Question about appearance change for passport renewal

Upvote:5

The uk.gov page you cite says a countersignature is required "...if your appearance has changed and you cannot be recognised from your existing passport."

This is your application. You must examine the older and the newer photos and your current appearance, and make a decision about how to proceed:

  • If you think you're still recognizable as the same person as in your previous passport's photo, then submit the new photo without a countersignature.

  • On the other hand, if you think (or know) you might not be recognisable as the same person, then you should obtain a countersignature.

You might show the photos to someone you trust and ask their opinion. The safe choice is get a countersignature, but this is more trouble than not getting a countersignature. Having no countersignature, however, risks having your application rejected. You should consider how risk-tolerant or intolerant you are, and how quickly you need the passport...having your application rejected will require a reapplication, and increase the time before you have a new passport.

You're signing the application, and you must choose how to proceed.

EDIT 12-28-2021: As phoog correctly points out in comments, the UK page also states that a countersignature is required for an applicant's "first adult passport." Because the OP is now 18, this is their "first adult passport," and therefore for this application a countersignature is required.

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