Rogers19 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I am looking to renew my Uk passport due to it expiring in the next couple of months. I have applied online through the UK Gov website and paid all the fees and now it's asking me to send in my current passport before they continue with processing my new one! Has anyone else done this recently? I wouldn't be too fussed normally but with COVID it says there is a lot of delays which I could live with, but I am also doing my PR at the moment. I have my medical in a few weeks and need my passport for that, I am not sure if I will need it for anything after that either. It seems a bit of a strange way to do it by sending your current passport off and being left without one until you receive the new one. Has anyone got any advice? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Pom Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Even if you were in the UK, you would have to return your current passport. They cut the corner off it to show it is no longer valid and return it to you with the new passport. If your passport details change while doing your PR, you will need to inform them so that the visa gets transferred to the new passport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Yup, always happens. Best send it off smartish because you don’t want to be passportless in a foreign country! Take a photocopy just so you know the old number at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Been the process for well over 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavers Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Just check with who ever you are doing your medical with if you need your passport or not and explain your situation. Your new passport will probably take around 6 weeks to process then it needs to make it to you. I got my old one back a couple of weeks after I received my new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Mine expires this week but the website requests that people delay their application unless it is urgent. I'll probably wait until the end of the year as I can't use it anyway plus I have an Aus one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 3 hours ago, Drumbeat said: Mine expires this week but the website requests that people delay their application unless it is urgent. I'll probably wait until the end of the year as I can't use it anyway plus I have an Aus one. If you've got another passport then you're home and hosed. If you've only got one and it's out of date and you're in a foreign country then that's a bit more urgent I would have thought 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 19 minutes ago, Quoll said: If you've got another passport then you're home and hosed. If you've only got one and it's out of date and you're in a foreign country then that's a bit more urgent I would have thought Agreed, but I think you can still apply for an emergency passport if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogers19 Posted July 6, 2020 Author Share Posted July 6, 2020 I knew you send it off when you are in England just didn't think they would do that over here and leave you in another country with no passport. Was seeing if anyone had any possible ways of getting it done without but if not I will get it sent off and hope for the best there are no mega long delays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 4 hours ago, Drumbeat said: Mine expires this week but the website requests that people delay their application unless it is urgent. I'll probably wait until the end of the year as I can't use it anyway plus I have an Aus one. Unless the process has changed, you have to send all current passports you own, ie other citizenships as well. When i renewed my British passport i had to send in my Australian passport also. This was brought in after 9/11 terror attacks or around then anyway. My assumption was they want to check what stamps you have in your passports. So if you have been holidaying in Yemen using your Australian passport you would have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 17 hours ago, Parley said: Unless the process has changed, you have to send all current passports you own, ie other citizenships as well. When i renewed my British passport i had to send in my Australian passport also. This was brought in after 9/11 terror attacks or around then anyway. My assumption was they want to check what stamps you have in your passports. So if you have been holidaying in Yemen using your Australian passport you would have a problem. You don't have to send it. You need not even send a copy of it if you don't want to. They can ask for it but they do not even know whether you hold a current passport for anywhere else. I now heaps of people who are dual citizens and have never sent their ozzie passport in when renewing their UK one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) 25 minutes ago, Nemesis said: You don't have to send it. You need not even send a copy of it if you don't want to. They can ask for it but they do not even know whether you hold a current passport for anywhere else. I now heaps of people who are dual citizens and have never sent their ozzie passport in when renewing their UK one. