Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

I've been in Australia 9 years, have citizenship, but never got round to getting an Australian passport.

Something has happened in the UK and I'm considering a trip back.

I just checked and my UK passport expires in December.
I never had any plans to renew by UK passport, and will get an Australian one.

But, before then, If I go, it'll be a quick visit (one week)...

Do Australia immigration care if I leave on a UK passport only valid for a few more months?

Do the UK care?

Thanks in advance...

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

The UK doesn't care how long your UK passport is valid for. It's the trying to get back to Australia and transiting that will cause problems. An Australian citizen must enter Australia on their Australian passport so you will need to get one before you try to come back. Also check the requirements of any countries you are transiting in as some require 6 months validity.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Australian immigration probably don't. The problem is you can't fly to the UK non-stop...yet. The transit country may have a 6 month validity requirement and this could result in you being denied boarding to your flight.

Remember also that you don't have an Aus visa...so you may face difficulties boarding a flight back to Australia...obviously you will need evidence of your Australian citizenship but you could still have problems.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

DIBP state that Australian citizens must leave and re-enter Australia on their Australian passports. By paying a priority fee, you can obtain your Oz passport in a few days. If your urgent travel is due to the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, you can apply to have the priority fee waived. Further information here https://www.passports.gov.au/urgenta...s/default.aspx

I hope everything's ok, urgent travel isn't usually for nice reasons and it's something most expats face at some stage :( Best of luck.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Call your local passport office and arrange an appointment. They can arrange a passport on the day. When I became a citizen, it was a Thursday night, so arranged an appointment for Friday morning and had my passport lunch time Friday - I was flying out to work so needed my first Oz passport.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

You'll need your Australian passport to travel, both because Australia requires it and because most of the countries you are likely to transit through require a minimum validity period of six months. Providing your British passport is valid when you enter the UK you won't need to renew it beforehand although it would be advisable to do so when you return to Australia for any future emergencies.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

So technically speaking you need an Aus passport to leave and re-enter Australia. And if its humanly possible you need to get one by booking an emergency appointment.
Also technically they can refuse you boarding because countries like Singaore require a 6 month validity.

In practice - all of which has been tried and tested over the years by forum members......
You won't be denied boarding on the '6 month; grounds as long as you are only transiting and not doing a stopover. If you do not need to cross the line and enter the country concerned, you are OK.
You can exit on a British passport, though they may frown at you. However to board a flight back to Aus you need to prove you have the right papers to enter, and you can't use your visa its not valid now. So what others have done i the past is to arrive early for check-in, explain the situation, and produce the passport with proof of the expired visa, AND proof of your citizenship. The airline can verify your status with Canberra, but be prepared for a wait.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Thank you everyone.

I had a feeling there would be issues/technicalities involved.

Taking all this in, if I was to make the trip I'd try the "fast tracked" Australian Passport option - but think even that will take too long...

So think I'll just get our Australian passports sorted sometime soon.

Cheers.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

I know you said that you have no plans to renew your British passport, but given the fact that you are going back to the UK, you may just as well renewing your British passport when you are in the UK. You can get a Premium appointment at a passport office and get your new passport in four hours time. Please see link below for details -

https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

In the link I posted, the time given for getting your passport using the priority service is two days. You probably wouldn't get a flight before then.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Jus thinking outside the box..you could apply for your Aussie passport in the UK and wait for it to be issued before returning?


it's worth investigating!


Ali

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

What city are you in? I got my Australian passport in 24 hrs by attending the passport office in Sydney. Booked an appointment for an interview and photos and they turned it around in 24 hours.

I believe that UK passports are exempt from the 6 month rule for transit through the US, but this doesn't solve your problems getting back into Australia.

Bite the bullet, and head to your closest passport office and see if they can turn it around for you quickly.


S

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

That would require a face-to-face interview at Australia House in central London and cost twice as much as getting it done in Oz. Better to get it done before they go.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Hi The UK do care about how long you have on your passport if travelling outside of Europe you need 6 months on your passport.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

The UK doesn't. The countries to which you travelling to or transiting through might.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Oh yes. Went through that rigmarole in the UK a few months ago. Cost of passport renewal plus priority processing plus return train ticket Liverpool - London - Liverpool made it what must be the most expensive renewal in the world!

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

As has previously been mentioned, not necessarily.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

I know you've said that you are thinking of letting your UK passport lapse, but consider the possibility that you could face having to go back to the UK again at short notice.

I decided pretty early on to keep my UK passport current indefinitely as it does save hassle at the UK end if you are entering that country with a UK passport. The alternative is queueing with all the other non-EU citizens. With the current climate in the UK towards immigration in general, you may wish to consider keeping your UK passport current too to save yourself any potential hassle and to enter the country quicker which after the insanely long journey from Aus is certainly useful.

