How to Renew a British Passport in California

Updated February 19, 2021 -- Please see COVID-19 section on the bottom of the page for the latest information regarding British passport renewals in California.

California is the most iconic of America’s 50 states and is well-known the world over for its Hollywood movies, Silicon Valley companies, agricultural products, beaches, and mountains.  With a population approaching 40 million residents, California is the most-populous state in the United States and contains four cities that rank in the top 25 most-populous metropolitan areas in the country: Los Angeles, San Francisco (Bay Area), San Diego, and Sacramento.  Despite its large population, California has plenty of wide-open spaces and abundance of natural resources.  The state is the largest producer of food in the United States and has some of the country’s most beautiful national parks.

The British are no strangers to this part of the country and have been coming to California for centuries starting when English sea captain, Sir Francis Drake, anchored near the San Francisco Bay and claimed California for England in 1579.  Known as the “Golden State”, California has been a magnet for immigrants and newcomers seeking their fame and fortune ever since gold was discovered in 1848 near Sacramento.  Today the state of California is an economic powerhouse with a $3.2 trillion economy, making it about the size of the combined economies of the United Kingdom, Greece, and New Zealand.  An estimated 300,000 British live long-term in California and over 1 million visit the state each year from the United Kingdom.

Renewing a British Passport in California

The state of California has two British consulates located in Los Angeles and San Francisco, however, all the British consulates in the United States (and embassy in Washington, D.C.) no longer issue 10-year British passports.  British passports are issued by Her Majesty’s Passport Office in the United Kingdom and British living in California must renew their passport online through the U.K. government website and then ship all the necessary documents to Durham, England.    

The online application is easy to complete.  The government provides a checklist of the documents required to renew your passport once you have completed their application.  They will also provide you with their shipping address in the United Kingdom.  Please note that a digital photo is now required for your British passport and paper photos are no longer accepted.  The following video created by the government explains how to take a digital photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&time_continue=1&v=JWbfnOYmx6I&feature=emb_logo

Emergency Assistance for British Citizens in California

If you are a U.K. citizen with an emergency or require urgent assistance and you live in Southern California, you can reach the consulate in Los Angeles by calling +1 310-789-0031.  If you live in Northern California and have an emergency, you can reach the consulate in San Francisco by calling + 1 415-617-1300   Although the British consulates in Los Angeles and San Francisco do not issue 10-year passports, they can provide a limited validity emergency passport if you are stuck abroad and need to return quickly to the United Kingdom.  

Here is the physical address of the consulate in Los Angeles:

British Consulate General Los Angeles
2029 Century Park East, Suite 1350
Los Angeles CA 90067
USA

And here is the physical address of the consulate in San Francisco:

British Consulate General San Francisco
1 Sansome Street, Suite 850
San Francisco CA 94104
USA

We Can Help if You Need Assistance

If you have difficulty applying online for a British passport and require assistance with this process, please give our office a call at 404-682-5445 or schedule an appointment with our company.  We are a private agency in the United States providing British passport services to U.K citizens living in North America.  Our number one goal is to ensure your application documents for a passport are submitted accurately to Her Majesty’s Passport Office in the United Kingdom.  Our services eliminate delays and give you the peace of mind to focus on your travel plans.  

We provide the following British passport services for our customers:

  • Adult Renewal Red UK Passport (age 16 and over)
  • Adult Name Change in an Existing Red UK Passport (age 16 and over)
  • Adult Damaged UK Passport Replacement (age 16 and over)
  • Adult Replacing a Lost or Stolen UK Passport (age 16 and over)
  • Adult First UK Passport or Renewing an Old Black/Blue Passport (age 16 and over)
  • Adult Secondary UK Passport (age 16 and over)
  • Child Damaged UK Passport (under the age of 16)
  • Child Replacing a Lost or Stolen UK Passport (under the age of 16)
  • Child Renewal UK Passport (under the age of 16)
  • Child First UK Passport (under the age of 16)
  • UK Emergency Travel Document (Emergency Passport)

 

COVID-19 Update

The current processing time for British passports is four to six weeks.  If you live in the state of California and cannot wait four to six weeks for a new passport because you have an emergency, your only option is to schedule an appointment at the British consulate in Los Angeles or San Francisco and appear in person at their office to apply for an emergency travel document (emergency passport).  Please be aware that appointments are limited and restrictions apply.  You can review the U.K. government’s website for more details: Get an emergency travel document - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)