NakiMan

My partner is a NZ citizen and I am still a UK citizen. We both have to renew our passports in the next year so I have been looking into the costs and how to do it.

For a New Zealand citizen it costs NZ$153 to renew a passport if you live in NZ or GBP76 if you live in the UK (at $2 to the pound thats almost exactly the same)

For a UK citizen it costs GBP77 if you live in the UK BUT NZ$334 if you live in NZ (at NZ$2 to the pound thats over TWICE as much)

If the NZ government can do it for the same cost, why cant the UK government?

Or is this just another example (like non increasing state pensions) of the UK government taking advantage of its expat citizens.

cappuccino

This has come up before. I think the NZ passport has fewer pages and is valid for less time, so it is not a straight comparison.

simonsi

He is comparing the costs of a local vs a distant renewal for the UK and NZ passports, not the cost of a NZ vs UK passport.

OP, I don´t know how fast the NZ renewal in London is but the NZ renewal of a UK passport takes 5 days door-to-door so I suspect there is a fairly local (ie in NZ) processing and printing. If NZ are shipping theirs around in the diplomatic bag or whatever maybe the costs are lower but the time longer???

Woodlea

NakiMan wasn't making a comparison between passports rather between the residential status of the holders of the passports...

Incidentally, how many pages does a Kiwi passport have and how long does it last?

Woodlea

Beat me to it!

Genesis

And why both Kate and I are cashing in both our public service pensions to get them tax free and to ensure we actually get something from them. I have grave doubts if there will be a pot to piss in with Kate's case as she would have had to wait 18 years to see a penny..and a taxed penny at that.

pricklykina

Don't know how many pages, but it last for five years

Woodlea

Thanks

BEVS

NZ passport has 49 pages and lasts 5 years.

Uk passports has 30 pages and lasts 10 years.

Woodlea

Thanks Bevs, you'd have to do a lot of travelling to fill 50 pages in 5 years!!

Persephone

The other thing about the NZ one is that you cannot add time remaining on the passport onto your new passport if you renew early. The UK will allow you to carry over up to 9m if you renew early but NZ won't.
My OH has to have a PP for work at all times [NZ citizen]. Since some countries require 6m time remaining on your passport this means his 5year PP only really lasts for about 4 years and 4-5months. He then renews and gets one lasting 5 years from the date of renewal.

All in all the UK passport is no more expensive, in fact I worked out once that there wasn't a lot of difference in cost when you take into account the 'time carried over' aspect of a UK passport [assuming you need a valid working PP at all times of course...] That is wherever you renew it.

Catchafire

But once you factor in the cost of flights back to the UK, accommodation and living expenses whist your application is being processed. The NZ cost is much better value.

sandra arnott

Got brittania to get my pension over for me even though when i asked i got told i couldnt do it o well at least i got some extra cash now