You can leave and enter Aus on your Aus passport and enter and leave the UK on your British one. I've done that three times now with no problems.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

It really is no hassle entering the UK on an Australian passport. Last time I went to the UK, the queue for non-EU was shorter and I got through quicker

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

I'm sure that's the case for some people, but I know a lot of people whom have experienced the exact opposite. In fact I was talking to cadman's (remember him?) wife today at work and she described precisely the hassle I was referring to from her last trip home.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

I have a British passport and my other half has an Australian passport. I always wait at least 15-20 minutes for her to pass through passport control at Heathrow after I've gone through the ePassport gates.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Queue's always been shorter in the non-EU line at Manchester airport for us too.
Scouse handed his British passport over at Emirates check-in a couple of days ago, which of course was refused as he didn't have a visa for Oz. The check in staff member looked at my Oz passport and told him she hoped he had one of those too, or he wasn't going anywhere :lol: At which point he sheepishly handed over his Australian passport.
Nice weather in this part of world now, Zulu!

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

That's my experience at Heathrow now too, much much quicker now they have the epassport gates in place.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

How would you get back to Aus with only a Brit passport ? Does it have any entries to show that you have Aus residence ?

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

If someone turns up at Checkin with only a British passport then the check-in staff verifies their status with DIBP (Aus immigration).
If the person is a dual citizen and just doesn't have an Aus passport they may be allowed to board after phone calls to verify the position with DIBP in Canberra. .
However if all one has is residence, not citizenship, then the visa is electronically linked to the passport and when check-in staff scan the passport they can see the visa details on their screen.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

I couldn't use my Australian passport at the e-gates at Manchester although UK passport holders can use them at Australian airports

Hopefully that's changed now

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Yes, Manchester airport is a doozy to get in and out of but that's the only thing it has going for it - the place is a f**king dump. Hopefully some long overdue redevelopment has now happened

Great weather this weekend. I'm varnishing the doors on one of our upstairs balconies and the weather is perfect for it - although the job is as boring as batshit

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

The Emirates lounge there is nice!

Three benefits to you varnishing the balcony - fresh air/sunshine, your house will thank you for maintaining it so well, and the most important of all - the missus will be happy :lol:

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Happy wife, happy life is very apt in my situation

Yes, minister of war and finance thinks the doors look great

Welcome home

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

You can (if you meet some conditions), but only if you pay for the privilege! 70 quid to sign up for the first year and 50 a year to renew.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Wow, that's ridiculous. I'd rather queue

Many nationalities can use the e-gates at Australian airports - for free. The refurbished arrivals area at PER is now mainly e-gates (for some unknown reason my passport won't work in them)

Australia ahead of the UK yet again

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

We've done this but I agree that the added fee is a real rip-off given the amount we've just forked out for a new Tier 2 visa and IHS surcharge whereas I can breeze in and out of Oz using the Smartgates on a 651 visa for free.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Hi, When our eldest renewed his passport it was also a child to adult passport we went to Edinburgh (it was a walk in service|) we stayed one night and travelled back with a new Aussie passport for him, now we all have to go to London which is just madness, we use to have an Australia Migration centre in the centre of Manchester which was not so bad for people living in the North of England but to have to travel to London and do a face to face interview for just a renewal passport is just a nightmare really, I have to do mine soon as my Aussie passport ran out a couple of years ago not looking forward to it though....the travel not renewing lol....

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Hi hope your good? I recently visit Cyprus (2nd time this year) and I thought of you and your husband while I was there as I met an Aussie man and his English wife who lived there....similar story to you but both did not really want to return to Aus so they bought a place in Cyprus, they have been there for 8 years now and love it...have you thought of that rather than going back to WA? just a thought, I must admit we loved Albany and the South of WA but the winters were very cold (for what we were use to in Perth) and also WET lol not much difference to parts of England really only you do get decent summers (much nicer in my opinion) than to Perth which I always found way to hot to really enjoy.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Australia House still does outreach services, including one in Manchester. Only thing is, they only publish the dates when they'll be at the various places about a month in advance. Keep your eye on their website, you might get lucky! When I rang they said they'd just had one in Manchester so probably wouldn't be doing another one for about 3 months, which was too late for me.

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Hi Brits, all's going pretty good ta, hope it's the same for you.

We love Albany too, have friends who live down there so have visited a lot over the years. It's those Perth summers that make it off the list, I can't hack them. Yes, very much chillier in Albany in winter, if we end up there the house will have to have good heating!

Cyprus does sound lovely, but at this stage the choice is UK or Oz. We're not feeling quite as adventurous as when we were younger, and a shared language and culture with the country we live in is becoming more important to us. At least we're agreed on what we don't want :lol:

I'm still really happy on the Wirral and Scouse is more settled and content there too. He would still like to return to Oz though. We've decided to just chug along as we are for now, wait until I get British citizenship, and decide then. As he so rightly says, a lot can happen in 3 years! xx

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

Dont you need 6 months left on the passport??

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

You've not read any of the other replies have you? :sneaky:;)

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

:embarrassed_smile::embarrassed_smile::getcoat:

Re: Now Aus Citizen, only have UK passport that's only valid for 4 months...
 

:lol: