A collective (or group) passport is an easy and cost-effective way for organised groups of young people to make foreign trips.
The group organiser is responsible for completing a Collective Passport application form and sending it to the UK Passport Office, however the cost of your collective passport will be bourne by NST, who will credit the amount you pay when applying, onto your final invoice balance. An application form can be downloaded from the UK Passport Office website.
Please note: identity cards are also necessary in some countries for students travelling on a Collective Passport.
Who can use a collective passport?
A collective passport is issued to approved groups of students, scouts, guides or other recognised youth organisations who plan to travel together on a trip overseas. There can be between five and 50 children and young persons on a collective passport. Everyone on the collective passport must be under 18 years old upon return to the United Kingdom and must also be a British national, which means one of the following:
- British citizen*
- British overseas territories citizen
- British overseas citizen
- British subject
- British protected persons
- British national (overseas).
*Note: Children born in the UK on or after 31 December 1982 may not have British nationality
For more information or to check nationality or for any exceptions to the above please contact the UK Passport Office’s 24-hour Passport Adviceline on 0870 521 0410 (UK Passport Office terms and conditions).
Each group must have a named adult Group Leader to accompany them when they travel. The UK Passport Office also recommend that groups name a Deputy Leader who could take over should the Leader become ill, for example, and was unable to travel*. This would avoid delays while the name of a new Leader was added to the collective passport.
*Note: The collective passport would become invalid if the Leader was unable to travel and a Deputy Leader had not been appointed.
Group Leaders and Deputy Leaders must be over 21 years old and hold a valid 10-year British passport.
The UK Passport Office website explains in more detail who can use a collective passport and how to apply for one.
