sdunx

Am moving back from Oz to UK in April, my wifes UK passport has expired. Is it better to apply from Oz to get one or enter the UK on an Australian passport and then apply in the UK? :

crystal23

If I were you I'd get the passport renewed in Oz. Less hassle getting into the UK that way and I'm sure someone will be along to correct me if I'm wrong but I think your wife might have to have an interview in London if the passport has expired.

I've just renewed my daughter's British passport here and it was the most hassle free experience of renewing a passport I've ever had. The UKPA is the pits IMO.

From receipt of the application Canberra took 2 days to process the credit card payment then I received the passport 9 working days later.

You just need to make sure you know an Ozzie citizen who has known you for 2 years and in certain professions who can countersign your application and you need to check thoroughly about the photo instructions. The photos have to be a certain type as the passport will be a biometric one but there are are a list of photographers who specialise in British Passport photos on the Notes.

Don't forget that the Xmas hols are coming up so the Govt Depts will be shut for a couple of weeks so you might have a bit of wait if you apply now.

JAJ

If she is moving back to the U.K. she needs either a British passport or a Right of Abode stamp in her Australian passport.

Pollyana

Most departments are only shut on public holidays, or at the most bewteen Chrisymas and New Year.
Renewing here is probably a better idea for another reason - if she arrives on an Aussie passport they may question her as to how long she plans to stay. As she won't have a British one she'll be entering as an Aussie so they may stamp her passport will entry only permitted til XXXX. Could be esier in the long run just to enter as a Brit.

Dago

UKPA has improved.

ulpul

Sorry for hijacking.

A question renewing passports, I am from the UK and am a PR of Australia but when I renew my passport here, will they issue a new visa sticker to replace the one that was in my old passport or do I need to go to immigration again?

JAJ

The British authorities cannot issue Australian visas. Not clear why you think they should be able to.

Go to a DIAC office with new + old passports and they should be able to re-stamp the visa.

ulpul

Sorry probably my fault for not being clear. "they" being generic not the British authorities. More a question of whether I have to go through part of the processes again to get a new sticker or whether I can just get a reissue from DIMIA.

Question answered anyway. ta.

JAJ

The sticker is only evidence of your visa, not the visa itself. Just get a new one stamped.

Jerseygirl

Just carry your old PP along with your new one..that's what visa holders in the US do.

JAJ

Some airline staff don't like to see that - it's easy to get visa re-stamped in Australia (different to the U.S.) so makes sense to do so.

Stitch

I applied here in Oz. Didn't take long to come through. I thought you guys were settled here in Oz. All the best for the future.

Cheers

Ginny

TsukinoDeynatsu

I'm a student saving money for a trip back to the UK - travel for about a month and then work for five - and have to renew both my australian and british p/ports. The British one will be about $300, the Australian one doesn't even TELL me how much (I need a new passport because I was under 18 when they issued my last one).

After a bit of thought I decided to just renew my Australian passport, as I have no idea how much that will cost and I know that it's a LOT easier to do it here than in the UK (or, God forbid, Taiwan, where I'll be heading after).

Australians have a visa waiver deal going on where we can enter the UK for up to 6 months for holiday purposes I believe....?

Even so, whatever passport you show at immigration doesn't take away the fact that I'm a citizen and have the right to abode and the right to work in the UK.

So I think I've got 2 options.

(a) enter on my Australian and say I'm there to visit family and travel (not strictly lying) and will be leaving in August to the states to visit my father (true)...

(b) could tell the truth, say I'm there to visit family, travel and work a bit, and show them both my expired UK passport and my current Australian passport and explain that I thought it would be less hassle to get my passport renewed in the UK...

Somehow, Option (a) seems like the easier one. It's very weird though, how I seem to have to think up of ways to 'get away with' entering my own country! Since citizenship doesn't expire........

I was also an illegal immigrant in the UK for about 10 years (since they wouldn't issue me with citizenship, since I was born in the states and mum was the british one) and I have no idea how or why they finally gave me citizenship - either the rules changed and maternal lineage was fine, or I was naturalised. Either way, I don't have the documents to prove it, the only proof of citizenship I have is my expired passport.

I'm going to head into the consulate on friday morning in a week to ask questions, but does anybody here have any advice?

JAJ

If you want to work, or stay 6+ months, don't even think about turning up in the United Kingdom without a valid British passport.

If you were born before 1983 with a British mother then you must have a Certificate of Registration as a British citizen from the Home Office.

If this is lost you may need to obtain a replacement:
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/

TsukinoDeynatsu

Born in the US 1987, lived in the UK since 1988, was granted citizenship (I'm assuming, either way I got a passport) 1997, left in 1999.

I'll only be in the UK for about 5 1/2 months, so I'll be allowed in for that amount of time on an Australian passport no problem, providing I don't mention the working bit.