Tr1boy

Anyone renewed recently? What are the turnaround times? I did hear there are some delays at present

I'm thinking of having a trip home beginning last week of Sept. Do you think I could get it back by then if I apply this week?

If not I'll take my expired UK one and current Australian one (to exit Oz). I'm pretty sure they'll let me in the UK Citizen queue on the expired one as a lady from NZ did exactly this in front of us at Xmas.

Rather have a brand new UK one though Don't want anyone thinking I'm an Aussie

Kathryn V

Hi

I renewed my UK passport in Australia in May last year and I received it back within about 2 weeks. It cost about $270.00 though!

I never had an Aussie passport and when leaving Australia to move back to the UK we exited on our UK passport. As mine passport was new and it did not have the permanent visa in it customs asked where my old passport was. Of course it was in a container, on a ship, on its way to the UK. :embaressed_smile: I did not think that I needed it because the permanent visa became invalid once we became Aussie citizens. Customs said that immigration would have to speak to me, as I has no proof that I was entitled to be in Australia. The man at customs did say that they would probably let me leave though.

My husband mentioned to the immigration lady that we were Australian citizens and she said we had to tell them when were a using foreign passports!! Well that was a nice goodbye from Australia. I might be an Aussie citizen, but first and foremost I am British and did not see the problem, as we were leaving the country and not returning.

I would not take it for granted that the UK will let you in on an expired UK passport and I would advise you to get it renewed if you want to use it.

Good luck

Kathryn

Tr1boy

Thanks for that Kathryn

Yeah I nearly got caught on that a few years ago when head to NZ for a holiday. My visa had expired but I'd become a citizen. Went to Immigration to get the visa renewed and they said since I had become a citizen the law was I had to leave Oz on a Oz passport, no exceptions. Which was a bit of an issue as we were leaving for NZ in two weeks time Managed to get it in time though.

So I'm surprised you were allowed to exit Oz without a Oz passport. But I'm glad you were.

I like taking both if I can, because I don't like long immigration queues However I'm gonna be pretty stuffed when we go to the US at Xmas. No workaround for that

Jay Bird

Some airlines (Zoom flying between UK and Canada for instance) require passport details of all passengers when you book a flight, so your passport has to match your ticket....otherwise you don't get on the plane! Also, if you leave one country, say on an Aussie passport, you cannot enter on a UK passport; you have to use the same passport for the whole trip....so I've been told. We checked on this because Mr O has both his Canadian and UK passports. I'm also led to believe the UK does not like you to have two passports; when you apply for a UK one, you're supposed to relinquish the foreign one.

An expired pasport is not valid anyway; a friend of mine was recently turned away from Toronto airport because her passport had expired.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAn...sas/DG_4019505

JAJ

I don't know the source of this information but it is completely wrong.

Tr1boy

My experience has been the complete opposite. Travel to and from using two passports all the time, never an issue. The only issue seems to be leaving Oz, you must leave on an Oz passport if you are a citizen. It is true you need to supply passport details when booking, but this only seems to be to get a ticket booked and to leave Oz (I always quote my Oz one for this) but once out of the country it seems to make no difference at all. It may in some countries, but none of the ones I've been to.

I know an expired passport is not valid, but as witnessed in front of me at LHR at Xmas, a lady was dual UK/NZ. her UK passport had expired, she entered on her NZ one as that was valid, but she had her expired UK one with her and was allowed to queue up in the UK citizens queue.

That's all I'm after, a short queue

I think I'll have enough time to renew anyway

Pollyana

The link you need to renew in Aus is http://ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk/en/passports/

nicola411

Hi triboy

My sons passport expired in Dec last year. As we are moving back to the UK in september I am hoping it will arrive in time too. I know on the british embassey website it said expect around a 4 week wait.

I have left it late but I couldnt apply until we had known someone for 2 years to sign the back of the pic.

Anyway I am hoping its not a problem.

JAJ

That kind of supposed "2 year requirement" is typical of the nonsense with which British missions overseas treat British citizens.

If you had applied before that point they would have had to have issued you a passport anyway, or issued a formal refusal, upon which you could have complained to the Foreign Office for being refused a passport which is your entitlement.

The people in the High Commission are either exceedingly stupid (not to have worked out yet that some people need a passport before the 2 year mark is up) or are just trying to be deliberately obstructive.

Renie

Just had my british passport renewed and took four weeks as stated on their website, I have read that others have had to wait 5 - 6 weeks though. I didn't even put a date for flying overseas on the request, hope this helps.

Mysterio

My husband renewed his passport may just gone. He didn't need anyone to sign his pic, you only need to do that if you are applying for a new passport
not for renewing an expired one.....that's what we where told plus it worked for my OH

Jay Bird

I'm glad it's wrong....I've often wondered if it was still true. I used to work (many years ago) in a Labour Exchange, and we dealt with passport applications. At that time this was the case; so I'm happy to be wrong.

Also, a couple of years ago, when a friend travelled back to the UK from Canada, she was told at Manchester airport that she should only have one passport. Just shows you.

Tr1boy

Thanks all

JAJ

It hasn't been true since 1 January 1949 and wasn't universally true even before then.


She was told wrong.

nicola411

HI
Yes that is the case with adults but as he was a baby on his original picture and is now 6 it is classed as a big change in appearance.