16+

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Travel benefits
How to get your 16+ Oyster photocard
Full time education
Expiry
Using your Oyster card
Contact us

All 16 and 17-year-olds and some 18-year-olds can apply for a 16+ Oyster photocard.

Oyster photocard applications: Royal Mail industrial action

Due to industrial action by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in parts of Royal Mail's distribution network, there have been some delays in TfL receiving application forms for the 16+ Oyster photocard schemes and in Oyster photocards being delivered to customers.

We have drafted in extra staff to work during evenings and at weekends to ensure applications are processed as soon as possible after we receive them. However some applicants may find that their photocards take longer to arrive than the times indicated.

Until further notice, holders of existing Oyster photocards should present their card to bus drivers for visual inspection to continue to travel free. They can also use their existing photocards to travel free on trams.

We thank you for your patience

Travel benefits

A 16+ Oyster photocard allows you to buy 7 Day, monthly or longer Travelcards and Bus & Tram Passes at child rate and pay as you go at half the adult rate on bus, Tube, tram, DLR and London Overground services.

You can also apply for free travel on London's buses and trams if you:

Live in a London borough
Are in full time education
Were aged 18 on 31 August 2009

16 to 17 year-olds who do not have an Oyster photocard pay adult-rate fares.

*If you need to find out whether you live in a London borough, you can check your postcode or call our helpline on 0845 330 9876*

When you apply for an Oyster photocard, you will need to provide personal data such as name, address and date of birth.

Learn more about how we use your personal data

How to get your 16+ Oyster photocard

If you live in London

The easiest and quickest way to apply is to get an application form from a Post Office in Greater London and areas just beyond the boundary that are served by the London bus and Tube networks. All applications for 16+ Oyster photocards must be made at a Post Office.

You need:

A completed application form
Your valid Passport, ID card (from a European Economic Association country) or birth certificate as proof of age
A passport-sized photograph

If you are applying for free bus and tram travel:

You must be in full-time education
You must get your school or college to sign your application form. This can't be done before you have started your course for the current academic year
Take proof that you live within a London borough to the Post Office with the completed application form. This can be a utility bill, council tax bill or driving licence. These can be in your parent or guardian's name, but must be for the same address as your application. Mobile phone bills are not accepted as proof of address

You should submit your application at least two weeks before you need the Oyster photocard. If you already have a 16+ Oyster photocard with free travel concession and you want to apply for another year, you must submit your application by 16 September 2009 to ensure the concession is continuous.

If this is your first 16+ Oyster photocard application, or renewal of an exisiting 16+ Oyster photocard, or is your first application for the free bus and tram travel concession, there is no fee to pay. If you apply through the Post Office to replace a half-rate 16+ Oyster photocard or a 16+ Oyster photocard where the free travel concession has not expired or does not require renewal within the next six weeks, your application will be rejected.

Your Oyster photocard will be sent to the address provided on your application. If your Oyster photocard doesn't arrive within two weeks, please call 0845 330 9876*, quoting your application reference number.

If you live outside London

You can apply for a Non-resident 16+ Oyster photocard online which allows you to travel at half adult rate on bus, Tube, tram, DLR and London Overground services. Please allow three weeks for your application to be processed.

You will need to:

Supply a digital passport-type photo
Pay £5 by debit or credit card. This will be loaded on your photocard as credit to pay as you go and can be refunded if not used

Collecting your Oyster photocard

You will need to pick up your 16+ Oyster photocard when you arrive in London.

It can be collected from any Travel Information Centre. You will need to show proof of your date of birth in the form of a valid Passport, ID card (from a European Economic Association country) or birth certificate.

You must do this within two weeks of the collection date you chose when ordering.

Points to note for non-resident applications

The £5 fee will automatically be deducted from your parent/guardian's credit/debit card account even if your application is subsequently rejected because the photograph is unsuitable. If your application is successful the £5 will be added to your Oyster photocard so that you can use it to pay as you go
Your photocard will only be available at the travel information centre nominated by you, from the expected collection date you specify in your application, for a maximum period of 14 days, after which it will no longer be available for collection
You or your parent/guardian must present your original passport, ID card (from European Economic Area country) or birth certificate with date of birth as declared in this application when collecting your Oyster photocard

Full-time education

Full-time education means a minimum of 12 hours of guided learning per week for a minimum of 10 weeks on further education courses at Level 3 or below (up to and including A level or equivalent vocational qualifications).

This must be based at a school sixth form, sixth form college or Further Education college, or be part of a Learning and Skills Council funded Entry to Employment (E2E) or Programme Led Apprenticeship. The guided learning must take place between 09:00-18:00 Monday-Friday.

If you were 18 or over on 31 August prior to the start of the academic year and are following a Level 4 course (eg at a University or FE college) you should apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard instead.

Expiry

Your free travel concession will expire on the date printed on the front of your Oyster photocard. For applications made after 1 September 2009 this will usually be 30 September 2010. If your 18th birthday is after the free travel expiry date you'll be able to carry on using your Oyster photocard for half-rate travel until the day before your 18th birthday.

Using your Oyster photocard

You must touch in on the yellow card reader as you board a bus or at the tram stop. When using Tube, DLR or London Overground services, you must touch in on the yellow card reader at the start and touch out at the end of your journey. If you do not, you may be liable for a penalty fare and your Oyster photocard and travel concession may be withdrawn.

If your 16+ Oyster photocard will not activate the yellow reader, call the helpline on 0845 330 9876*

If you do not follow TfL's Behaviour Code or if you commit a crime on one of our vehicles, your concession and your Oyster photocard may be withdrawn.

Contact us

Duplicate cards - 0845 331 9872*

If your 16+ Oyster photocard has been lost or stolen, you will need to re-apply to get a duplicate. You will need to pay a non-refundable fee of £10. You must apply online or phone 0845 331 9872*. You cannot apply via the Post Office.

If your Oyster photocard is worn and more than two years old, you can get a duplicate free of charge by calling 0845 331 9872*
If you obtain a duplicate of a lost, stolen or damaged Oyster photocard, the original photocard will be stopped and will no longer work

Call the Oyster help line on 0854 330 9876* if:

Your Oyster 16+ photocard doesn't wotk
You have a query once your application has been submitted and you want to track its progress. Alternatively you can text your application reference number to 07624 809325. You will receive a response from our SMS service. Standard network charges apply
You have unused tickets or money to pay as you go on your Oyster card, you can apply for a refund by contacting Refunds, 55 Broadway, London SW1H 0BD or by calling 0845 330 9876*

* For BT residential customers, calls to the Oyster helpline will cost no more than 3.5p per minute, (current at August 2009). The price on non-BT phone lines may be different.

Leaflets

Travel discounts for children, teenagers and students (PDF 472KB)
Travel discounts with 16+ Oyster Photocard (PDF 1.6MB)
Terms and conditions of the 16+ Oyster photocard scheme

16+