Passport renewal
Discussion
There has been a bit of discussion about this over the years, so perhaps my experience may reassure others.
We travel by camper to the Algarve twice a year, usually to spend October then Febuary/March there, add a week or so at each end of each trip and we have the autumn trip at about 6 weeks and the early spring trip at around 10 weeks.
Our existing red passports expire in June and July '25, from our expected return date in early April '25 one has 67 days to run and the other 87, bugger!
Decided to renew this week so we pottered off to Tesco on Monday to have a 'digital photo' taken at a cost of £10 each.
On Wednesday I made two online applications, they were a bit sniffy about 'er indoors photo, grumbled that she was not looking directly at the camara but accepted it. Paid for the applications seperately using two different CC's, £88,50 each, they refused my Nationwide Visa CC! Posted both expiring passports off to the same place, quoting both renewal codes on the envelope and sent Special Delivery by 1pm the following day at a cost of £8.95.
Thursday saw snowfall and Royal Fail's tracking service refused to tell me where our passports were.....
However, emails arrived from the passport office telling me that the old passports had been received, applications approved and forwarded to the printers.
At around 1800hr Thursday Royal Fail finally admitted that they had delivered at 0759hr that morning!
Postie delivered our shiny new passports at 1145hr today, Saturday, so just four days from application to reciept.
We travel by camper to the Algarve twice a year, usually to spend October then Febuary/March there, add a week or so at each end of each trip and we have the autumn trip at about 6 weeks and the early spring trip at around 10 weeks.
Our existing red passports expire in June and July '25, from our expected return date in early April '25 one has 67 days to run and the other 87, bugger!
Decided to renew this week so we pottered off to Tesco on Monday to have a 'digital photo' taken at a cost of £10 each.
On Wednesday I made two online applications, they were a bit sniffy about 'er indoors photo, grumbled that she was not looking directly at the camara but accepted it. Paid for the applications seperately using two different CC's, £88,50 each, they refused my Nationwide Visa CC! Posted both expiring passports off to the same place, quoting both renewal codes on the envelope and sent Special Delivery by 1pm the following day at a cost of £8.95.
Thursday saw snowfall and Royal Fail's tracking service refused to tell me where our passports were.....
However, emails arrived from the passport office telling me that the old passports had been received, applications approved and forwarded to the printers.
At around 1800hr Thursday Royal Fail finally admitted that they had delivered at 0759hr that morning!
Postie delivered our shiny new passports at 1145hr today, Saturday, so just four days from application to reciept.
You can do your own photos at home with your phone. When you fill in the online form and upload your photo it tells you immediately whether it’s good enough or not. We did our passports back in February - did the online application on the Sunday evening and my new passport popped through the letterbox on the Thursday. Ridiculously easy and ridiculously quick, you do wonder why other services end up being such a faff.
Antony Moxey said:
You can do your own photos at home with your phone. When you fill in the online form and upload your photo it tells you immediately whether it’s good enough or not. We did our passports back in February - did the online application on the Sunday evening and my new passport popped through the letterbox on the Thursday. Ridiculously easy and ridiculously quick, you do wonder why other services end up being such a faff.
Mostly because they're more complicated than comparing two pictures to confirm you're still you and checking a couple of databases to see if you're still alive and still British.My wife didn't feel comfortable filling in the form online since she is not very good with computers so she went to the post office to have the Check & Send service. So instead of paying £10 for the digital photo and £8.95 for special delivery, she had it all included for the price of £16.
So it was cheaper, they filled the form for her and she only needed to go to one place to get it all done in one go.
Admittedly it took a little longer - 7 working days from going to the post office to receiving the new passport.
So it was cheaper, they filled the form for her and she only needed to go to one place to get it all done in one go.
Admittedly it took a little longer - 7 working days from going to the post office to receiving the new passport.
Antony Moxey said:
You can do your own photos at home with your phone. When you fill in the online form and upload your photo it tells you immediately whether it’s good enough or not. We did our passports back in February - did the online application on the Sunday evening and my new passport popped through the letterbox on the Thursday. Ridiculously easy and ridiculously quick, you do wonder why other services end up being such a faff.
I used an app for photos for my kids passports. My daughter wears glasses and as soon as she takes them off one eye points down. I had to “adjust” the photo before the on-line system accepted it. After that it was quick and easy. Mercdriver said:
Timpsons do a good service too, recommended don’t know why they don’t advertise it more
They send photo digitally to passport office as well as giving you paper copies
You can do yourself a good service, too, if you just follow the instructions. I am no techie, far from, but I managed it and the app is very helpful.They send photo digitally to passport office as well as giving you paper copies
zarjaz1991 said:
Quite an unusual thread by PH standards….everyone seems quite impressed with a government service.
Does prove it can be done. Especially as it one time it had issues.
Whoever is responsible for the turnaround should be paid handsomely to tackle some other government services….
Which should be first?Does prove it can be done. Especially as it one time it had issues.
Whoever is responsible for the turnaround should be paid handsomely to tackle some other government services….
Treasury or NHS?
Even over the Chtistmas period the process is very efficient.
Wife and I applied online on 19/12, posted documents, which for her included photocopies of every page of her other nationality passport.
Documents received at Passport Office 23/12 at 9.52 am, mine at least, approved at 11.35 am.
Mine printed 24/12 at 1.13 am!
Both passports received today at 3.00pm.
We decided to renew with 8 months left to not have any worries about taking a trip at short notice and not having the 6 months requirement many countries have.
Wife and I applied online on 19/12, posted documents, which for her included photocopies of every page of her other nationality passport.
Documents received at Passport Office 23/12 at 9.52 am, mine at least, approved at 11.35 am.
Mine printed 24/12 at 1.13 am!
Both passports received today at 3.00pm.
We decided to renew with 8 months left to not have any worries about taking a trip at short notice and not having the 6 months requirement many countries have.
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