Weirdstone

My UK passport expires in August this year.
I was approved for Australian Citizenship last September, and am just waiting for Ceremony date....hopefully February, but no guarantee on that.

Don't really want to have to pay the $292 for renewal of UK passport, as not that bothered about dual citizenship - unless it has direct bearing on such things as UK pensions.

Do I need to get a renewal ?...thinking about having to have 6 months on passport if I need to make a trip abroad.

Thanks.

Glasgowlass

I would just get an Aussie one as soon as you've done your citizenship. I've never renewed mine the whole time I've been here and travel on an Aussie one no problems.You'll get dual citizenship whether you renew your passport or not.

Weirdstone

Thanks... I'm going to phone immigration on Monday...see if I'm on the list for Feb...my local City Hall is holding ceremony on the 13th - hope to be on that...then I should be alright..if I'm not..then not sure what to do.

Doesn't our Brit Citizenship 'expire' after a certain amount of time without a passport...ie: need a Visa to go back for visit?

quoll

My friend only recently renewed her British passport after many years without it and didnt have any trouble. Personally i always keep both of mine current - much less hassle when I go home for a visit.

Pollyana

There may be exceptions, but in your case - born and bred UK, you will be British for life unless you give up your citizenship yourself. You don't need to have a current paassport to be a Brit citizen, so you will be fine.
The only thing you need to watch is if you ever plan a trip back to the UK you will be entering as an Aussie, and they may start asking about return tickets, plans to work etc, and you will be expected to keep to the rules for Aussies entering the UK.

( I don't plan to go into all the exceptions, JAJ has listed them in other places, but they aren't relevant to this post and are beyond my realms of knowledge

moneypenny20

I guess it also depends on if you're planning on going somewhere that requires six months or more on the UK passport. I can't imagine that your Aussie citizenship and purchase of an Aussie passport will be longer than August. A passport doesn't prove citizenship. You're always a Brit with or without a passport.

JAJ

Some countries won't let you in if you have less than 6 months on your passport.

Otherwise, you don't need to renew your British passport to stay a British citizen but in addition to what you've been told bear in mind the following:

- You will need a tourist visa for some countries if you have an Australian passport, while a British passport is visa-free. EG, Brazil.

- If you ever need to go somewhere that does need a tourist visa (eg India, or mainland China) then you could send off your British passport while keeping your Australian passport at home.

- If you let your British passport expire for some time, then a new one will be treated as a "first time" application and will take a lot longer to get under new procedures (interview, re-prove citizenship status etc).

The application fee is not much when you spread it over 10 years.

Vim Fuego

Excellent advice as usual

Bordy

I didn't renew mine. Applied for the Aussie one which I now have & that will do me.

moneypenny20

If you do this, how do you then get back into Australia? or do you travel with both and just re-enter Australia with the Australian one as normal?

Mrs Jackaroo

I'll def be renewing ours when they expire - whether we decide to stay in Oz or not I still want to have that British Passport to hand to remind me I'm British and proud to be (and for ease of travelling as JAJ says!). You never know when rules and regs RE british citizenship will change, so I'll just feel happier knowing we've got them

Weirdstone

Thankyou for your excellent advice...esp JAJs succinct appraisal.



Hmmm...remain a Brit Citizen forever ... I suppose we all have our crosses to bear..

JAJ

That's exactly what you do.