U.K. Passport renewal
 

As part of the new online U.K. passport procedure...which is wonderful I might add, you have to send your old passport back to the U.K.

NZ Post charges $94 odd for this, as it is a ‘prohibited item’ for normal post. DHL want $150 odd for a ‘signed delivery’. All rather expensive methinks and makes me wonder why people simply just say their passport is lost and declare it thus. There appears to be only a 5 pound fee I think for going through the lost passport process.

Anyways, I phoned around and finally found ‘Pack&Send’ will do it for $ 60 or thereabouts. So that is what I did.

Does anyone know why we are all so honest and dutiful to the powers to be? For me it just seemed to be the ‘right thing’ to do. And one does not want to lie or mess with the Crown. If anyone knows of any cheaper ways to have gotten my passport back to Blighty, signed for, please speak up and save the next person a few bob. UPS were $84 by the way. So Pack$Send won on price, I have no idea about their service, but frankly I care not, I have fulfilled my part of the deal and returned my passport correctly.

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

Just checked..out of interest. To send a ‘signed for’ delivery within the U.K. is $9. Even if you double this for the airmail involved to the U.K. for the passport from NZ what a huge rip off NZ Post’s $94 is!!!!

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

It's not the UK I know but I've used Pack n send from Oz to Nz and vice versa as they were the cheapest, and also to send a box of stuff to Nz.

I agree, NZ post is extremely expensive, but Australia isn't much better!

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

The new process is super fast and efficient and believe it still works out cheaper to send overseas than the ridiculous sums they used to charge to process them here. I seem to remember paying something like $340 to have one renewed onshore in NZ.

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

We renewed online and returned them to the uk using nzpost recorded cost around $15, and the new ones were back with us in 5 days, it's a fantastic service

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

It cost us about $40 to send ours (2 passports) last year, tracked & signed for, back within a week or so. The post shop had all the info on which service to use, none of those ridiculous prices???

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

I rang NZ post after being in the shop..same quote...... 94 bucks!! Can really have gone up that much??

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

Oh! I'm glad I found this!

Is this the proper link for me to go through to do it online? I dunno, it didn't look legit to me?
https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport

Re: U.K. Passport renewal
 

Yes, that is the correct one. NZ Post were shocking!! To return my PP to the U.K. I was quoted by one PO and also quoted the same by their help line.....an oxymoron there for sure! Just before I was going to send it with Pack and post I decided to ring a little PO I know in town (after what mickey said above), not manned by attack dogs who have not a clue what they are talking about! Anyways, I sent it home for 44 bucks through this little NZ Post shop, $42 for post and $2 for the envelope they insit you buy for the ‘signed for courier’ job.

By contrast the U.K. online service is amazing, like properly amazing! They even contacted me by e mail to say they have my passport. You HAVE to return it to them, heavens knows why. If you have a returning visa for resident status, like me, make sure you go down to Internal Affairs and get a new one to go in your new passport.

Re: U.K. Passport renewal