How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

I do have a thread on asking questions but wanted to post something separately which I how will help people.

Disclaimer: This is how I did it and every situation is potentially different.

My case: PR, UK passport "British Citizen" not expired but due to expire, No issues on passport or passport history, no criminality, no difference in likeness in photo

I was actually pretty stressed, worried and concerned about the whole process and whilst there is information at source for me it was in places a bit hard to get my head around.
Essentially everything is done on line, it is I promise you pretty painless, from start to finish actual process took about 2 weeks. My main bug bear was with Canada Post and also costs from them.
At least I don't have to do this for another 10 years ! LOL

OK > Thanks goes to various members of the board who helped me !

1> First go to the UK GOV website, download the FAQ's, print them out if necessary, in the document there are different scenarios one will fit yours, I have already outlined mine
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...ports-guidance

2> Click on the link overseas tool and it will walk you through some questions to determine 1> if you need to send supporting documentation 2> if you are eligible to use the online method

3> When you answer all question it will give you a final screen and IF you are eligible for online method it will tell you

4> On this screen it will tell you how to apply, costs, passport return and digital photo:

DIGITAL PHOTO: There is confusion on this, it refers about a code, this is in reference to some UK photoshops, it does not (at the moment apply to Canada)
: (I did this) I went to a known reliable shop and asked for a digital UK passport, the guy took the photo, sized it up and emailed me
The cost was around $25 inc tax, the site does go into taking your own pics, but I opted for my guy. When you upload the photo it actually does
A check on how acceptable it is (though it says this is not guaranteed)

PAYMENT ONLINE: Again very easy, it took you to a site, which took your payment and gave you a receipt, payment is in Can$

PASSPORT RETURN: Different methods here and this is what I opted for, Canada post expresspost , cost around $90, took 3 days and is trackable, but CP being the best of the best
Would not give me details of signature due to privacy concerns and I needed to contact by phone !. HOWEVER on the website you can opt for text/email notifications
As I was pulling out my hair, I got a text and email confirming my passport was received and any thing else would be notified. So no need of Canada Post.

I was also notified that the process was started

I then got a notification and carrier tracking details that the passport was on its way and also that when it would arrive (through DHL).

They send the passports in 2 separate packages, new passport, then old passport


All told it was a VERY painless procedure, Canada Post of course had to make things both expensive and stupid to work with considering Id paid for tracking,

The UK Gov website, despite the code issue, was very clear and easy to use, despite thoughts to the contrary the information and communication was balls on !

DHL, was 100% excellent ! and the text SMS's of information was excellent, both from them and UK GOV

Here is a break down (approx) of my costs:

Passport £86
Courier £20
Canada post $90
Photo $25

Well I guess Harry and Megain's security bill have to be paid somehow LOL,

Ask away if I can answer anything I will.

Other people have different methods, this is what worked for me approx 2 weeks all in !

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

Having also done this recently, I'll chip in with the bits that were slightly different for me:
Photo - I took my own photo using my phone against the projector screen I have in my basement. Was accepted without issue.
Canada Post - I used International Registered post, cost $26 but they took three weeks to get my envelope from Calgary to Montreal, in which time I reported the old passport lost to HMPO. This made life a little interesting once Canada Post got it across to the UK and someone in HMPO Durham signed for it. My original online application was processed as if my old passport had not been lost. 9 days after they signed for my old passport in Durham, I had my new passport delivered by DHL here (the old, "lost" passport was returned to me a day after the new one arrived).

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

thanks !

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

Thanks for the information. I thought I'd add a few things too, as I've just submitted my application for passport renewal.

1: As I have a Canadian passport, I need to send a full color copy of that passport, all pages, including blank pages. I used my scanner at home (HP Envy 5540), 600 dpi resolution to scan my Canadian passport. I popped the resulting PDF file onto a FAT32 (Windows format) USB flash drive and went to my local Staples where they printed out a nice full color copy. Cost of that was: $11 (plus tax). I hope the copy is acceptable, and will report back when I know.

2. As mentioned I needed a digital photo too, and Staples took care of me there. Perhaps my old eyes are failing me, but their website does not seem to mention England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom as countries for which it'll take photos. However they DO take photos to for UK passports, and can provide a digital copy, however, they need to save it to a USB drive, they will not email it. As above, I had that with me, so it wasn't a problem, but it's something to be aware of. Cost was $14 (plus tax). The online tool accepted the photo, listed it in the middle of the "Good" portion of the scale, so we shall see if it's acceptable, and I'll report back on that too.

