In order to keep down the cost of your passport the FCO has centralised passport production in a limited number of locations overseas.  You can lodge a passport application at the British Embassy in Kyiv.  We will then forward your application to the Passport Production Hub in Warsaw for processing.  It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for the return of your new passport.

If you need to travel more quickly to the UK you can apply for a one-way emergency passport at the British Embassy in Kyiv.  Subject to identity and other checks it is usually possible to issue an emergency passport within one working day.  Please note that emergency passports can only be issued to someone who has previously held a British passport: they can not be issued to first time applicants (e.g. children born outside the UK who have not previously had their own British passport).

The process

1. Print out and complete the correct application form. We accept forms printed in black and white. Use the guidance notes to help you with filling the form.
2. Once you have printed out and completed the form, initial each page in the box provided. We cannot accept your application if this is not done.
3. With your application form, you must also include two identical passport photographs, taken within the last three months. The quality, style and appearance of passport photographs must meet the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). For further information see the requirements.
   Photographs of poor quality will not be accepted. If the photograph is not up to standard, we will not accept the application and will have to ask you to bring new photographs of a higher quality.
4. Submit your application in person to the Consular Section in Kyiv with relevant supporting documents. Applications will be passed electronically to the British Embassy Warsaw for production. Consular Section in Warsaw will aim to process straightforward applications within 10 working days once we have received the required documentation and the fee. When the passport is issued it will be returned to the British Embassy in Kyiv by diplomatic post. The whole process can take between 4-6 weeks. We strongly advise applicants to apply well in advance of any planned date of travel.
5. You need to pay the correct fee in local currency when applying for your passport.
6. Interview.
   

As from 5 January 2009 the British Embassy in Ukraine will be introducing interviews as part of the passport application process. Please allow time for applying for your passport, as you may require an interview.

Background

In 2007 the UK Identity and Passport Service (IPS) introduced compulsory passport interviews for all first time applicants aged 16 or over, as part of the application process. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), through their Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates, also began the introduction of interviews. 

Who will require an interview?

From 5 January 2009 the British Embassy in Ukraine will be introducing compulsory interviews for some applicants who:

• are applying for a British passport for the first time
• are applying for a replacement passport following the loss or theft of more than one passport over a short period
• have changed their name, except if that change follows marriage, civil partnership, divorce or dissolution
• have not held a valid British passport for more than 10 years
• are renewing an old style blue passport
• hold a British Overseas Territories passport, other than Gibraltar.
  

The British Embassy have the discretion to interview any applicant on a case by case basis. 

If an interview is requested, applicants will be required to supply full documentation. Consular Section of the Embassy will notify you with what documents are required.

Why are interviews necessary?

Interviewing passport applicants has been established practice in many British Embassies and High Commissions worldwide for a number of years and has proven to be an effective deterrent against passport fraud and identity theft. To bring our current procedures into line with the IPS in the UK, all FCO posts will adopt the same policy and approach to passport interviewing. This has become necessary to:

• establish your eligibility and entitlement to a British passport
• prevent other people impersonating you and using your identity to commit fraud. Sadly, this is happening more frequently with distressing consequence for its victims
• reduce passport fraud and forgery; this sort of crime is becoming more sophisticated and more organised
• counter terrorist activity, making international travel safer and hassle-free
• prevent illegal entry into the UK and other countries.
  

Many UK banks, building societies and organisation now ask for photographic proof of identity prior to transacting business, with a valid passport increasingly being required. A misappropriated passport therefore can open the way to bank accounts, mortgages, benefits and many other services. 

The interview has a vital role within the passport application, in ensuring that customers are the rightful owners of that "identity.”

How will I know I need an interview and how long it take?

• Make sure you submit your passport application in plenty of time before you expect to travel.
• Don’t leave it until the last minute.O
• Once the British Embassy has received a fully completed application they will establish that the customer’s identity exists and that they are entitled to a British passport. If a customer requires an interview he/she will be notified accordingly and given a date, time and location to attend.
• You may have a long journey to the Consular Office. Please allow plenty of time to attend an interview.
• Consular Section will also advise you what documents you need to bring with you to support your application.

The interview length is dependant on the type of application being made. On average it will take about 45 minutes and will be conducted in a professional manner, consisting mainly of questions confirming facts about a customer, which someone attempting to steal their identity may not know.

Questions asked will not be the same at every interview. 

When will I receive my passport?

After your interview, we will still need to make some final checks so we cannot tell you at the interview if your application is successful. You will be notified at a later stage.

Your needs at the interview office

When making an interview appointment, please let us know if you have any particular needs for your interview, for example:

• If you have a severe incapacity which you believe will prevent you from attending or taking part in an interview
• An interpreter or sign language interpreter
• A carer or parent to be present during the interview
• Privacy because you do not wish to uncover your face in public – you will need to have your face uncovered during your interview.
  

Customers should not make any travel arrangements until the new passport is received, as the FCO Embassy cannot be held responsible for costs incurred as a result of disrupted travel plans.

IMPORTANT! If your passport is due to expire and contains valid visas, work or residence permits, please check with the issuing authorities that the cancellation of your passport will not invalidate them. The British Embassy/Consulate can take no responsibility for the validity of visas, work or residence permits within cancelled passports. Please make sure you have made these checks before you submit your application for a passport renewal.