Immigration Corner | How to prevent a British passport from being issued

Dear Mr Bassie,

I am very fearful that the father of my child, who is in my care, may remove him from the United Kingdom, the country of his birth,+ without my permission. He has threatened to obtain a passport for him. I would be grateful for any advice that you can provide.

– G.G.

Dear G.G.,

A person should contact the police if a child that he/she is responsible for is at risk of being taken out of the United Kingdom without their consent. With respect to stopping someone getting a passport, persons might be able to stop a child or a vulnerable person getting a passport. Persons may want to do this if they think their child may be abducted and taken overseas by their other parent or someone who has parental responsibility.

Persons may also want to prevent a passport being obtained if a relative is vulnerable, for example he/she has a mental disability, and they do not think it would be safe for them to have a passport. Persons who are concerned about these issues should contact the police or social services. Please note, persons should not stop a child’s passport if he/she has already been taken overseas. This is because it makes the process of getting back the child harder and may also be against the law.

Persons should contact Her Majesty’s Passport Office to find out if it will be possible to stop someone from getting a passport. Persons should be aware that Her Majesty’s Passport Office will usually only stop a passport if it has a court order to do so.

Her Majesty’s Passport Office

Passport Adviceline

Online enquiry form

Telephone: 0300 222 0000

Textphone: 0300 222 0222

Text Relay: 18001 0300 222 0000

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

If persons live in England or Wales and the child is taken, they should find out who to contact if they want to try to get their child returned if they have been taken abroad or are being kept abroad without their permission. Those persons should try to arrange contact with their child who is in another country and get a court order for contact enforcement.

Please note that if the child normally lives in Scotland, those persons should contact the Central Authority for Child Abduction in Scotland. If persons reside in Northern Ireland, they should contact the Courts and Tribunals Service.

Just for completeness, if persons reside in a country outside of the United Kingdom and they have been taken to England or Wales, they should contact the central authority in the country where they live and seek assistance.

I hope this helps.

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com