This is one of those jobs that sounds simple until you are suddenly knee-deep in passport photos, old cards, birth certificates, and the deeply irritating question of who is meant to sign what.
So here is the useful version.
If you are renewing a child passport or a child Gibraltar ID card, the form you need depends on which document you are sorting. Take a look at our forms page for the following:
- Gibraltar Passport Application
- Identity Card Application
- Civilian Registration Card Application
- Lost or Stolen ID / Civilian Registration Card form
The official department splits Identity Cards and Civilian Registration Cards into separate forms, so it is worth checking you are opening the right one before you start filling things in.
1. If you are renewing a child's passport
For a child passport renewal, the Gibraltar passport guidance says you need the child renewal sections of the passport form, and a countersignatory must complete section 8 and sign one of the child's photos.
That is the bit people usually get stuck on.
Who signs the actual passport application?
For a child under 18, the declaration in section 7 should be signed by someone with parental responsibility.
The guidance says:
- if the parents are married, either parent can usually sign
- if the child's parent is under 18, they can still sign
- if the parents are not married, the mother can sign, and the father can usually sign only if he has the right parental responsibility paperwork or is named on the birth certificate and the birth was jointly registered in Gibraltar
- adoptive parents can sign
- step-parents can sign only if they are named on a parental order or parental responsibility agreement
- if the child is in care or living with a foster parent, the Care Agency's permission is needed
So the short version is: not just any helpful adult can sign it. It needs to be the person who actually has parental responsibility.
Does the child sign too?
Sometimes yes.
The passport guidance says:
- if the passport is for a child aged 12 or over, the child should sign the passport signature box in section 7
- if the child is under 12, nobody should sign that passport signature box
That is separate from the declaration signed by the parent or other person with parental responsibility.
2. Who can countersign a child's passport?
This is the other awkward bit.
For a child passport, the countersignatory is not just confirming the photo. The official guidance says they must also confirm that they have known, for at least two years, the adult who signed the declaration and that this adult has parental responsibility for the child.
The guidance says the countersignatory must:
- be a professional person, including retired professionals
- be someone like a teacher, accountant, engineer, civil servant, police officer, bank official, or minister of religion
And they must not:
- be related to you by birth or marriage
- be in a personal relationship with you
- live at your address
- work for the Department of Immigration & Home Affairs
So if you are standing there wondering whether Grandma, your best mate, or your partner's brother can do it, the answer is generally no.
The safest sort of person is usually a teacher, accountant, civil servant, police officer, or another established professional who knows the signing parent properly.
3. What usually needs to go in with a passport renewal?
The official passport guidance says:
- use the Gibraltar passport application form
- send original supporting documents, not photocopies
- include two photos
It also says they recommend renewing a passport 7 months before expiry, which is useful if you have summer travel looming and would rather not do the admin in a blind panic.
The current fee listed on the Government page for a minor passport is GBP51.50.
4. If you are renewing a child's Gibraltar ID card
For a standard Gibraltar Identity Card, the official form says:
- applications for people aged 15 or over must be signed by the applicant
- applications for people aged under 15 must be signed by one parent or legal guardian
So the signing rule here is much simpler than the passport one.
There is no separate countersignatory section on the Identity Card form like there is on the passport form.
What usually has to go in with an ID renewal?
The current identity card guidance says:
- for renewal of an expired ID card with no change of particulars: expired ID card and passport
- for renewal with a change of particulars: expired ID card plus documentary evidence of the change
- for lost or stolen replacements: police report
It also says the electronic system does not allow renewals more than 6 months before expiry without keeping the same expiry date, so there is not much point renewing very early.
The current Government fees page lists:
- GBP15.50 for renewals or change of particulars
- GBP31 for lost or stolen cards
- GBP36 for new applications
5. What about a Civilian Registration Card?
If your child has a Civilian Registration Card rather than a standard Identity Card, the signing rule on the current form is the same basic idea:
- age 15 or over: applicant signs
- age under 15: one parent or legal guardian signs
The current Civilian Registration Card guidance also says renewals are best left until the card has 6 months or less left, otherwise the new expiry date will simply match the old one.
6. The actually useful checklist
Before you head off to sort it, gather:
- the correct form from our Forms page
- the child's current passport or card, if there is one
- the child's passport photos
- the signing parent or guardian's details
- any supporting documents for name changes or other changed particulars
- a countersignatory as well, if this is a child passport application
If the old card has been lost or stolen, get the police report sorted early rather than discovering that halfway through.
The short version
- Child passport: person with parental responsibility signs the declaration, and a countersignatory must complete section 8 and sign one of the child's photos
- Child passport age 12+: the child signs the passport signature box too
- Child passport under 12: the child does not sign that box
- Identity Card or Civilian Registration Card under 15: one parent or legal guardian signs
- Identity Card or Civilian Registration Card age 15+: the child signs
Which is all very admin-heavy, yes. But once you know which document you are dealing with, it gets much less mysterious.
Save these links
- Forms page on Kids on the Rock
- Passports and Nationality - HM Government of Gibraltar
- Applying for a Passport - Guidance Notes (PDF)
- ID cards & Civilian registration cards - HM Government of Gibraltar
One last thing
Government forms and fees do change, and document rules can get fiddly if there is shared custody, adoption, a name change, or a court order in the mix.
So use this as the practical starting point, then double-check the official page before you queue up, print photos, or promise yourself this will only take ten minutes.