Dear Client,

We are pleased to present you with detailed instructions on processing your passport

application with us. Within this information pack you will find:

A list of the required documents for your application

Advisory processing times

Passport office fees

Return delivery services we offer

Other important information

Once you have completed the forms please send all the documents required to our London

office. We will send you a confirmation email when we have received your application.

If you have any questions, our Visa Consultants are available by email

visas@diversitytravel.co.uk or telephone 020 3544 3550 Monday – Friday 8.45am – 5.30pm.

For full terms and conditions on using our visa service please visit

www.diversitytravel.co.uk/visas/terms.pdf

Thank you for choosing Diversity Travel to process your visa applications.

Sincerely,

Diversity Travel Visa Department

You Have Requested:

Service: Renewal of an existing British Passport

Important Information:

If you have two valid passports the process of renewal will be different . Please contact us for further information.

All documents should be issued and signed within last month. Please contact us before sending paperwork through so we can confirm all the details as all applications are being paid upfront at the Passport Office.

Documents Required:

1. Passport

2. Two Passport Photo • Biometric information is obtained from the photos, so there are very specific requirements

that must be adhered to (please see Passport Photo Guidance document attached). The photos must:

o Be identical o Have a light grey/cream background o Have been taken within the last month o Be in colour o Be 45mm x 35mm in size o Distance between the crown of your head and chin should be between 29mm – o 34mm o The face cannot be covered in any way e.g. by hair or a headscarf o It is advisable to remove glasses as reflections in the lenses can cause the photos to o be rejected o Photos that have been printed at home will not be accepted

You Need To Fill Out:

3. Letter of Authorisation • We require authorisation from the passport holder in order to lodge and collect the passport

on their behalf. A template of the letter has been attached. Please leave the agent’s name blank so we can add the name of the person who will collect the passport.

4. Application Form One fully completed application form, which can be obtained from a local post office The form should be completed in black ink. Any other colour will be rejected.

5. Visa Booking Form

One fully completed visa booking form

Additional Requirements If Your Appearance Has Changed:

6. Counter-Signatory • All second passport applications need to be counter signed the following additional requirements are needed:

o The application form should be signed by a counter-signatory in the relevant section. o For more details on who can act as a counter-signatory please refer to

www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/Applicationinformation/DG_174151 o The counter-signatory should also certify one of the photos o Sign the back of the photo stating ‘I certify that this is a true likeness of (Mr,Mrs, Ms or

other title followed by the applicants full name)

Processing Times and Fees Diversity Travel Processing Fees We charge £45+VAT handling fee per application. Processing Times The processing times starts from when we attend the appointment. During peak periods during the summer and leading up to Christmas there can be delays of up to 2 weeks for the next available appointment.

Processing Time Passport Pages Passport Office Fees (£)

Fast-track service – 7 working days

32 Page 103.00

48 Page 111.00

Premium Service – 24 Hours

32 Page 128.00

48 Page 137.00

Dispatch and Delivery Methods

To Diversity Travel

We recommend that items be sent to us by Royal Mail Special Delivery service or other secure and

traceable delivery services. Our opening hours to receive applications are between 8.45am – 5.30pm

Monday – Friday.

From Diversity Travel

We can return the passport to you by Royal Mail Special Delivery, DHL or UPS. There is no consequential

loss coverage for next day couriers (Special Deliver, DHL and UPS).

We also have a same day bike service or it is possible to collect from our office.

For urgent applications or if there would be a significant financial loss should the passport be delayed we

recommend using the same day bike service or collecting from our office.

The fees for returning your passport are listed below. Please clearly indicate your preferred return

delivery method on the Visa Booking Form.

www.diversitytravel.co.uk/visas/despatch.pdf

Please send your documents to our London Office address:

Diversity Travel Ground floor 9/10 Staple Inn Holborn London WC1V 7QH

Once we have received your application we will send you a confirmation email with a

quote and breakdown of the costs.

Your application will be submitted, at the Embassy, on the next available day. To have

your application submitted on the same day we receive it in our office, please contact us.

If we have any questions or if we need additional information we will contact you directly.

