an International team 3 examiner how to issue a diplomatic or official type passport and what the validity must be for the passport.

To issue a Diplomatic or Official passport book type, you must:

1. Select the Application details tab.
2. Select New passport details.
3. Select change under passport type.
4. Select an option from those listed under Change passport type.
5. Case note to show why you are changing the passport type and click continue.
6. Check the changes you made and select Save changes.
7. Select Observations.
8. Add an observation if required.

Validity periods for Diplomatic or Official passport types

HM Passport Office issues Diplomatic or Official passports with different validity periods, depending on the government department the officer works for and the operational needs of the FCDO.

Diplomatic or Official passports valid for less than 10 years (5 years for children under the age of 16 years) are not considered restricted and do not need a validity observation.

You must use the evidence and validity table to make sure you put the correct validity period on the passport. You must not issue a child (under 16 years) with a passport that is valid for more than 5 years.

If you receive a request for a Diplomatic or Official passport with a validity period different to the validity table, you must contact the FCDO Human Resources).

Adjusting the passport validity on the system

To set the validity you need on the Digital Application Processing (DAP) system, you must follow the Setting the validity of a passport guidance.

How to cancel Diplomatic or Official passports

This page tells HM Passport Office staff how to cancel a diplomatic or official type passport when they are no longer needed or are being replaced or renewed. It also tells staff what to do if a diplomatic or official passport is lost or stolen.

The customer must return their Diplomatic or Official passport to HM Passport Office, if they:

• need to renew or replace it
• no longer need a Diplomatic or Official passport

The system will automatically cancel any passport sent in for renewal or replacement on our passport records when the application is complete, and you have issued a new passport. You must make sure:

• the application form includes the customer’s old passport number
• you put a case note on the current application that shows ‘Diplomatic/Official passports surrendered by the FCDO [date]’

You must update the Application Receive Domain (ARD) to confirm the passport must be physically cancel and return the old passport to the customer when you have processed their new application.

If the customer no longer needs the Diplomatic or Official passport

A customer may send their Diplomatic or Official passports with a letter (with a wet signature) confirming they want to surrender their passport to the Customer Service Management team (CSMT) when they no longer need it.

If the customer confirms they no longer want their Diplomatic or Official passports, you, the CSMT member of staff, must:

1. Add a passport note to the passport record, saying, ‘Diplomatic/Official passport surrendered on [date]’.
2. Physically cancel the old passport.
3. Securely destroy the passport and letter (with a wet signature) confirming the passport must be cancelled.

If the customer tells us they want their passport back, you, the CSMT member of staff, must:

1. Physically cancel the customer’s passport and return it to the customer.
2. Electronically cancel the passport in passport records and add a passport note to confirm the action taken.

You must not cancel the passport on our passport records, if the customer sends the passport to the Durham office instead of CSMT. You must:

1. Add a passport note to the passport record, saying, ‘Diplomatic/Official passport surrendered on [date]’.
2. Physically cancel the old passport.
3. Send the customer’s old passport and any related letters about the cancelation of the passport to CSMT.

If a Diplomatic or Official passport is lost or stolen

Customers must report their Diplomatic or Official passport lost or stolen as soon as possible on GOV.UK.

You, the examiner, must process an application to replace a lost or stolen Diplomatic or Official passports using the Lost, stolen and recovered team guidance. You must refer the application to the Counter Fraud team (CFT) if 3 or more of the customer’s Diplomatic or Official passports have been reported lost or stolen within 10 years.

You must also email the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and give them details of the passport application to replace a lost or stolen Diplomatic or Official passport. You must tell them:

• the customer’s full name
• the customer’s date of birth
• the customer’s government department or HM Armed forces unit
• the date the passport was lost or stolen
• how the passport was lost or stolen

King’s Messenger Service passports

This section tells HM Passport Office staff working in the in the International team 3 who deal with Diplomatic and Official passports how to process passport applications for the King’s Messenger Service passports. 

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) previously issued Messenger Service passports. They are now issued by the International team 3 in HM Passport Office Durham.

The FCDO Human Resources department or the King’s Messenger Service (KMS) department will provide the customer a letter to confirm they can hold a KMS passport.

If you receive a passport application for a KMS passport you, the examiner, must:

• process the application as a Diplomatic passport
• consider how many KMS passports the customer already holds
• make sure the passport has the correct validity
• add an KMS observation to the passport

King’s Messenger Service observation

Diplomatic passports which are needed for the KMS must have an observation added to the passport. The customer’s letter confirming they can hold a KMS passport will explain which observation you must add to the Diplomatic passport.

You must use the system observation code OBTX and type in the free text field to show one of the following observations:

• THE HOLDER IS A MEMBER OF THE KING’S MESSENGER SERVICE
• THE HOLDER IS A KING’S MESSENGER

Diplomatic and Official passport: National Crime Agency

This section tells HM Passport Office staff working in the International team 3, who deal with Diplomatic and Official passports, how to process standard passport applications, for work purposes, from staff working in the National Crime Agency (NCA). 

The International team 3 in HM Passport Office Durham, deal with applications for standard passport, for work purposes, from staff working in the National Crime Agency (NCA). These are identified by an email from the NCA being sent to the Diplomatic and Official email address.  

NCA staff applying for a standard passport, for work purposes, must:

• complete their application online
• pay the UK online fee
• send a letter from the NCA to confirm they need a passport urgently, by email
• send their documents to the Document Handling Unit (DHU)

The application will be allocated to the International team 3 in Durham, when the examiner uploads the letter of authorisation from the NCA to the application on the Digital Application Processing (DAP) system and the documents are received in the Document Handling unit (DHU).

