stulec52

Hi all,
sorry for jumping right into it with my first thread, but I could really use some help and/or advice here pretty quickly.

I'm sure some of you know that to re-new a UK passport in Canada you now send it to Washington.
I'm sure some also know it's normally a pretty quick and painless process....

well, I sent mine in when I found out it was expired on April 18th.
They said on the website ( abtran) it takes 10 days.
My travel date back to the UK to let my family meet my kids is May 20th.
So, I figured a month was plenty time.

Now though the website is saying a severe technical problem is meaning it's taking 6 weeks to process re-newal of passports !!

oh oh.
I phoned on Friday and they had taken their fee on the 8th of May, but as yet had not processed my passport.
I had marked my travel date on the application.

SO, I guess what I need to know is what's plan B?
assuming that I don't get it back on time, or perhaps it will show up, but not looking good... what else can a person do?
I know I need a passport to fly, even though I am going back home.

I'm in Calgary, and the local office here could only suggest an emergency passport, but said that it would have to be a life or death situation, and that either Toronto, or Ottawa, or Vancouver in person would be the only thing to try.

So, yeah, any help or advice most greatly apprecited.

Stu

hopeful2

see if you can change the date of your flight- its Government and they won;t budge!

stulec52

not really an option as my Wife and 2 kids also go that day, + I have had to book these dates off work for a long time just to get the 3 weeks we are taking.

JAJ

Welcome to the third-class service offered by British Embassies.

If you stayed on the overseas electoral roll, call your Member of Parliament in Britain immediately and ask that they get the relevant Foreign Office Minister involved. Or if you are visiting relatives, can they get their MP involved?

If the service in Washington DC has broken down, all British consulates in North America should waive the usual restrictions on emergency passports. Or, they should be authorised to give one-year extensions to passport validity (this was done when the Passport Office in Britain had similar problems back in 1999).

stulec52

thanks for the replies.

Supposing I can get to Vancouver on Tuesday, and supposing someone there is feeling in a good mood and is willing to issue me an emergency passport, anyone know the sort of documentation I would need?

I have my Birth Certificate, and I have a couple of photocopied pages of the recently expired passport, + I have the expired passport previous to that one ( ran out 1998) + I have my AB drivers license, + I have 4 UK passport photos taken today.

I think I need 1 signed by someone, can do that ok, but is there a form I need?
I looked at C1, but it says stuff like I declare this to be the only passport application I have made... hmmmm

wurzeltree

Hi Stu

just wondering, how did you get on obtaining a passport in time for your trip. Were you successful? What did you have to do?

Cheers

Pete

stulec52

Pete,
you can PM me for more info if you want.

but the basics were:
The day before I travelled to the UK, I had to get to Vancouver for 8am ( after speaking to the nice lady there the day before so she knew I was coming and why)
Took all my info that I had, which included Birth Certificate etc.
They knew all about the problems Washington were having.
so, I guess it took about an hour there to get the Emergency passport made up for me, valid for 1 year.
of course 2 weeks later the replacement arrived from Washington...... thanks.

Moral for me was, be very very nice to the nice people at the embassy, and they can help you.

cost much more money than it should have, but just meant 1 less meal out when over in the UK, so not that bad really.

Best of luck
Stu