nightmare in Panama

[pW2]

I was robbed just before Christmas in Colon. Lost bag with passport, bank card and cash. Not hurt, so no real problem, I thought!
Then the problems started, phoned embassy in Panama to report loss of passport and ask about a replacement. Was told passports for Brits in the Caribbean and Americas are only issued from Washington, I´d have to apply there, she wasn´t interested in details of my stolen passport, that form should also be sent to Washington.
Thanks to the holliday season and bank security it was February before my new bank card arrived and I could start eating again. It also gave me the possibility to send off for a replacement passport.
The application arrived at the embassy in Washington on 10th Feb. Their web site gives 4 weeks as the time needed to issue a replacement passport.
After 5 weeks I tried to contact Washington, no joy. So I phoned the embassy in Panama to ask for help. They took all the details and said they would contact me. Nothing. So a week later I phoned again, to be told that my passport would be sent later that week, Washington would notify me of the tracking number, and the passport should be in Colon Monday or Tuesday of the next week. Nothing. So at the end of the next week I phoned Panama again. Told they would look into it and contact me. Nothing. So I waited another week and tried to talk to the woman in the embassy in Panama again. She was ´busy´. I waited and tried again. She was ´busy´.
It´s now 10 weeks since my application arrived in Washington. I´m not exactly young anymore and the worry and getting the runaround from the embassy in Panama is making me ill.
Where can I turn to find someone who can help me out of this nightmare?
Peter

 

[PlanB]

The government website is not specifically helpful to your predicament, but you might want to have a look at it anyway.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/Loststolenordamagedpassports
I don't know if you have plans to come back to the UK, but it does mention that the embassy where you are can give you temporary travel docs to get you back, where you can apply for a replacement.
Sorry can't be more help - good luck.

 

[jeremyshaw]

That sounds very poor service.

If you are UK resident still you could raise a complaint through your MP. But that would take time.

You could try emailing the embassy in Panama in the hope that would get to someone who might take action. britemb@cwpanama.net.

This page
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/our-embassy/contactus/makingcomplaint
gives details for raising issues with the passport service in Washington and has an email address too.

Good luck.

 

[maxi77]

Copy an correspondance to your MP, that should help stop things being placed in the too difficult bin for too long.

 

[Gerry]

We renewed our passports in Guatemala last year, they had to be sent to Mexico for printing!
One was returned within two weeks, the other was 'lost and took six. We found the British Embassy in Guatemala very helpful. They offered us a temporary passport but we decided to wait.I suggest that yo email the ambassador directly or at least try to make contact with his assistant. Maybe go in person to the embassy in Panama City, nothing like a face to face discussion...

Good luck!

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

 

[V1701]

Go and camp out at the embassy and insist on being seen if I were you. Good luck...

 

[hlb]

I always had two passports when doing al ot of traveling, saves all the grief.

 

[Phideaux]

I always had two passports when doing al ot of traveling, saves all the grief.

How can one get a second British passport? Is this straightforward or rather difficult?

 

[z1ppy]

its fairly easy but you will need a letter of support from an employer to confirm why you need 2 passports.

usually saying you travel to "incompatable countries" does the trick.

 

[hlb]

How can one get a second British passport? Is this straightforward or rather difficult?

I got mine in 1976, things might have changed, but I doubt it.

Tell them that you need one for going round embassies for visas, whilst your away with the other one.


Dont let on to anyone that you have two passports with you.

Very handy for when police or customs keep a passport for some reason.

Just come home on the other one, then ask (Cant remember) and get the other back.

Worked for me.

 

[pW2]

Many thanks for the suggestions and addies. I used them and, at last, I got someone to contact me. Washington says that my passport has been ready since the end of March, they sent it to Colon but it went back.
No indication of why they didn´t notify me of the tracking number so I would know when it arrived, and would be able to get it from the UPS office or why it took so long in the first place or why they didn´t contact me sooner when it was returned.
I didn´t spend a lot of time in the old Soviet Union before it collapsed under the weight of its politobeaurocracy but clearly Britain is following the same path. Not only are they inefficient but they are absorbing more and more of the country´s resourses for nothing more than building worthless empires of worthless paper pushers. Resourses the country needs for its very survival. Like any cancer that is completely out of control they are sucking the nations life blood, and will continue to do so until the host is dead and even then they will continue to feast on the corpse. Look at Russia.
Thanks again.
Peter

 

[pmyatt]

That sounds very poor service.

If you are UK resident still you could raise a complaint through your MP. But that would take time.

You could try emailing the embassy in Panama in the hope that would get to someone who might take action. britemb@cwpanama.net.

This page
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/our-embassy/contactus/makingcomplaint
gives details for raising issues with the passport service in Washington and has an email address too.

Good luck.

Why is it that this website requires a User Name and Password?

 

[rivonia]

Many thanks for the suggestions and addies. I used them and, at last, I got someone to contact me. Washington says that my passport has been ready since the end of March, they sent it to Colon but it went back.
No indication of why they didn´t notify me of the tracking number so I would know when it arrived, and would be able to get it from the UPS office or why it took so long in the first place or why they didn´t contact me sooner when it was returned.
I didn´t spend a lot of time in the old Soviet Union before it collapsed under the weight of its politobeaurocracy but clearly Britain is following the same path. Not only are they inefficient but they are absorbing more and more of the country´s resourses for nothing more than building worthless empires of worthless paper pushers. Resourses the country needs for its very survival. Like any cancer that is completely out of control they are sucking the nations life blood, and will continue to do so until the host is dead and even then they will continue to feast on the corpse. Look at Russia.
Thanks again.
Peter

Peter the thing to do is to go to the embassy and request an appoint ment with the commercial attache. If they ask what for say it is highly confidential

Peter

 

[Bajansailor]

Thats good news that you Finally heard back from the British embassy in Washington.
I suppose I am not surprised (in a way) at their inefficiency - here is another story involving them.
I received a phone call a couple of days ago from a young lady at the above mentioned Embassy.

The reason for calling? My Mother had submitted an application for a new British passport some weeks ago to them, and she had some queries before they could process it.
Used to be that a renewal application could be just handed in at the local Embassy here, but no, now everything has to be handled in Washington.

My Mum is of German origin, but has had a British passport now for almost 50 years.
However it seems like it has taken almost 50 years for the powers-that-be to realise that they apparently were missing various vital bits of information about my Mum, and they would like it now please for the record.

In particular, they wanted proof that she was officially registered in 1962 as a 'Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies', because they apparently dont have any record of it.
Fortunately, my Mum being a very thorough and meticulous lady still had this document stowed away safe, so I scanned it, and emailed it to the young lady at the Embassy.
This was 2 days ago, and not even a polite confirmation of receipt in return.

And as for the stereotype Julie Andrews Foreign Office accent (remember her and Omar Sharif in 'The Tamarind Seed'?), forget it. This lady spoke at staccato speed and had a Spanish accent so thick you could cut it in slabs, and it was very difficult to understand, even for me.
It took me a long time to ensure that I had written down her email address correctly after she told me it over the phone (yet she had mine on the application form, why couldn't she have emailed it?).
But if anybody else needs to have a contact person at the Washington Embassy, a name is better than nothing, and hers is Magaly Paredes, and her email address is magaly.paredes@fco.gov.uk

Good luck Peter, I hope you get your new passport soon.