3. Went to local Shoppers Drug Mart that contains a Canada Post office within it. I selected Xpressposr International medium sized envelope, which has tracking and signature on delivery. I was told it should arrive by 5th March. Cost was $71.45

So far, it's been very simple, the online system is fantastic, far better than having to fill out paper forms, or online auto-fillable PDF forms, which, being a mac user, are a pain unless you have things configured to use the Adobe PDF plug-in thing.

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

I've just done (strictly, am still in the process of doing, as we haven't got the new passport yet) a renewal for one of my kids' UK passports. Moving from a child (5-year) passport to an adult one, but there doesn't seem to be any difference in the process.

As with my earlier renewal of my own passport, I took a picture with an iPhone against a plain white background (a bedsheet hanging over a curtain rod...) which was accepted first time by the photo quality algorithm on the renewal site. Popped the supporting docs in the same kind of Xpresspost envelope that Sharkus used, can confirm somewhat eyewatering $71 cost for that. It didn't quite meet the advertised 3-4 business days delivery (posted it late afternoon Friday Feb 21, it didn't arrive until late the following Friday afternoon, and wasn't booked into the passport system until this morning) but now it's in the system so hopefully all is well.

Was able to track the old passport's delivery through Canada Post, and am keeping an eye on progress of the new passport application through the passport service's website. The service seems remarkably efficient: I got my new passport inside 2 weeks last year, this one will likely be a little longer just because of the longer delivery time for Xpresspost, but still pretty good.

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

The only real issues I have with the process, and I've used the feedback form to submit them, are:
1. I'd love to have the ability to see all the steps / fill out all the information *without* having to upload a photo. For example, you can skip the photo bit, go through all the other things, see the final list of items, including wether you need to send additional documents. At that point you could "save" the current state if you don't have everything - so for me I'd need to get the color copy and the photo - and then come back, resume the process, upload the photo, make the acknowledgement, and submit the application

2. A shorter address that you mail your items to. Here's an example of the address:I'll grant this is more Canada Post, possibly even just Xpresspost, than HM Passport Office's problem, but trying to fill in the above address int the Xpresspost label, and still have it legible, does mean you having to put some wording in other spaces, for example, part of the address ended up in the "customer account #" field when I wrote it in.

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

yeah that address is more than a mouthful, I would say the 2nd and 3rd lines I didn't use, I wrote it somewhere else, I think on a ref.
I don't even think it's that necessary it's all in the post code

thinking now I did what you did and put it in the customer acc. field

I left Canadapost feeling very anxious I must say !

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

did you not skip the photo bit, I'm sure I did, for the self same reason
can't remember now !

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

I just had a look now, and you cannot skip either entering a photo code, or uploading a photo.See picture below.




https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...2a01b31a5c.png

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

Now, the $1 million question is, is your new passport blue or burgundy :p

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

£1 million dollar question you mean :D A very good point actually. I recall a mention of the blue ones being available in March, so I suspect it might be blue. I have had a blue one before too. We shall see how the color compares to the Canadian passport, as the only issue I can see is that I might pick up the wrong one when travelling to the US (I'd use my Canadian passport rather than UK one)

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

Blue or Black?

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-51737116

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

Pretty much exactly 48 hours between acknowledging receipt of old passport, through "your photo has been checked and passed" and "your new passport is being prepared" to "your new passport is on its way." That's pretty quick. Notifications by text and email throughout the workflow, as I put both in the application.

From memory the Passport Service uses DHL as a courier. I guess they pass DHL the contact information you put in your passport application so that DHL can then send waybill/tracking info for the courier package. Won't quite hit the 2-week timeline unless it miraculously arrives tomorrow, but 2 weeks plus a weekend is still remarkably quicker than the old systems either through the embassy in Washington DC or (worse) the High Commission in Ottawa.

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

The old system meant every passport was printed and laminated by hand. These days it goes through the same automated printing process as UK applications.

Re: How to: renew your UK passport from Canada
 

Good news so far, package delivered and signed for, HMPO info updated to say that documents were received, and it's also indicating my application is being processed.