british passport renewal
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Victoria, B.C.
Posts: 283
british passport renewal
Hi all,
I have to renew our son's british passport which expires toward the end of this year. We are based in Victoria, B.C.
Does anyone have any links they could provide with help to this process? Or provide some insight if you have time.
Many thanks in advance...
I have to renew our son's british passport which expires toward the end of this year. We are based in Victoria, B.C.
Does anyone have any links they could provide with help to this process? Or provide some insight if you have time.
Many thanks in advance...
#3
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Kelowna, BC
Posts: 346
Re: british passport renewal
My hubby did it this year. It wasn't complicated and it wasn't cheap !
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,533
Re: british passport renewal
Hi
Have you seen how expensive passport renewal is doing it in Canada? I have just renewed my passport and both my sons, (under 16) for a total cost of £175.50.. (£77.50 for me and £49 for each of the boys)
Doing the same from Canada would be a total of $494 which if you convert at 1.68 (a rough average exchange rate at the moment) is a massive £294.04. A child on their own would be $135 divided by 1.68 is £80.35.
Can't you do it via the UK....do you have an address you could still use there?
Seems like a huge rip off to me.
Good luck
Stef
Have you seen how expensive passport renewal is doing it in Canada? I have just renewed my passport and both my sons, (under 16) for a total cost of £175.50.. (£77.50 for me and £49 for each of the boys)
Doing the same from Canada would be a total of $494 which if you convert at 1.68 (a rough average exchange rate at the moment) is a massive £294.04. A child on their own would be $135 divided by 1.68 is £80.35.
Can't you do it via the UK....do you have an address you could still use there?
Seems like a huge rip off to me.
Good luck
Stef
#5
Re: british passport renewal
Double check there are no errors on your new passport when you receive it. I only gave mine a cursory glance and didn't use it for 6 months, only to find it had a typo. I've had to pay the whole fee again to get it resolved - the passport office will only amend their errors for free within the first month of the passport being issued, otherwise you have to suck up the cost of a new application.
#6
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 556
Re: british passport renewal
Stoped getting the UK passport as soon as I got my citizenship. Just wish the Canadian passport was for 10 years not 5.
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Starbuck Manitoba then Brum, UK, Oz and now UK
Posts: 283
Re: british passport renewal
A journey to Walmart revealed they did not do photos for British Passport..they said their pics are always rejected so call ahead...I ended up at a place called Henry's after using the phone book in Walmart and driving around
My cost was $14 for pics and then the doc or similar has to sign the back
$212US for the passport itself and then send the passport office the return postage which turned out to be courier $15..the postage from my end another $14 to register and taxes ....Grand Total $281 Canadian
Also if you want to call the passport office in Washington DC...the calls are outsourced and that will cost you $2.99 a minute...Yes!! ... "want fries with that?"
#8
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Victoria, B.C.
Posts: 283
Re: british passport renewal
Thanks for the advice everyone, plus the link... what a shock in relation to the prices!!! What happened? I'm sure when we got our passports back in 2002 it was something like 40 quid (or maybe I'm making that up!).
Anyway, my son's was for only 5 years (we got his when he was born in 2005). So, I guess we'll have to renew it in Washington (although I'll speak to someone in the uk first) and pay the hefty charge!
Anyway, my son's was for only 5 years (we got his when he was born in 2005). So, I guess we'll have to renew it in Washington (although I'll speak to someone in the uk first) and pay the hefty charge!
#9
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1
Re: british passport renewal
Just sent my passport renewal to Washington and noone was there to receive it. The US Post Office left a notice 3 days ago asking the embassy to call and arrange for delivery and nothing yet?
I have no idea how long it will sit before someone calls to have it redelivered. It was so much easier when the renewals were handled in Ottawa Ontario
I have no idea how long it will sit before someone calls to have it redelivered. It was so much easier when the renewals were handled in Ottawa Ontario
#10
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,782
Re: british passport renewal
Since they centralized the UK passport office in Washington, it looks like a bureaucratic nightmare. I am in Canada and have been waiting for my passport for 2 months now. You have to phone the UK to make any enquires and they ask for your credit card details first and charge you something like $3 a minute for the call and give you minimal information.
#11
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Victoria, B.C.
Posts: 283
Re: british passport renewal
Just sent my passport renewal to Washington and noone was there to receive it. The US Post Office left a notice 3 days ago asking the embassy to call and arrange for delivery and nothing yet?
I have no idea how long it will sit before someone calls to have it redelivered. It was so much easier when the renewals were handled in Ottawa Ontario
I have no idea how long it will sit before someone calls to have it redelivered. It was so much easier when the renewals were handled in Ottawa Ontario
#12
Re: british passport renewal
Since they centralized the UK passport office in Washington, it looks like a bureaucratic nightmare. I am in Canada and have been waiting for my passport for 2 months now. You have to phone the UK to make any enquires and they ask for your credit card details first and charge you something like $3 a minute for the call and give you minimal information.
#13
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Kamloops from London via New York
Posts: 456
Re: british passport renewal
We got our children's passports renewed a few months ago. Bit of a nuisance having to send the pictures back to someone in the UK to sign, but otherwise no problem really. It took the six weeks they stated at the time. No more of a hassle or expense than many of the Canadian processes really.
#14
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: victoria
Posts: 20
Re: british passport renewal
Hi, I was wondering is it possible to renew your British passport if you are in the UK on a visit or do you have to be resident there?
#15
Re: british passport renewal
I need to renew my passport soon and was hoping we would be citizens before it was needed, but like everything in Canada it is not going to happen any time soon! So as a UK citizens, living in Canada I have to send my passport to America - go figure!
If I lived in the UK still it would cost me $77.50 to renew (about $132 CND), but to do it through the UK/CA/USA system it is a whopping $224 USD or $235 CND - that is nearly double the cost.
I doubt that you can use a relatives address in the UK to get a new passport - the fact it is the passport office suggests they would know you are living in Canada.
I might just let it lapse and hope I don't need it before getting a Canadian one in a year or two. Do they charge extra if it lapses and then renewed?
If I lived in the UK still it would cost me $77.50 to renew (about $132 CND), but to do it through the UK/CA/USA system it is a whopping $224 USD or $235 CND - that is nearly double the cost.
I doubt that you can use a relatives address in the UK to get a new passport - the fact it is the passport office suggests they would know you are living in Canada.
I might just let it lapse and hope I don't need it before getting a Canadian one in a year or two. Do they charge extra if it lapses and then renewed?