tbeb

When you send your UK passport off to have the Australian PR visa 'put in' what happens when the UK passport expires?

Is it best to move to Oz with a full 10 years on the passport? Mine runs out next August and we are hopefully moving to Oz Nov/Dec this year.

TIA,

TBEB

Olive101

Ahem....I quote from the VISA grant information sent by DIMIA:-

"If your passport is due to expire before your visa expires the grant of the visa can still be evidenced in your passport. The expiry of the passport will NOT affect the avilidity of your visa. However, when the passport expires you will need to obtain a new passport and travel to Australia with both your old passport and the new passport."

I didn't fancy having to take two passports etc so I am getting a new one first. They can add up to 9 months unexpired time from your exisiting passport onto the new 10 year passport.

mlbonner

I did this as well, have a passport thats valid 10 years and 7 months - just need the visa now!!

tbeb

OK, thanks. Looks like the best thing to do is to get them sent off before they are requested then ;-)

I just didn't think you could renew your UK passports so early, i.e. when they still have a good 14 months to go before expiry.

TBEB

mlbonner

I think you can, but you'll only get 9 of those months back

http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/_1_applications/1_renewing.asp

Olive101

Hang in there - it'll be with you soon. I can tell

I've got the visa - I just don't have the new passport 'til Monday!!!

Costing me GBP89 to get it done same day in London. Couldn't bear to post it off and wait 3 weeks.

I want that nice little sticker in there asap!

Impatient? Moi?

mlbonner

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!! Thanks, I really hope so. I'm doing my own head in with all the waiting, I can only imagine how much I'm annoying everyone else

tbeb

Great, thanks. I'll get the wifey to pick up the renewal forms and get them sent off this week. I'm not bothered about losing 5 months off the passport, just didn't realise they would be so flexible at the passport office ;-)

TBEB

mlbonner

You can get the forms sent to you all prefilled out. Just apply online, they took about 3 days to come through for me
http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/forms/f_app_pack.asp

double-check about applying earlier than 9 months though - I just couldnt find anything to say you couldnt.. maybe a quick call to them, wouldnt want you to waste your money!

mick n cheryl

Hi

My and Cheryl's passports have just expired with visa's in and we now are filling forms in for renewal. We have to send the old passports back it states on the form, So do they return your old passport to you . The old one is the one with the visa in so obviously we will need that. Or do they transfer the visa??

Any clarification greatfully accepted....

1 confused Mackay Tyke

gdcollectables

Hi

I recently sent off for new passports - the old ones were returned (clipped) the day before the new ones arrived!

hongkong

Hi

They won't put your visa into the new one they just return you old passport to you with the corners cut off, if you want the Visa transfered it will cost you £35 per passport, we thought of doing this but after asking a few questions decided not to line the pockets of the Government, so we are going to carry both passports when we travel.

Goog luck

HK

JAJ

It's often not possible to get a new printed visa label. You can always get a new handwritten visa label, but that will cause delays every time you go into and out of Australia.

If you carry two passports, with the visa in the old (expired) passport, then be prepared for delays every time you try to check-in for an Australia bound flight. The airline won't find any electronic match in the system for your new passport, and some airline staff don't know that an old passport with a valid visa label (together with a new passport that is valid) is sufficient evidence to board an Australia-bound flight.

I encountered that problem the final time I travelled before becoming an Australian citizen. In my case it was not a problem as the supervisor just came over to manually override the system to allow check-in to proceed. Others have reported that airline staff refused to proceed with check-in until they got an ok from DIMIA's operations centre in Canberra.

If you don't have enough time on your passport to cover you until you get Australian citizenship or a resident return visa, then I'd definitely get a new passport. Check all family members' passports for this.

For British citizens, it's easier and cheaper to renew a British passport in the UK anyway, rather than trying to do so via the British High Commission in Canberra.

Jeremy

hongkong

Thanks Jeremey

Maybe the best thing to do is have my passport re-evidenced, I
seem to be getting a different answer everytime i ask this question, my agent said it's not a problem to travel with both, singapore airlines said no problem, DIMIA said travel with both,
this subject seems to be a real grey area!!!

Cheers

HK

JAJ

It should not be a problem to travel with two passports, although it's a hassle.

But all you need is a clueless check-in person and a supervisor who's new on the job and you may have a missed flight to contend with.

And as I said, if you want to renew a UK passport in Australia, it's more expensive to do so compared to in the UK.

Jeremy