Applying for your first travel document?

In certain circumstances, individuals lawfully residing in the UK may not hold a national passport. Instead, they may be eligible for a UK-issued travel document to enable international travel.

There are different types of UK travel documents. When you are making the application, you must first select the correct travel document you are applying for.

Refugee Travel Document

Refugee travel document is a document issued under the provisions of the 1951 Refugee Convention. It is also called a Convention Travel Document.

You can apply for a refugee travel document if either you have been granted leave to remain as a refugee in the UK, or  you originally came to the UK on a family reunion visa to join someone who has refugee status.

If you are over the age of 15 and have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, your document will usually be valid for up to 10 years. If you have limited leave to remain,  your document will be valid until the end of your leave to remain in the UK.

The current application fee (as of November 2025) for a Refugee travel document is £94.50 for adults and £61.5 for children under 15.

Stateless Person’s Travel Document

Stateless Person’s travel document is a document issued under the provisions of the 1954 Statelessness Convention.

You can apply for a stateless person’s travel document if you have been recognised as stateless in the UK.

If you are over the age of 15 and have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, your document will usually be valid for up to 10 years. If you have limited leave to remain,  your document will be valid until the end of your leave to remain in the UK.

The current application fee (as of November 2025) for a Stateless Person’s travel document is £94.50 for adults and £61.5 for children under 15.

Certificate of Travel

The Certificate of Travel is designed for individuals lawfully residing in the UK who cannot obtain a passport from their country of nationality and who do not qualify for a refugee or stateless person travel document. This may apply if:

• You hold leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK, and your passport has expired, is full, or cannot be renewed because your national authorities are unable or unwilling to issue you with a new one;
• You have been refused a passport or travel document by your country’s authorities, despite having valid leave to remain or ILR;
• You have been granted Humanitarian Protection and the UK has accepted that you have a fear of your country’s authorities as part of your asylum application;
• You hold a family reunion visa as the family member of a person with Humanitarian Protection;
• You were born in the UK and your parent has been granted refugee status, and you have permission to stay in line with your parent’s status, but do not hold refugee status yourself; or

• You have an urgent or compelling reason to travel, and your country’s authorities are unable to issue a passport or emergency document promptly.

The current application fee (as of November 2025) for a Certificate of Travel is £300 for adults and £151 for children under 15.

One-Way Travel Document

An One-Way Travel Document is a travel document ffor a single journey out of the UK, and you cannot use it to come back. You can apply for a one way travel document the following apply:

• you are not a British citizen
• you do not have a valid passport or travel document from the country you’re from
• you are not in the process of being deported from the UK
• you want to leave the UK permanently
• you do not have outstanding criminal proceedings in the UK

The One-Way Travel Document will be valid for 12 months from the date it is issued.

The current application fee (as of November 2025) for a nOne-Way travel document is £94.50 for adults and £61.5 for children under 15.

Contact Us

If you need help applying for a Refugee Travel Document, Stateless Person’s Travel Document, Certificate of Travel or a One-Way Travel Document, speak with one of our immigration solicitors today. We will assess whether you qualify for a travel document, and advise you on which type of travel document is the right type for your circumstances. We can assist with making your travel document application.