VisaSt Helena offers appointments to help residents complete passport forms
The July 2026 notice identifies three assistance locations and the current submission office. Applicants remain responsible for signatures and supporting documents.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Book help separately from submitting the application
St Helena’s Customs and Immigration Office announced expanded passport-form assistance on 8 July 2026. Help with British citizen and British overseas territories citizen (BOTC) passport forms is available through the Community College, Public Library and Career Access St Helena office at the Education Learning Centre in Jamestown. The published assistance sessions run Monday to Wednesday, 9.30 am to 1 pm, by appointment. Call 22580 for the library or 22607 for the college and careers office.
The notice identifies the Immigration and Customs Office at Ruperts as the submission office. Its immigration desk accepts drop-ins Monday and Friday, 9 am to 3 pm, with appointments on the other weekdays; the published booking number is 22287. It also confirms secure forwarding of British passport applications to His Majesty’s Passport Office and an 18.80 pound handling charge payable at the Post Office. Applicants remain responsible for signatures and evidence.
Allow for UK printing and check older turnaround estimates
A separate St Helena passport notice dated 5 April 2022 explains that both British and BOTC passports are printed in the United Kingdom. It describes British applications being checked locally and sent and returned by diplomatic mail, with an approximate three-month interval from dispatch. For BOTC applications checked locally and transmitted electronically, it gives six to eight weeks from dispatch. These are dated planning estimates, not a verified November 2026 service guarantee or a clock starting when someone first books assistance.
That notice also describes an individually assessed temporary passport for genuine emergency travel, such as a medical referral, valid for one year. An urgent holiday booking does not itself establish eligibility. The office says it cannot assist with foreign-national passports; those holders need their own issuing authority. The notice’s office location and telephone are historical; use current contact arrangements before attending. It also records a past airline recognition problem, illustrating why a production estimate alone cannot settle every onward journey’s requirements.
The older BOTC procedure separates issue fees from handling
The government’s 27 November 2017 BOTC procedure explains the local application and payment stages before the file is sent to the UK for production and returned to the island. It directs applicants to complete the BOTC form, supply supporting documents and retain the receipt proving payment. The applicant is notified when the passport is available for collection. This helps distinguish filing, overseas printing and collection; none is completed merely by attending a form-assistance appointment.
The 2017 notice lists 60 pounds for an adult BOTC full passport,30 pounds for a child under sixteen and 40 pounds for a temporary passport for either age group. Issue and handling charges are separate. Confirm the current issue price and which charges apply to the selected passport type before paying; this older publication alone cannot confirm today’s tariff. The historical Ogborn House address should also be checked before attending.
Prepare paper photographs to the official standard
For a British passport application using a paper form, the UK government’s photographic guidance requires two identical printed photographs taken within the last month. They must measure 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, with the head from crown to chin between 29 mm and 34 mm. They should be clear, professionally printed in colour on plain white photographic paper, uncreased and unaltered. A cropped larger picture is not an acceptable substitute for the required print size.
The image must show the head and upper shoulders against plain cream or light grey, without other people, objects or shadows. Religious or medical head coverings are permitted if the face remains visible. Children under six need not look straight at the camera or maintain a neutral expression; those under one need not have open eyes, but a supporting adult’s hand must not appear. Send paper photographs loose and separate rather than attached to the form. Online applications use digital photographs instead, so establish the selected submission route before ordering prints.
