Renewing a British passport when you are overseas

[Bajansailor]

For anybody who needs to renew their UK passport, and they are living / cruising in lands far away - please don't do as suggested on the Passport Office website re sending your passport back to London by courier, despite their assurances that they will process it in 4 weeks.

Rather, if at all possible, get yourself on an aeroplane and go and apply for that renewal in person, in London.

My UK passport does not expire until August, but I shall be going to the USA in July, so I thought it would be best to renew it early, as I have heard that the Americans are rather sticky about passports that are close to their expiry date.
So I applied on line, and the Passport Office people took GBP 149 from my credit card on the 28th February, and they received my application (with new photos and old passport) a few days later by courier.
Since then - nothing.
Every day when I log on to their website to check the status of my application, they recognise me and tell me that my application has been received, and they are 'processing'.
This has been going on for 7 weeks now. And now they have moved the goalposts and are saying that an application will take 'AT LEAST 4 weeks'.
I submitted a complaint on their online complaint form - or rather I had to submit it three times, as the first two times they came back with a nice personalised email to me asking for info that had already been provided......
The first reply from them was sent at 0300 hrs UTC last Monday morning, which is making me wonder if the Government have outsourced passport applications to India as well......
Received another reply from them yesterday, finally acknowledging receipt of my complaint (asking 'where is my passport?') - they said :

"Thank you for your enquiry.
The issue that you have raised has been entered into the complaints process and the relevant department will investigate this and respond to you directly.
You should expect to receive a reply within two weeks".

Hello? Its going to take them 9 weeks to tell me that there is something wrong with my application? What other reason could there be?

To add further insult to injury, I then did some more research on the website, and found that a standard application if you are in Britain costs about GBP 50 less, but if you spend an extra GBP 30 for 'Express' service, you can travel to London, hand in your application in the morning, and get your passport 4 hours later.
And that is still GBP 20 less than the cost of my application which has taken 7 weeks so far.

I talked to a couple of other English folk here who also applied for new passports recently, in the same fashion - one lady had confirmation that they had received her application 8 weeks earlier, and still nothing from them. She wanted to go back to England for Easter, but couldnt, as she is effectively stranded here now until she gets her passport. And a gentleman who has dual nationality was told he had to send the Passport Office his Bajan passport as well (why?) - he did so, 8 weeks ago, and he is grounded as well.

Hence if at all possible, please buy yourself a plane ticket from wherever you happen to be in the world, and take your application personally to the Passport Office. It will be a lot cheaper and much less stressfull in the long run.

 

[chinita]

Wow!

Sorry to hear that. The frustration must be enormous.

Thanks for the info and advice.

 

[duncan99210]

We've renewed passports from overseas by getting visitors to take the renewal paperwork back with them and submit it directly in UK. Costs less and the turnaround was a few days. The new passports were then posted to us in Greece by signed for post. Took about 10 days all in: if we'd had to post the paperwork back as well that would have added about five days to the turnaround.

 

[charles_reed]

For anybody who needs to renew their UK passport, and they are living / cruising in lands far away - please don't do as suggested on the Passport Office website re sending your passport back to London by courier, despite their assurances that they will process it in 4 weeks.

Rather, if at all possible, get yourself on an aeroplane and go and apply for that renewal in person, in London.

My UK passport does not expire until August, but I shall be going to the USA in July, so I thought it would be best to renew it early, as I have heard that the Americans are rather sticky about passports that are close to their expiry date.
So I applied on line, and the Passport Office people took GBP 149 from my credit card on the 28th February, and they received my application (with new photos and old passport) a few days later by courier.
Since then - nothing.
Every day when I log on to their website to check the status of my application, they recognise me and tell me that my application has been received, and they are 'processing'.
This has been going on for 7 weeks now. And now they have moved the goalposts and are saying that an application will take 'AT LEAST 4 weeks'.
I submitted a complaint on their online complaint form - or rather I had to submit it three times, as the first two times they came back with a nice personalised email to me asking for info that had already been provided......
The first reply from them was sent at 0300 hrs UTC last Monday morning, which is making me wonder if the Government have outsourced passport applications to India as well......
Received another reply from them yesterday, finally acknowledging receipt of my complaint (asking 'where is my passport?') - they said :

"Thank you for your enquiry.
The issue that you have raised has been entered into the complaints process and the relevant department will investigate this and respond to you directly.
You should expect to receive a reply within two weeks".

Hello? Its going to take them 9 weeks to tell me that there is something wrong with my application? What other reason could there be?

To add further insult to injury, I then did some more research on the website, and found that a standard application if you are in Britain costs about GBP 50 less, but if you spend an extra GBP 30 for 'Express' service, you can travel to London, hand in your application in the morning, and get your passport 4 hours later.
And that is still GBP 20 less than the cost of my application which has taken 7 weeks so far.