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VISA BOOKING FORM

Please complete this form and send it with your visa application. The form will provide us with important information about your application such as who we need to contact and the urgency of your application.

Please send all applications to:

Diversity Travel Ground Floor 9/10 Staple Inn Holborn London WC1V 7QH Contact Details:

Telephone: 020 3544 3550 Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 8.45am – 5.30pm Website: www.diversitytravel.co.uk/visas Email: visas@diversitytravel.co.uk Applicant details and visas required:

Name of applicant(s)

Please list the countries that you require visa(s) for

Which organisation are you travelling with and who should we contact about the application?

Name of the organisation that the applicant is travelling with

Contact name

Telephone Email

Flight details/deadline:

Diversity Travel flight reference Date of travel

Date that the passport must be in your possession * Express Service †

*We will use this date to determine whether it is necessary to place the application on an express service. †Our visa pack will detail whether an express service is available for the respective embassy. Please view the visa pack and then detail the speed of service you require. Please note: The decision on whether or not a visa is issued is at the discretion of the respective embassy. We strongly recommend that you do no commit to any non refundable costs for your trip until your visa and passport are in your possession. For full terms and conditions please view www.diversitytravel.co.uk/visas/terms.pdf

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Delivery Method – For clients based outside of London we normally send the passport back on a next day delivery with Royal Mail Special Delivery. For clients based within London it can be cost effective to have the passports returned using a same day bike courier. For full details of the associated delivery charges and Royal Mail consequential loss coverage please view www.diversitytravel.co.uk/visas/despatch.pdf

Next day delivery within the United Kingdom: Other delivery options :

*Royal Mail offer coverage on items that are sent using their Special Delivery service. Please view the information on www.diversitytravel.co.uk/visas/despatch.pdf and detail your required coverage in the box. This coverage is subject to Royal Mail’s terms and conditions. Delivery address:

Name:

Company:

Address:

Address:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone number at delivery address:

Payment details : Please tick :

We hold a credit account with Diversity please invoice

If applicable please provide payment codes/purchase order †

Please call me I will pay by debit/credit card‡

†If you hold a credit account with Diversity Travel and your organisation requires payment codes (purchase order numbers, costs centres etc.) we will require this before returning the passport ‡A surcharge of 2% is added to credit card transactions and 3% for American Express. There is no surcharge for debit cards. Please enter any additional instructions here:

Royal Mail Special Delivery 9am

Same day bike courier

Royal Mail Special Delivery 1pm

International delivery - DHL

Royal Mail Consequential Loss Coverage (£1K, £2,5K, £5K, £7.5K £10K)*

I will come to collect the passport from your office

DHL

Please contact me once the visa issued to confirm the delivery method

PLEASE DO NOT USE COMPANY LETTER HEAD PAPER 

 

PLEASE TYPE DATE HERE     

 

 

Re: Permission to collect my passport 

 

Dear Sir/Madam 

 

I TYPE APPLICANT’S FULL NAME HERE date of birth TYPE APPLICANT’S DATE OF BIRTH HERE give 

consent to Ioulia Kanoute, Bridget Bowes, Peter Kuypers, Daniel Hall or Iftikhar Khan to submit and 

collect my passport. 

Should you have any questions on this matter please contact me on TYPE APPLICANT’S CONTACT 

NUMBER HERE.  

 

 

Yours Sincerely 

 

APPLICANT’S ORIGINAL SIGNATURE HERE 

 

TYPE APPLICANT’S FULL NAME HERE 

Passport photographs All passport applications must include two identical recent photographs. The photographs you send us must meet internationally agreed standards and must be a true likeness of you. The guidance in the following pages will help you send us acceptable photographs, and will help avoid the need for us to ask for more photographs.

The photographs must be:

• identical;

• in colour, not black and white;

• taken within the last month;

• taken against a light grey or cream background;

• 45 millimetres (mm) high x 35 millimetres (mm) wide (however, please do not trim your photographs to meet this condition);

• a close-up of your head and shoulders with a recommended head height (the distance between the bottom of your chin and the crown of your head, not the top of any hair visible) between 29 and 34mm, with the eyes in the grey shaded band. This should result in the capture of a useable biometric element by our system. The diagram below shows the positioning of the head within the image, along with the recommended head size (not to scale). The Check & Send service at selected Post Office® branches includes a check to ensure that once your photograph is scanned there are sufficient characteristics for the biometric element to be recorded accurately.