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/462278/OS_Form_010.pdf refer section 3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-passport-applications-supporting-documents-guidance maybe photocopy is acceptable now. Edited July 7, 2020 by Parley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozuk Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 I just sent my old passport back to get a new one. The post office wanted me to pay $28 to send it back to the UK due to "Covid19", so I told them I wasn't going to spend that much. Walked to another post office and the cost was charged $3.20 or $17 recorded delivery. They try to con you out of money at every opportunity. I think it's a good idea to have valid ID on your at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 On 06/07/2020 at 11:38, Rogers19 said: I am looking to renew my Uk passport due to it expiring in the next couple of months. I have applied online through the UK Gov website and paid all the fees and now it's asking me to send in my current passport before they continue with processing my new one! Has anyone else done this recently? I wouldn't be too fussed normally but with COVID it says there is a lot of delays which I could live with, but I am also doing my PR at the moment. I have my medical in a few weeks and need my passport for that, I am not sure if I will need it for anything after that either. It seems a bit of a strange way to do it by sending your current passport off and being left without one until you receive the new one. Has anyone got any advice? Cheers My advice is don’t panic when it takes forever to come back! I think it’s a terrible system because you can’t fly in an emergency (mind you we can’t do that just now anyway...) I sent mine back on April 6th this year and got the new one about two weeks ago. Naturally they took the full payment on April 6th. They did at least send regular emails to say that the delay was due to Covid 19, and finally sent one to say that my application for a passport ‘had been approved’ (!) then one to say it was on its way. We got it in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 Anyone complaining about the UK passport office leaving people without passports in a foreign country whilst a renewal is being performed need to take a good hard look at themselves not the passport authority. The UK passport authority isn't making you stay abroad, you could come to the UK and apply whilst in country. In doing so you will not be abroad without a passport. Living in another country is your choice and you shouldn't expect concessions to be made to accommodate your choices 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 4 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said: Anyone complaining about the UK passport office leaving people without passports in a foreign country whilst a renewal is being performed need to take a good hard look at themselves not the passport authority. The UK passport authority isn't making you stay abroad, you could come to the UK and apply whilst in country. In doing so you will not be abroad without a passport. Living in another country is your choice and you shouldn't expect concessions to be made to accommodate your choices We can’t come to UK at the moment. Until 13th January 2014 UK passports were sent from Australia to New Zealand and renewed there. from the 14th January 2014 processing moved to UK. I’m not sure if you could renew them in Australia before the processing moved to N Z, but I did get a one year temporary passport issued in Brisbane in2007. Obviously it is our choice to move overseas, no one forces us, but some of us have lived overseas for a long time, and when we moved countries there was no problem renewing a passport from UK Embassies. I renewed mine instantly in the High Commission in Brunei. As far as I know no one is asking for concessions, but with the massive backlog in processing passports in UK at the moment, did I read 400,000 in the queue? everyone is in for a long wait, and you can feel vulnerable without a passport. It’s like anything in life, change is not always easy to adjust to, and not always for the better. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 (edited) On 09/08/2020 at 09:04, Ausvisitor said: Anyone complaining about the UK passport office leaving people without passports in a foreign country whilst a renewal is being performed need to take a good hard look at themselves not the passport authority. The UK passport authority isn't making you stay abroad, you could come to the UK and apply whilst in country. In doing so you will not be abroad without a passport. Living in another country is your choice and you shouldn't expect concessions to be made to accommodate your choices That’s a bit sharp isn’t it? I lived in Luxembourg for years, and renewed my passport more than once at the British embassy there. Having an elderly mother in the UK at the time, I found it worrying when the UK govt decided to cut costs by processing new passports elsewhere. It was my choice to live there, but I had been seconded by the Uk govt on the service of the crown - so was I supposed to apply for leave from work in order to fetch my new passport in person? You know that is allowed to leave Australia at the moment without official permission? So returning to the UK for a passport isn’t a viable option. It is something of a leap of faith to send your passport thousands of miles away to be renewed - I was very concerned about security when I sent mine. Discussing the renewals process is not asking for concessions. It’s just being a human being. Edited August 10, 2020 by Fisher1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 28 minutes ago, Fisher1 said: That’s a bit sharp isn’t it? I lived in Luxembourg for years, and renewed my passport more than once at the British embassy there. Having an elderly mother in the UK at the time, I found it worrying when the UK govt decided to cut costs by processing new passports elsewhere. It was my choice to live there, but I had been seconded by the Uk govt on the service of the crown - so was I supposed to apply for leave from work in order to fetch my new passport in person? You know that is allowed to leave Australia at the moment without official permission? So returning to the UK for a passport isn’t a viable option. It is something of a leap of faith to send your passport thousands of miles away to be renewed - I was very concerned about security when I sent mine. Discussing the renewals process is not asking for concessions. It’s just being a human being. There are many countries including ones I have lived in that I would be very worried to be left in without a passport. