Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
#1
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Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Plymouth-Adelaide-Brisbane-Plymouth
Posts: 355
Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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? :
#2
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 723
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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.
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.
Last edited by crystal23; Dec 8th 2007 at 1:33 am. Reason: spelling
#3
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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.
#4
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,815
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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.
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.
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.
#5
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Location: Kuwait - Sringboard to Djibouti
Posts: 305
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
UKPA has improved.
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 93
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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?
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?
#7
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
Go to a DIAC office with new + old passports and they should be able to re-stamp the visa.
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 93
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
Question answered anyway. ta.
#9
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
The sticker is only evidence of your visa, not the visa itself. Just get a new one stamped.
#10
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
Just carry your old PP along with your new one..that's what visa holders in the US do.
#11
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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.
#12
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
Cheers
Ginny
#13
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Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Sunnybank ..... 您好!
Posts: 118
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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?
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?
#14
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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?
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?
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/
#15
Precociously Stupid
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Sunnybank ..... 您好!
Posts: 118
Re: Applying for British Passports from Oz or UK?
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.
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.