HighlandPenguin

My UK passport expires in a few months and I wanted to start the process of getting it renewed. However I am going to need to get a new photo, as my one from 2002 has me about 50lbs lighter and having more hair . I am currently living in the US and have moved around quite a bit. Therefore what constitutes a person to be the counter signatory for a new photo for my passport renewal?

Sue

Anyone really who is in a position of authority. So I have a friend who is the CFO of a local non-profit and he's countersigned for my son's passport photo.

Basically he wrote his name, position, company name and then signed.

iaink

According to this, there are way around not knowing anyone thats known you 2 years....

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...ntersignatures

BritinFLUSA

50lbs lighter? Well... I suppose it isn't just me who moved to the US and gained about 50+lbs! Hahahaha!

BritinFLUSA

Always read the UK Passport renewal thread. The wait time from the Embassy in the US is around 3 months. If you can do it via a friend in the UK (online etc) the form is less onerous and the process is less than a couple of weeks.

iaink

If you mean send the forms over and use a convenient UK address then you would be signing a false declaration saying you were resident in the UK.

If you are an overseas resident visiting the UK then you can setup an appointment and do it in person as mentioned upthread.

BritinFLUSA

Re: Using a convenient address - Correct. However much quicker and less paperwork. :-) It is something I have known many Expat do in real life and advice which is mentioned on this forum in dozens of places. In fact, it is something I didn't know was a possibility until I read it on this forum and started asking expat friends. People should never roll over on bureaucracy and just accept it! Do what is easier and more convenient for you, why take the hard road! Imagine having it done by mail with a third party in under 2 weeks for less money versus 12-16 weeks for more money!

I do agree that the better way of doing it is a same day appointment in the UK when visiting - this is actually cheaper too. Doing it from the US costs around $265 whereas a same day appointment in London is something like £120 or so.

So my advice would be the latter. Something I have been looking into for a potential trip in the Spring of 2013 as my UK passport runs out in 2014. Remember you can renew your passport at any time and if there is time left on your old passport then it will be added to the new one (up to 9 months worth I believe).

iaink

On the other hand YOU ARE SIGNING A FALSE DECLARATION.

Its not like they dish out passports without doing some checks, so there is a risk involved here. For the sake of the extra few bucks I confess I bottled it and chose to send off my forms to Washington, despite carping on here many many times about how ridiculously expensive it is (especially compared to the $87 my Cdn passport costs)

The other factor in that decision was that the UK passport process requires you to submit ALL your passports, and I didnt fancy being without any passport while waiting for a new UK one to be issued. The process applying via washington allows you to not have to do that. If your UK passport is the only one you have, then thats a non issue I guess.

BritinFLUSA

$87 CDN - wow cheap!

As for sending off a foreign passport. I didn't believe you had to send off if you had to apply in the UK. In my case sending my American passport to the UK... I just wouldn't do it. They have no right to really ask anything about my "American Life" if that makes sense. I think sometimes people read too much into things.

iaink

I felt the same way and had my my dad phone to confirm when I was looking into it, they wanted originals of all passports

This was based on the UK forms and guides that he picked up at the post office and mailed over to me.

BritinFLUSA

By chance I have one of these forms in my briefcase with me - Don't laugh! - I am looking at them now..

Wow.. section 3 "You must send us all uncancelled passports with the application" - However, I would challenge this and say that they weren't specific in saying "foreign" and that all could mean all UK ones (say you hold two, as the UK allows for those visiting the middle east).

iaink

Im not laughing, I only took the forms out of my briefcase last week, and Ive had my replacement passport since June or something!


Right, its not specific. Hence the reason I had my dad check with the information line. No dice, got to send ALL passports. If you think about it, Im not sure its possible to have more than one uncancelled UK passport, so the plural passports is really implying Foreign passports too.

Jerseygirl

You can hold more than one valid/current UK passport. Some who post in the US forums hold 2...use one to enter/leave some Middle Eastern countries and use the other to re-enter the US. I suppose they think the computer systems the US Immigration Officers use don't show they hold 2 UK PPs...or maybe they don't want the ME country to see the US visa in their UK PP.

iaink

Didnt know that.

It was computer systems that put me off the idea of just pretending I didnt have a Cdn passport.


Anyway... my old man called the "help" line, and they were pretty adamant that all current passports INCLUDED foreign issued ones...

BritinFLUSA

Exactly what I was referring to. The even demonstrated this feature on last year's Top Gear Christmas Special where they drove through the Holy Land. It is indeed possible so you don't cause a "diplomatic incident" by travelling through somewhere and then your destination doesn't like the country you travelled to. Just like Jerseygirl said, I have seen some on this forum who have used them too. Also, don't forget Uk diplomatic and UK military passports too.