BRP RETURN - PASSPORT APPLICATION

Hello All,

I am trying to make sense of the process post citizenship ceremony and the need for a travel document.

The BRP has to be returned within 5 days of the citizenship ceremony and British passport can only be applied after naturalisation certificate has been received.

The passport timescales posted in this forum suggest that it can take up to a month to receive the first British passport.

Based on these calculations is it safe to say that after sending the BRP back, the applicant has no travel document to exit/ reenter the country till first British passport is received ?

What happens during these 25 days if there is a travel emergency?

Any advice/clarity will be much appreciated.

After you become British your BRP becomes invalid and it is best not to use it to travel.
I have applied for my first British passport on the day I received the naturalisation certificate. Do you think you will be in a situation that you may need to travel urgently? There will be a time window that you will be without travel document, in that case you can try to call HMPO and see if they can expedite your application.

I believe if you ask the Home Office this question, you will get an official answer that says they will never stop you from travelling. They will tell you that you can always leave the UK with your current passport for an emergency and you can then get a passport from the UK embassy in another country.

But they will not tell you how many people get into trouble when they apply for their passport out of the UK. That's not their business, at least they can answer your question.

Hello Contorted_Svy,

Thank you for your response. A close family member is seriously unwell and I might have to travel at a short notice.

Can you please share the process you followed for applying for passport on the same day as the ceremony i.e. paper form or online? Can the online application be submitted ahead of citizenship ceremony ?

How did you send your docs to HMPO? Can an applicant pick the HMPO ( less busy option) or does the applicant residence dictate the same . I live in London and that could lead to a long wait. Also summer holidays are around the corner and that will impact the turn around time.

Any other preparation you did ahead of the ceremony to fast track the process ?

Any advice and guidance this forum can provide will be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

I applied online after I received the certificate, this is essential as you will be asked the certificate number when you apply.
You can't choose which office receives the certificate.
I alerted my referee I was going to apply on a certain day, you can only send documents after your referee confirms your identity.
I prepared all details I needed for the application ahead of time, including getting the picture taken, so it only took me 10 minutes to prepare the application and submit.
Then I sent the documents with next day secure delivery.