Where up to 9 months validity of the old passport is added to the 10 years of the new one.

I'm not sure? I got mine countersigned anyway

Only if your appearance had changed significantly, which is obviously subjective. Countersigning every time was, and remains, a 'belt and braces' approach for adult renewals.

Hmm, I could have sworn I had to do it the last time around as part of the regular procedure for everyone.

This is the first time I saw that you could bypass this if your appearance hasn't changed considerably. I seriously don't recall this being an option 10 years ago.

Good change though, I'm not complaining as I don't change much - previous photos look practically the same as current ones.

Pretty sure the last time I renewed mine I didn't have it countersigned. A fair few years ago mind so my brain could be playing tricks on me.

Do you get your old passport back when applying from Australia?

Yes. You'll receive it separately from your new passport.

Thanks

Hello,
I don't know if you may be able to assist me with some information regarding applying for a renewal of a British passport from Australia. Two points really.

1. One has to do with any lack of helpfulness/coopertion one may have experienced in their communications with the UK passport office as in queries, etc.
Presently, from overseas, one can only apply for passport renewal online and (unless I am mistaken) the fee has to be paid at the same time that the completed application form is sent to the U.K. My concern is that there would appear to be no provision for a refund, on any basis, of the
passport application fee if the application is failed, refused or (by the applicant) withdrawn.
I e-mailed the UK passport office recently requesting a list reasons for a refund not being granted. They sent a brief reply that didn’t say much at all. Since that time I have done some investigating and came across: https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...es-refunds.pdf
and
https://www.gov.uk/passport-fees on their website. This clears up the matter BUT neither of the above references were included in the home office reply to me. (?)

2. (Second point) Is anyone aware of what is the case if a person was arrested in the UK some years back for a minor offence that didn't go to court and the person was held at a police station overnight and released the following morning. (DNA samples were taken at the time). Is that enough to merit a failed application? Any assistance re. suggestions or experiences you’ve heard in this regard would be appreciated.


Regards,
Mark.

Having a caution, conviction or indeed any kind of tangle with the police such as you mention has absolutely nothing to do with getting a passport There is no police check involved when applying for a UK passport, and even having a criminal record as long as your arm doesn't stop you holding one.

Can't help you on the refund front.

If you renewing your passport then that would suggest that you are a British citizen and therefore you should not concern yourself with the possibility of a 'failed' application and therefore the possibility of a refund which, as you have discovered, is not available in all but the most exceptional circumstances. A criminal record, in and of itself, is not a reason for your application to be refused.

As others have said, having a record should not prevent you from getting a passport. Trying to enter certain countries though, such as the US, is a different story

Asking general questions to a Passport Office/Embassy/High Commission etc is never going to get back anything other than a very general possibly unhelpful reply. They've got better things to do than reply to random, non case specific queries.

If you're renewing your British Passport, the turnround is roughly 3/4 weeks at the moment. Well it was a couple of months ago.

How picky are they with the countersignature requirement, which they seem to leave up to the applicant as to whether it's required or not?

I'm currently about to renew my daughter's passport (she's 9 y.o.) and the countersignature option was optional. Is this normal?

From the website is says 'Renewing a child passport

Fill in sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9. Your child needs to sign section 6 if they’re 12 or over. If your child is 11 or under or can’t be recognised from their old passport photo, you’ll need a countersignatory - they need to fill in section 10 and certify your child’s new photo.' so it's not optional, it's a requirement.