deelink

Originally Posted by deelink on June 3rd
I wonder how long you waited sfr09? I called the help line two weeks ago and was put on hold....... waited for 5 hours and then my phone ran out of charge!!! So never even got through.
Today I went to the British Consulate to get an emergency travel document. This service is available if you really really need to travel and don't have your passport for whatever reason. The people there were terrific. Very helpful and did their best to get the procedure done asap. It costs $180 but when it really matters you have to just do it!

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I'm back from my trip now - which I would have had to miss if I hadn't been able to get an emergency passport. Anyway, my passport arrived while I was away - 14 weeks after applying.

Iwannabethere

Apologies if this has been answered before!

I am using the website to renew my passport and one for my son but the website keeps directing to the application form for British Nationals, not British Citizens. I can't find anything that says that citizens should use the same form. Spoke to UKPA and sent an enquiry email and they say to just use the form I'm directed to but won't confirm that this form is for citizens.

I may be really over - cautious but my son's passport is the only document he has that evidences his British citizenship and the last thing I want is to fill in the Nationals form, get back his passport without 'citizen' in it and then have a bureaucratic (and no doubt expensive) nightmare sorting it out.

Thank in advance!

EvannTel

For info, OH just extended her uk passport at Perth embassy and it was as easy as.

Iwannabethere

Unfortunately, being in Adelaide we have no embassy, only a consulate. I will givd them a call and see whether we can extend through them. I have had an email from the office of our former MP stating that our enquiry has been sent to the Home Office so I shall wait (for a while, probably) and see.

EvannTel

Sorry typo, Perth is consulate too. I'd ring them. When it says press 2 or whatever for passports, don't! You need to get to human at consulate.

Iwannabethere

Thanks for your help!

bcworld

Sent docs (Inc non certified photocopy of Aus passport) on 16th June. Picked up passport from local DHL office today.

unsettled

British Passport Extension
Hi, was wondering about extending a child's passport who is now 16? He has a full British passport that runs out early next year. Would it be as straight forward as extending an adults passport at the British consulate? Speaking of which does anybody have any idea of the cost and waiting rimes etc for Perth?

Thanks

Iwannabethere

Just to let you know that I spoke directly to the Head of Operations at the Home Office (to say she was surprised to receive my call is the under - statement of the year!). Anyone using the gov.uk website to RENEW a UK passport from Australia should fill in the form for British Nationals. When the passport is processed it WILL have the same status (British Citizen or British National) as the passport being renewed.

Going to try it out and see what happens, now I have a name to refer back to if it all goes wrong!

BritInParis

The term 'British Nationals' cover all flavours of British nationality including British Citizen. All overseas British passport applications are now completed online so presumably there are using a one size fits all application form.

BritInParis

Little point in doing that now the backlog is starting to go down especially if you won't need to apply until next year. You might've as well renew via the UK and get your son a ten year old adult passport.

unsettled

Travelling in Novemebr but passport expires at the start of January - no six months but would be in transit via SIN or DXB. Could we travel with less than 2 months and renew in UK?

bcworld

The Australian advice for this scenario suggests you should have adequate time remaining on your passport even for transit countries...a UK passport would be no different. Imagine the scenario your flight goes tech and you have to go land side and stay in a hotel.

https://www.passports.gov.au/web/faq.aspx#faq6

BritInParis

Not a problem if you stay airside. Otherwise you'd need six months validity to enter both Singapore and the UAE.

Amazulu

UK passport website is stating a 6 week turnaround. Is this realistic or is shorter? Longer? At the moment

If longer I'll just travel on the Aussie