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 On 06/07/2020 at 11:44, Baby Pom said: Even if you were in the UK, you would have to return your current passport. They cut the corner off it to show it is no longer valid and return it to you with the new passport. If your passport details change while doing your PR, you will need to inform them so that the visa gets transferred to the new passport. The difference being that if you urgently needed your passport and were in the UK you could go to Liverpool in person and pay to have it quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 On 06/07/2020 at 16:52, Rogers19 said: I knew you send it off when you are in England just didn't think they would do that over here and leave you in another country with no passport. Was seeing if anyone had any possible ways of getting it done without but if not I will get it sent off and hope for the best there are no mega long delays. There will be mega long delays. But as long as you know it’s the new normal and it hasn’t gone astray you’ll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) @Rogers19 - have you sent yours off yet? I've just applied online and am feeling the same way as you about being 'passport-less' - particularly given that HM Passport Office have many disclaimers on the website, stating they can't guarantee when the applications will be processed/passports returned. Not that we can currently leave the country anyway I suppose!! @Ausvisitor - your comment was very funny! You're suggesting that (at a time when the Australia border is actually closed) any UK passport holder who needs to renew their passport, returns to the UK so they are "not in a foreign country without a passport". I understand you were saying (not very politely) that people shouldn't complain, but even so... I'd love to see my employer's reaction - I'd like some time off please. No I don't know how long I'll be, it could be a month, could be six months, and yes I'll probably have to quarantine for two weeks when I get back. And that's before I apply for permission to leave the country. Even before these times of COVID-19, this sounds like a costly and time consuming exercise Edited September 7, 2020 by vickyplum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, vickyplum said: @Rogers19 - have you sent yours off yet? I've just applied online and am feeling the same way as you about being 'passport-less' - particularly given that HM Passport Office have many disclaimers on the website, stating they can't guarantee when the applications will be processed/passports returned. Not that we can currently leave the country anyway I suppose!! @Ausvisitor - your comment was very funny! You're suggesting that (at a time when the Australia border is actually closed) any UK passport holder who needs to renew their passport, returns to the UK so they are "not in a foreign country without a passport". I understand you were saying (not very politely) that people shouldn't complain, but even so... I'd love to see my employer's reaction - I'd like some time off please. No I don't know how long I'll be, it could be a month, could be six months, and yes I'll probably have to quarantine for two weeks when I get back. And that's before I apply for permission to leave the country. Even before these times of COVID-19, this sounds like a costly and time consuming exercise Not too mention escalating the cost of said passport to thousands of dollars (airfares, hotels, etc etc) If it’s any comfort, we did it recently. Sent ours off on April 6 and got the new ones back in August. Our old passports were expiring and as we aren’t able to go anywhere just now, we gritted our teeth and sent them off to the UK. It all ended well. Edited September 7, 2020 by Fisher1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 1 hour ago, Fisher1 said: Not too mention escalating the cost of said passport to thousands of dollars (airfares, hotels, etc etc) If it’s any comfort, we did it recently. Sent ours off on April 6 and got the new ones back in August. Our old passports were expiring and as we aren’t able to go anywhere just now, we gritted our teeth and sent them off to the UK. It all ended well. Thanks @Fisher1! Mine is ready to be posted, just have to go back to the post office and get it sent off(after visiting earlier today for the photo part). It will take however long it takes, and maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. In the meantime, I doubt I'll be going anywhere much at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 2 hours ago, vickyplum said: Thanks @Fisher1! Mine is ready to be posted, just have to go back to the post office and get it sent off(after visiting earlier today for the photo part). It will take however long it takes, and maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. In the meantime, I doubt I'll be going anywhere much at all They were very good about keeping us informed. We got an email to say the old passports had arrived, then a further two emails apologizing for the delay, then one saying our application had been accepted (!) then one to say the new passports were on their way, so it wasn’t a huge long period of worry. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly1759 Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 I simply reported mine lost at my local police station. got a report number and applied for a new one at aus post. took a week..Naughty granted! but saved a lot of time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.