Pollyana

No, you don't have to be here for 2 years. The easy way is to find another British passport holder that has known you for 2 years, and get them to countersign. If you know personally anyone from the forum, you may well find by the time it needs renewing that you HAVE known them for 2 years

When you get the new passport, they return the old one as well. Take both passports to your local DIMA office, and they will put a sticker into the new one. This is a free service - don't let them con you into paying for it! Not all offices are aware that its free, so if possible go to the bigger ones in Brisbane, Sydney etc. Got my new sticker in Brisbane, took me about half an hour queueing, thats all.

utopia

Thank you so much Hun!!

Really appreciate the advice!!

ex_exile

Your old passport should be returned with the corner of each page cut off apart from the page with your actve visa. This aparently signifies that this visa remains valid, you should still go to DIMA as soon as possible to get a new sticker placed in yourr new passport.

JAJ

The stamp in the passport (at least for an Australian visa) is only evidence of the visa, not the visa itself.

mvt550

They no longer routinely cut the corners off the old passport.

And once again I will point out that the countersignatory does NOT have to be a British citizen - but any commonwealth citizen.

This is from the high commission website:

"Your passport application form and photos should be signed by a professional, British or Commonwealth (includes Australian) citizen who has known you for at least TWO years. Relatives must not countersign. If your child is under 16, the person who countersigns the application form must have known the parent for the required time, not the child."

JAJ - I don't usually disagree with you but I fail to see how an MP in the UK where the OP will no longer reside when renewing their passport in Canberra is going to care about this. A much better option would be for the OP to find someone who fits the criteria. The countersignatory does NOT need to live in Australia (although of course that makes it easier) so really it should be easy enough to do with a little planning!

Good luck to the OP

JAJ

British citizens overseas may stay on the electoral roll for 15 years.

If the countersignatory does not have to live in Australia then of course things are easier. If the High Commission started insisting on that then there would be problems.

Countersignatures may not be required for straightforward passport renewal.

Pollyana

Well, out of fairness, I have to say that when I renewed my passport late in 2005, it required a British passport holder to counter-sign. I've now checked the site, and it now says Your passport application form and photos should be signed by a professional, British or Commonwealth (includes Australian) citizen who has known you for at least TWO years. Relatives must not countersign. If your child is under 16, the person who countersigns the application form must have known the parent for the required time, not the child.
It certainly didn't say that when I renewed mine as I remember asking a British friend at work to do it, and we discussed how difficult it would be in some countries if you had to get a British passport holder to sign.

A change for the better!

Exile

This was true in my case. The instructions they issue clearly tell you it has to be countersigned, but when I enquired further they said you don't need to for renewals. Mine was issued, no problems.

That wasn't the case when I applied for my daughter (new passport). My application was rejected because the countersignatory had only known me for 1 year and 10 months. Sometimes you think it may have been better just to get someone to lie for you.

As we had been out of the UK for seven years, but in Australia for less than two, I was actually in the position in which there was nobody in the world who we could contact who was qualified, met the nationality requirement, had known me for at least two years, and could verify that the person in the photo was actually my daughter. They were very inflexible. In the end, I got an old friend in the UK to sign the form (at the suggestion of the passport office), even though he didn't really know for sure who it was in the photo.

JAJ

So in the end they were "flexible" in allowing you to get someone from the United Kingdom to countersign.

You should have complained officially as they did behave unreasonably. It's a very good reason to stay on the electoral roll (as an overseas voter) when you leave the United Kingdom.

Exile

Yeah, I should have taken it further really. It's hard not to be cynical. I got the impression that they saw an opportunity to screw up someone's travel plans and use a bit of their "power".

JAJ

This is the complaints procedure:
http://bhc.britaus.net/default.asp?id=647

If a direct complaint does not work, you should write to the Member of Parliament for the last constituency you lived in the United Kingdom and ask him or her to raise the issue with the Foreign Office Minister.

Although obviously the identity and bona-fides of those applying for British passports must be checked, there needs to be a certain amount of flexibility to deal with those applying in a country where they have lived for less than 2 years.

Exile

Thanks JAJ. I may take it up with someone.

utopia

Just wondering.

Could I print the forms I need from the britaus site and fill it out.

Or do I need an original form from a post office.

In the UK you go to the local post office and they have the forms ready and waiting.

Is it the same in Australia or can you just print from the Site itself?

Pollyana

I just printed them off from the site.

utopia

Thanks Polly,

Did you print on just plain A4 paper?