Applying for a Passport for a Child Under a Special Guardianship Order: Our Experience
If you’re applying for a passport for a child under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO), you may already know that the process isn’t always as straightforward as applying for a passport for your own birth child.
When we booked our first family holiday abroad, I was excited. But alongside that excitement came a little anxiety because Summer needed her very first passport, and I wasn’t sure what documents would be required under our Special Guardianship Order.
After searching online, I found very little information from other Special Guardians who had actually been through the process. So I wanted to share our experience in the hope it helps another family feel a little more prepared.
Please note: This blog post shares our personal experience of applying for a child’s first passport under a Special Guardianship Order. Every family’s circumstances are different, and passport requirements can change over time. Always check the latest guidance from HM Passport Office before submitting your application.
Quick Summary
Applying for a passport under a Special Guardianship Order can involve additional identity checks and supporting documents.
In our case:
We were initially asked for the maternal family birth certificates.
When that wasn’t possible, HM Passport Office accepted the paternal family line instead.
The whole process took around 10 weeks from start to finish.
Although stressful at times, we eventually received Summer’s passport in time for our holiday.
Here’s exactly what happened.
Sending the Passport Application
As soon as we booked our holiday, I started researching the passport application process.
Knowing our circumstances were a little different, I read as many experiences from other Special Guardians as I could find. I also contacted HM Passport Office directly to ask what documents they recommended sending.
Feeling confident I had everything I needed, I submitted the application along with:
Summer’s birth certificate
Her birth mother’s birth certificate
The court documents confirming our Special Guardianship Order
I thought we had covered everything.
Unfortunately, a couple of weeks later, we received a letter requesting Summer’s maternal grandmother’s birth certificate.
This wasn’t something we’d been advised about during our original phone call, and it was the point where everything became much more complicated.
Trying to Find Additional Birth Certificates
Around 18 months earlier, Summer’s birth mum had disappeared from our lives without any warning. We had no way of contacting her, which made obtaining further family information incredibly difficult.
After explaining the situation to HM Passport Office, they suggested trying to locate the birth certificate ourselves using the information already available.
Using the details from Summer’s birth mother’s birth certificate, I spent the next week contacting registry offices across the country.
Some were incredibly helpful.
Others… not quite so much.
The biggest challenge was that I only had Summer’s maternal grandmother’s full name and no date of birth. One registry office even found two people with exactly the same name, but I had no idea which one was the correct person.
It quickly became a frustrating and stressful experience.
Could Social Services Help?
Hoping they might have additional information, I contacted the local authority who had managed Summer’s Special Guardianship case.
Unfortunately, because our case had been closed once the SGO was granted, they explained they couldn’t assist or contact Summer’s birth family on our behalf.
At that point, I was told the only option would be to instruct a solicitor to try and trace her birth mum.
Cue panic.
How much would that cost?
How long would it take?
Would we have to cancel our holiday?
I also couldn’t help wondering why this wasn’t something that had been considered during the Special Guardianship process itself. Looking back, I still feel that helping families obtain a passport before the order is finalised could potentially save a great deal of stress later.
A Second Call Changed Everything
Before giving up, I decided to ring HM Passport Office one more time.
Thankfully, I spoke to someone who was much more familiar with Special Guardianship cases.
She suggested something completely different.
Instead of continuing down the maternal family line, she explained we could provide documentation through Summer’s paternal family instead.
That meant obtaining:
Summer’s birth father’s birth certificate
Her paternal grandmother’s birth certificate
To do that, we also needed information about Summer’s paternal great-grandparents.
Confused yet?
I certainly was!
Thankfully, my husband contacted his former mother-in-law, who kindly helped us with the information we needed.
Once we had those details, ordering the correct birth certificates was actually quite straightforward.
Finally… Success!
As soon as the paternal documents arrived, I sent everything back to HM Passport Office.
Within a week…
Summer’s very first passport landed on our doorstep.
What a relief!
From beginning to end, the whole process took around 10 weeks.
Although it wasn’t the smooth experience we’d hoped for, everything worked out in the end, and Summer was absolutely thrilled to be going on her first holiday abroad.
What We Learned
Looking back, there are a few things I’d do differently.
Start the passport application as early as possible.
Be prepared for HM Passport Office to request additional documentation.
If you’re given advice that doesn’t seem to fit your circumstances, don’t be afraid to phone again and speak to someone else.
Keep copies of every document you send.
Remember that every Special Guardianship case is different, so another family’s experience may not be identical to yours.
One Final Thought
One thing that still frustrates me is that our first conversation with HM Passport Office led us down the maternal family route.
Later, another adviser explained that the paternal route was perfectly acceptable and ultimately solved the problem.
Had we received that advice at the beginning, it would have saved us weeks of stress, countless phone calls, and a lot of unnecessary worry.
Despite all of that, receiving Summer’s passport made every hurdle worthwhile.
If you’re currently applying for a passport for a child under a Special Guardianship Order, I hope sharing our experience helps you feel a little more prepared for the journey ahead.
If you’ve been through the process yourself, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.
If you’re new to Special Guardianship Orders, you might also find my post about How the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) Saved Our SGO Placement useful.
If you’re new to Special Guardianship Orders, you may also find my post explaining what life has been like as an SGO carer helpful: Life as a Kinship Carer: What No One Prepares You For
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. A Special Guardian can apply for a child’s passport, although HM Passport Office may request additional documentation depending on the child’s circumstances.
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Our application took approximately 10 weeks, including the time spent obtaining additional birth certificates.
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Not necessarily. Every application is assessed individually, and the documents requested may differ depending on the child’s family history and circumstances.
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If you’re unsure about any advice you’ve been given, don’t be afraid to contact HM Passport Office again. Speaking to a different adviser ultimately helped us resolve our application much more quickly.
