A process for the preparation of urea, comprising producing ammonia according to the steps of (a) providing a hydrocarbon material; (b) subjecting the hydrocarbon material to catalytic partial oxidation so as to produce a CPO gas stream comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, wherein the catalytic partial oxidation is Short Contact Time Catalytic Partial Oxidation (SCT-CPO) with a space velocity of 100,000 to 250,000 hr -1 and a catalyst surface temperature above 950 °C, wherein the catalytic partial oxidation is conducted under the influence of an oxygen-containing gas stream, and is operated with a steam to carbon ratio (S/C) in the range of 0.4-0.6 and an oxygen to carbon ratio (O/C) in the range of 0.5-0.7 and wherein the catalytic partial oxidation reaction involves catalyzed partial oxidation of hydrocarbon into CO and H 2; (c) providing an SR gas stream obtained by the steam reforming of a hydrocarbon feed material in a steam reformer, wherein the ratio of the CPO gas stream to the SR gas stream is in the range from 1.2 to 0.8 (vol%/vol%), wherein said steam reforming involves mixing a gas stream obtained by desulphurization of a hydrocarbon feed material with steam, and feeding the resulting stream to a steam reforming reactor, wherein the syngas from the outlet of the steam reforming reactor is introduced into a secondary reformer together with a process air stream; (d) subjecting the CPO gas stream and the SR gas stream to a water gas shift reaction so as to react carbon monoxide with water under the formation of a WGS gas comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide; (e) subjecting the separate gas streams to a mixing step, either before or after the WGS reaction, so as to provide a mixed WGS gas, wherein the mixed gas comprises synthesis gas from catalytic partial oxidation (CPO stream) and synthesis gas from steam reforming (SR stream) in a ratio CPO-stream: SR-stream ranging from 1.2 to 0.8 vol%/vol%; (f) subjecting the mixed WGS gas to a hydrogen enrichment step by removing CO 2 from the gas mixture comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide, so as to obtain removed CO 2 and a hydrogen enriched stream; (g) reacting the hydrogen enriched stream with nitrogen under ammonia forming conditions, so as to produce ammonia, wherein the process for the preparation of urea further comprises (h) reacting the ammonia with said removed CO 2 under urea-forming conditions to form urea. (a) providing a hydrocarbon material; (b) subjecting the hydrocarbon material to catalytic partial oxidation so as to produce a CPO gas stream comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, wherein the catalytic partial oxidation is Short Contact Time Catalytic Partial Oxidation (SCT-CPO) with a space velocity of 100,000 to 250,000 hr -1 and a catalyst surface temperature above 950 °C, wherein the catalytic partial oxidation is conducted under the influence of an oxygen-containing gas stream, and is operated with a steam to carbon ratio (S/C) in the range of 0.4-0.6 and an oxygen to carbon ratio (O/C) in the range of 0.5-0.7 and wherein the catalytic partial oxidation reaction involves catalyzed partial oxidation of hydrocarbon into CO and H 2; (c) providing an SR gas stream obtained by the steam reforming of a hydrocarbon feed material in a steam reformer, wherein the ratio of the CPO gas stream to the SR gas stream is in the range from 1.2 to 0.8 (vol%/vol%), wherein said steam reforming involves mixing a gas stream obtained by desulphurization of a hydrocarbon feed material with steam, and feeding the resulting stream to a steam reforming reactor, wherein the syngas from the outlet of the steam reforming reactor is introduced into a secondary reformer together with a process air stream; (d) subjecting the CPO gas stream and the SR gas stream to a water gas shift reaction so as to react carbon monoxide with water under the formation of a WGS gas comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide; (e) subjecting the separate gas streams to a mixing step, either before or after the WGS reaction, so as to provide a mixed WGS gas, wherein the mixed gas comprises synthesis gas from catalytic partial oxidation (CPO stream) and synthesis gas from steam reforming (SR stream) in a ratio CPO-stream: SR-stream ranging from 1.2 to 0.8 vol%/vol%; (f) subjecting the mixed WGS gas to a hydrogen enrichment step by removing CO 2 from the gas mixture comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide, so as to obtain removed CO 2 and a hydrogen enriched stream; (g) reacting the hydrogen enriched stream with nitrogen under ammonia forming conditions, so as to produce ammonia, wherein the process for the preparation of urea further comprises (h) reacting the ammonia with said removed CO 2 under urea-forming conditions to form urea.