I talked to a couple of other English folk here who also applied for new passports recently, in the same fashion - one lady had confirmation that they had received her application 8 weeks earlier, and still nothing from them. She wanted to go back to England for Easter, but couldnt, as she is effectively stranded here now until she gets her passport. And a gentleman who has dual nationality was told he had to send the Passport Office his Bajan passport as well (why?) - he did so, 8 weeks ago, and he is grounded as well.

Hence if at all possible, please buy yourself a plane ticket from wherever you happen to be in the world, and take your application personally to the Passport Office. It will be a lot cheaper and much less stressfull in the long run.

Unfortunately, your stress could well continue - when I tried last year, to renew my UK Passport, in the 6-week window between my return from Finland and departure to Greece, I tried to set up such a "fast-track" application. To do so I had to phone up to make an appointment. The earliest appointment I could be given was 6 weeks from the date of phoning, when I was due to be on my way to LHR.
In the end, for an additional additional charge, I renewed my passport via the Foreign Office European Renewals Centre in Madrid. This went without hitch and the document was returned to me within 8 days of sending it off (not by Hellas Post but by courier).
If there are any errors on your application the bureaucrats will take great delight in punishing you by a farther delay.

Let's face it - the whole charade is another kleptocratic means of chiselling the unsuspecting Brit.

The UK is in breach of its common duty in not providing its citizens with proof of identity and needs to be taken to the European Court of Human Rights!!
That should give Farage an opportunity to show off his undoubted theatrical comic skills.

 

[rivonia]

We sent ours by DHL from Cyprus to DUBLIN were able to track it. Got the new one and the old one back THREE weeks later. Sorry to hear of your plight. Phone them perhaps?

Peter

 

[25931]

Unfortunately, your stress could well continue - when I tried last year, to renew my UK Passport, in the 6-week window between my return from Finland and departure to Greece, I tried to set up such a "fast-track" application. To do so I had to phone up to make an appointment. The earliest appointment I could be given was 6 weeks from the date of phoning, when I was due to be on my way to LHR.
In the end, for an additional additional charge, I renewed my passport via the Foreign Office European Renewals Centre in Madrid. This went without hitch and the document was returned to me within 8 days of sending it off (not by Hellas Post but by courier).
If there are any errors on your application the bureaucrats will take great delight in punishing you by a farther delay.

Let's face it - the whole charade is another kleptocratic means of chiselling the unsuspecting Brit.

The UK is in breach of its common duty in not providing its citizens with proof of identity and needs to be taken to the European Court of Human Rights!!
That should give Farage an opportunity to show off his undoubted theatrical comic skills.

- I have a Portuguese ID card (just like a credit card) I can travel around Europe including the UK and have such things as medical details available even when unconcious and it cost me €13. Admittedly I can't enter the USA but like most people I have no interest in so doing. If such a card were available as an option in Britain I'm sure that many people would be very happy.

 

[RAI]

If you are thinking of flying back to the UK for the "premium" 4 hour service, be aware that they will not send the application form to an address outside the UK. I had my sister in the UK pick up the application form from a central post office and post it to me. Then flew to Glasgow to renew my passport there. The declaration form, used on the website for people wanting to renew their passports from abroad, is not the same and cannot be used for the premium service. Anyway, you can't print out the declaration form until you have paid for the overseas service. It's all about saving money on consulates and charging more for less service.

 

[TQA]

I did mine three years ago from Grenada. The cost was an eye watering [ I AM Scottish ] $257 US.

Sent all the stuff to Washington DC USA and got it returned promptly, maybe 3 weeks from memory. Courier service both ways.

Shame if it has all gone PITON.

Mind you I also did it in St Lucia when I was cruising there in the 90s. Walked into the British High Commissioner's office and it was a while you wait service.

 

[BrianH]

- I have a Portuguese ID card (just like a credit card) I can travel around Europe including the UK and have such things as medical details available even when unconcious and it cost me €13. Admittedly I can't enter the USA but like most people I have no interest in so doing. If such a card were available as an option in Britain I'm sure that many people would be very happy.

You are joking, aren't you? Do you realise that you are proposing what has been shot down (National ID Card Programme and the Identity Register) in thunderous and vituperative debate as "substantial erosion of civil liberties". What other countries consider a perfectly normal and useful means of identification the inhabitants of the UK regard as the devil's spawn and extension of their continuing loss of freedom.

As you do, I use my Swiss Id. card - credit-sized - to travel anywhere in Europe and find it infinitely better than having to dig out one of my stiff-covered and larger passports.

 

[Tony Cross]

We've renewed passports from overseas by getting visitors to take the renewal paperwork back with them and submit it directly in UK. Costs less and the turnaround was a few days. The new passports were then posted to us in Greece by signed for post. Took about 10 days all in: if we'd had to post the paperwork back as well that would have added about five days to the turnaround.

That's what I plan to do this winter, mine expires next year.

 

[Sybarite]

We sent ours by DHL from Cyprus to DUBLIN were able to track it. Got the new one and the old one back THREE weeks later. Sorry to hear of your plight. Phone them perhaps?

