Whilst based overseas, you may need to renew/amend/replace an existing passport.

Please note: The UK Identity and Passport Service (IPS) deals with all passport applications from British nationals resident in the UK. The relevant forms are available on the Identity and Passport Service website.

As part of the global rationalisation of the overseas passport process, passport production will move from Fiji on 2 November, to the Regional Passport Production Centre (RPPC) situated at the British High Commission, Wellington.  All British passports in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, including the Fiji Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru, will now be issued at the RPPC in Wellington. Similar changes are being made to the overseas passport operation in North and South America and Europe. Further changes are planned for other regions in the world in due course.

Therefore, the Passport/Consular Section of the British High Commission in Suva no longer processes British passport applications for applicants visiting or resident in the Fiji Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru (although we do still provide a Temporary/Emergency Passport service).

With the introduction of the Regional Passport Production Centre in Wellington, all passports are processed and produced by the Regional Passport Production Centre at the British High Commission in Wellington, New Zealand.

How do I apply?
You should check on the current passport fees (in New Zealand Dollars).  If you wish to pay by credit card you should download and complete the credit card payment form and read the information on the application process

Once you are satisfied your application has been completed correctly, appropriate documentation is included with the application, photos are attached, and the credit card form is completed and attached to the application form you should forward the package including a return international courier pack to:

Wellington Regional Passport Production Centre
British High Commission
44 Hill Street
Thorndon
Wellington
New Zealand 6011

If you do not have a credit card you may submit your application form to the British High Commission in Suva and pay your fee in Fijian Dollars. We will then forward the application to the Wellington processing centre on your behalf. There is a forwarding fee of Fijian Dollars 88 for this service.

Provided applications are correctly documented with the relevant fee, we aim to deliver our service within the following timeframes:

Submitted directly to the RPPC in Wellington: 3-4 weeks

Submitted via the British High Commission in Suva: 4-6 weeks

Timings are approximate and cannot be guaranteed.

Please allow sufficient time before travelling for your passport to be returned. It is not advisable to make firm travel plans until you have received your passport.

Forthcoming changes on requirements for certain categories of passport applicants
During 2007 the UK Identity and Passport Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through their Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates, began the introduction of interviews for certain categories of passport applicants. This significant change is designed to help stop fraudulent passport applications by improving the integrity and security of British passports. The key benefits of the change were to:

·         help fight passport fraud and forgery;

·         help protect the UK public from identity theft; and

·         ensure the British passport stays one of the most secure and respected in the world.

Building on the initial introduction of interviews we will also gradually be introducing compulsory interviews for the following passport applicants:

·         certain customers who are applying for a British passport for the first time;

·         customers applying for a replacement passport following the loss or theft of numerous passports in a short period; and

·         those customers who change their name, except if that change follows marriage, civil partnership, divorce or dissolution.

In addition to the above the following customers will be required to supply full documentation as if they where applying for a passport for the first time:

·         customers who have not held a valid British passport for more than 10 years;

·         customers who are renewing an old style Blue passport; and

·         customers holding a British Overseas Territories passport, other than Gibraltar.

For further details on what documentation will be required please see our pages for those applying for the first time: documents required.

Need to travel urgently?
If you need to travel urgently and cannot await the issue of a full passport, you can apply for a Temporary Passport (TP) (same procedure and form as full passports). A TP has a restricted validity but is machine readable and valid for travel through the United States of America under the Visa Waiver Scheme.  However, a TP cannot be issued as a first passport or to replace a previously issued TP. There are other restrictions.

Free passport for veterans
If you are a British passport holder and were born on or before 2 September 1929, you are eligible for a free passport. Applications for passports issued under this scheme may be submitted at the British High Commission Suva, but are only processed in the UK at the Liverpool Passport Office. Please contact us for an application form (as they are different from the overseas application forms available on our website).

Requirements for submitting an application in this category:

·         completed IPS application form;

·         2 passport size photographs (please see the requirements [PDF, 301KB, new window]); and

·         previous passport

Processing time: approximately 8-10 weeks. If you need to travel any sooner, you may apply for a temporary passport upon paying the relevant fee