When you, the examiner, receive a passport application for a NCA member of staff, you must:

• check the letter from the NCA to confirm the reason and type of passport, the customer requires
• consider if the customer is applying for an additional passport
• deal with any tasks on the DAP system in line with standard guidance

Delivery of the passport

There are times where applications are required to be processed urgently and printed by Local Print so the passport can be collected. If the passport is not to be collected, it can be delivered to either:

• a UK residential address
• a NCA PO Box address

If a customer wants their documents returned by a secure courier or sent to another address (for example, their home address), they must pay additional fees, in line with the current Passport fees guidance.

Diplomatic or Official passport: urgent applications

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners working in International team 3, in Durham using Digital Application Processing (DAP) how to deal with urgent applications from United Kingdom government officials, members of the British Diplomatic service and British Diplomatic Missions abroad and their dependents.

Customers who need a Diplomatic or Official passport urgently must contact the FCDO Vienna Conventions and Immunity and Diplomatic Passports team and complete their application online and send their Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office authorisation letter, by email, to HM Passport Office International team 3 to process.

The FCDO will contact the International team 3 and ask them to prioritise the application.  If the International team 3 cannot provide a Diplomatic or Official passport in the required time period they must tell the FCDO and issue the customer a standard passport containing a diplomatic or official observation using local print facilities in the application processing centre (APC), see change the print location guidance.

Urgent application: standard passports with diplomatic or official observations

The FCDO authorises diplomatic or official observations in standard passports when the holder (or their dependents):

• travels on diplomatic or official business; and,
• is not accredited by a foreign government; and,
• is resident in a foreign country for a short time; and,
• cannot wait for a Diplomatic or Official passport to be printed; and,
• need to travel to a politically sensitive area

A customer can also request their standard passport to be issued with a diplomatic or official observation in regardless of if they need the passport urgently, see Diplomatic, Official and King’s Messenger observations.

Diplomatic and Official passports: evidence and validity

This section tells HM Passport Office staff issuing a Diplomatic or Official passport what evidence is needed from each UK government organisation for a Diplomatic or Official passport and how long the passport must be valid for.

The following tables show the organisations who can apply for a Diplomatic or Official passport and the maximum validity allowed for an adult Diplomatic or Official passport. For children under the age of 16 years, the passport must have no more than a maximum validity of 5 years.

Organisation	Abbreviation	Evidence needed	Validity (adult)
All Partners Across Government travelling to China on duty	PAG	Letters from Asia Pacific Directorate and FCDO HR	Issue passport valid 3 years
British Council	BC	Signed copy of a Status of Partners Across Government (PAG) officer approval form (also known as an FCDO Annex A)	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Crown Prosecution Service	CPS	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	BEIS	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Department for Health	DH	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Department for International Development	DFID	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Department for Works and Pensions	DWP	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science only)	DEFRA
(CEFAS)	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Department for Transport	DFT	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Ecosystems Services for Poverty Alleviation	ESPA	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Food Standards Agency	FSA	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Diplomatic Service)	FCDO (DS)	Posting letter from FCDO HR	Issue 10 year Diplomatic/Official passport
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (King’s Messenger Service)	FCDO (KMS)	Letter from FCDO HR or KMS	Issue 10 year Diplomatic passport with KMS obs.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Home Civil Service)	FCDO (HCS)	Posting letter from FCDO HR	Issue passport validity showing end of tour date plus 6 months
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Rapid Deployment Team)	FCDO RDT	Letter from RDT head of department	Issue 10 year Diplomatic/Official passport
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Floaters)	FCDO Floaters	Posting letter from FCDO HR	Issue 10 year Diplomatic/Official passport
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Roamers)	FCDO	Posting notification letter from FCDO HR or authority from HRD policy officer	Issue 10 year Diplomatic passport
FCDO Services	FCOS	FCDO Services Posting letter	Issue 10 year Diplomatic/Official passport
Health and Safety Laboratories	HSL	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs	HMRC	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Home Office (including) HM Passport Office Office of Security & Counter Terrorism UK Border Force Risk & Liaison Overseas Network UKVI	HO	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Intellectual Property Office	IPO	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Invest Northern Ireland	Invest NI	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Meteorological Office	Met Office	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Metropolitan Police Service	MPS	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Ministry of Defence	MOD	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Ministry of Defence /Hereford	MOD	Letter from Hereford 501
No form required	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Ministry of Defence (Joint Arms Control Implementation Group)	MOD	Letter from MOD; No pro-forma required	Issue passport valid for 6 years
National Crime Agency	NCA	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Office of the First Minister & Deputy First Minister (including Northern Ireland Bureau, Washington)		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Ordinance Survey	OS	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Overseas security contactors: Morsons G4S (Kabul, Nairobi) Garda World (Baghdad, Mogadishu, Tripoli) Control Risks (Erbil) Hart Security Ltd. Minimal Risk Consulting Pilgrims Group		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Public Health England	PHE	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Research Councils UK (including) Economic and Social Research Engineering and Physical Science Research Medical Research Councils		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Scottish Enterprise (including) Scottish Development International		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Scottish Government		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Security and Intelligence Agencies		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Department of International Trade	DIT	Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Visit Britain		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years
Welsh Government (including): International Business Wales		Signed copy of FCDO Annex A	Issue passport valid for 6 years