Peter

It's a ridiculous situation. You have to pay courrier charges on both deliveries. When I previously renewed a passport they sent the old one back by courrier. We weren't there when they called, nor the two following times either. I was told I could collect it - depot 30 miles away. When I didn't, it was sent to the Embassy. I was phoned several times asking me to come to collect it. My final reply was rather short TBH.

 

[Koeketiene]

Renewing a British passport when you are overseas

Can't the British embassy or consulate - wherever you are - help you?

 

[vyv_cox]

Can't the British embassy or consulate - wherever you are - help you?

That was my thought, but maybe things are different now? My current passport was issued by the Madrid consul, posted and returned to Palma Mallorca in about a week total.

 

[RAI]

Can't the British embassy or consulate - wherever you are - help you?

Not any longer. There are new rules for UK passport renewal abroad.
I tried using my Belgium ID card to fly, but the Ryanair girl said that, as I was British, I had to use my passport. Just as well I had it with me.

 

[temptress]

We had similar problems. Seems the new money saving passport system is not working. In the end we made an appointment and flew back to London to complete. Total cost to us over 1k gap!

BTW if you go to the USA by the boat you must get a USA and B1/B2 visa before you get there. A process that makes renewing your UK passport seem simple!

 

[Bajansailor]

Well, I received a reply on Saturday afternoon from the Passport Office saying this :
----------------------------------
Thank you for your enquiry.

I can confirm that we received your application at our Durham office on 12/03/2014.

Your passport application is currently going through the examination process.

How long it takes :
Your application will take at least 4 weeks from when your declaration form is received by Her Majesty’s Passport Office in the UK.

Applications may take longer if:
HM Passport Office need to ask you for more information or documents
the photographs you send are rejected
Don’t book any travel until you have a valid passport. If you need to travel more urgently, apply for an Emergency Travel Document.
--------------------------------------

In actual fact they received my old passport and application on the 3rd March in London (where I had been instructed to send it to, by courier).
They then took 9 days to send it up to Durham, where they received it on the 12th March.

They say it will take 'at least' 4 weeks, so I can't expect to see it before the 9th April.
But that is still almost 2 weeks ago.......

When I renewed my passport 10 years ago it was very easy - I just took it in to the High Commission here, paid a fee, handed it over, and got the new passport very quickly (within a week at the most I think).
Now everything has changed.
This time, I went to see them again, and when I asked if I could apply for a new passport I was abruptly dismissed - "We dont do anything here - it is all on-line now". They did however very kindly give me a scrap of paper with the website on it.

And the folk in London did thoughtfully provide a link in their last email to me re applying for an emergency passport - here it is :
https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document

And what a surprise - it only costs GBP 95, and if I toddle along to the High Commission here, they can organise it very speedily.
However it is only valid for one journey though.
The cynical part of me is thinking that this is just an extra way of raising funds for the Government........

PS - The lady I mentioned in an earlier post who was waiting for her renewal passport here - three months later, and she still has not received it......

 

[akyaka]

They changed the rules a year or so ago.

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

 

[BrianH]

This thread prompted me to check my own British passport to find that it expires November 2014. In the light of the posted problems I thought it would be prudent to initiate renewal now.

Checking the procedure I read:

Before you start you need:
your current passport
2 identical new photos of you (or your child, if it’s a child passport application)
any other current passports issued by other countries​

Whoa, what? That I should send my current Swiss passport (renewed recently and received within two days) into that bureaucratic chaos and incompetence?

No way, I would sooner let my British passport lapse (even my nationality, if necessary) than do that. I am a British citizen (lex soli) and a naturalized Swiss citizen; two countries that legally and unequivocally permit multiple citizenship in my case. Neither has the right to demand the passport of the other before issuing a renewal; the Swiss passport office certainly didn't.

 

[RAI]

UK Zits living abroad have very little voting power and are assumed rich, so rip-off UK can cash in and provide near zero priority. The next step will be to insist that passports can only be renewed by a personal visit to the UK. I found it the preferable method anyway.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

In my experience, a lot of countries expect you to have at least 6 months left on your passport when you enter. The USA are well known for it, but I have had it remarked on by passport control people several times when travelling with less than a year left on my passport, along the lines of a friendly reminder that I needed to renew it. I specifically remember Hong Kong and the Falkland Islands passport control mentioning it. One official said it was because the maximum tourist visa was 6 months, and they wouldn't let you in on a tourist visa unless your passport would still be valid when the visa expired.

I have great sympathy with those frustrated by the renewal process - dealing with a spouse visa and PTR has made me very aware of the weight of beaurocracy and cost associated with such things!

ID cards were quite rightly rejected because they were to be associated with a Big Brother style database. The database would have to be widely accessible, and one telling argument against it was that given that it would have to be widely available to low-grade officials, the privacy implications were a show-stopper. In fact, the proposals were shown to be in breach of EU regulations. The ID cards in the rest of Europe are much less data heavy, and in fact are effectively a form of passport.