UK passport applications are a complicated business and have recently become more expensive.
Finding the correct photograph and filling out the forms is a dull process and one that costs over £70.
Many may not realise that people can be refused a passport for a number of reasons.
Anyone applying for one outside of the UK has to avoid a number of things that don’t always include a crime or offence.
Being divorced could be something that gets an application rejected.
According to The Economist, 44 per cent of applications were refused in 2016 due to being “out of character”.
The broad reason often includes something illegal such as speeding or assaults but also covers others that are not at all.
This can include drinking, gambling or being divorced, things that are seen as “eccentricity, including beliefs, appearance and lifestyle”.
The number of rejections, approximately 5,500 people, are also able to be refused if their behaviour is “notorious in their local or the wider community”.
People from outside the UK attempting to get a passport fell from 194,370 in 2012 to 123,229 in 2017.
There are a number of things that people need to get right to get a passport in the UK.
One is the passport photo size which must be 45mm by 35mm, and the person must not be smiling.
UK passports will also need to be countersigned to allow the person to meet the criteria for the travel document.
It must be someone who knows the person such as a neighbour or colleague.
This cannot include someone they are related to or in a relationship with.
One notable person who had to recently apply for a British passport was Meghan Markle, after becoming engaged to Prince Harry.
Prince Harry’s communication’s secretary, Jason Knauf, confirmed to the BBC that she “intends to become a UK citizen,” but warned the process can take a few years.
She would need to apply for a family visa, which lasts up to two and a half years.
After five years, permanent residency can then be granted after a citizenship test.
It comes at a price; it costs £1,282 for a citizenship application.