• undamaged, for example; not torn, creased, or marked;

• free from shadows;

• taken with your eyes open and clearly visible (with no sunglasses or tinted glasses, and no hair across your eyes);

• free from reflection or glare on your glasses, and the frames must not cover your eyes (where possible, we recommend that you remove your glasses to avoid the possibility of rejections);

• free from ‘Redeye’;

• of you facing forward, looking straight at the camera;

• with a neutral expression, your mouth must be closed (no grinning, frowning or raised eyebrows);

• of you on your own (no babies’ dummies, toys or other people visible);

• taken of the full head, without any covering, unless it is worn for religious beliefs or medical reasons;

• taken with nothing covering your face.

The photographs must:

• be in sharp focus and clear;

• have a strong definition between face and background; and

• be printed professionally. Photographs printed at home are not likely to be of an acceptable quality. Photographs that are digitally amended to meet our requirements are likely to be unsuitable for passport purposes as the amendment can change the facial image. This may mean that the photograph is no longer a “true” likeness and the biometric captured from such photographs is unusable and may disrupt travel.

If your application needs to be countersigned, please ask your countersignatory to certify only one of your photographs, the second photograph must be left blank.

Children

Photographs for children aged six and over must meet the full standards set out in this guide.

Photographs of children five years and under must show a clear image that is a true likeness of the child. As young children can be difficult to photograph, children aged five and under do not need to have a neutral expression or to look directly at the camera, but they must face forward.

In addition to the exceptions above, babies under one year old do not need to have their eyes open (however it is preferable for eyes to remain open). All other standards must be met. If the baby’s head needs to be supported, it is important that your supporting hand cannot be seen.

If you have real difficulty in meeting these conditions, you should visit a photographic studio rather than a photo booth.

Photographic Examples

The following photographs are for guidance only. They give an indication of the type of photographs that are acceptable to the Identity & Passport service; it also provides examples of the differing types that would fail the examination process, with the reasons for failure.

Please note that it is your responsibility to provide photographs of a suitable quality that conform to our guidelines. You will be asked for additional photographs if the originals do not reach the required standard, this will delay your application. If you choose to use a professional photographer please ensure that you are happy that the photographer is aware of the standards required, particularly that the photo will not show a white background once printed.

Please also note that photographs become part of our official records and we will not return them.

Good Good Good

Acceptable

Where possible, it is preferable to remove glasses to avoid any possibility of your photo being rejected

Acceptable

Head coverings for religious or medical grounds are allowed

Acceptable

Where possible, it is preferable to remove glasses to avoid any possibility of your photo being rejected

The following examples would be rejected by our staff as they do not conform to either the Identity & Passport Service, or internationally agreed standards;

Not acceptable

The glasses cover the eye

Not acceptable

Dark glasses obscure the eyes, and smiling

Not acceptable

Covering of facial features is not permitted

Not acceptable

Any dummies should be removed before the photo is taken

Not acceptable

Hair covering the face is not permitted

Not acceptable

The scarf creates a shadow, which obscures the facial detail

Not acceptable

Hats are not permitted

Not acceptable

The photograph is too blurred to capture any facial detail

Not acceptable

The background is not light grey or cream

Not acceptable

The photograph contains more than one person

Not acceptable

Portrait style photographs are not permitted

Not acceptable

Although facing the camera, the subject is not looking directly forward

Not acceptable

The subject is neither facing or looking directly forward

Not acceptable

Laughing or smiling distorts the normal facial features

Not acceptable

Opening the mouth distorts the normal facial features

Not acceptable

Even a slight smile distorts the normal facial features

Not acceptable

The subject is too far from the camera

Not acceptable

The subject is too close to the camera

More help

If you need more advice, or if you have a disability that means you cannot meet one or more of our requirements, please contact the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000.