Pulaski

I agree "should" be, but the Passport Office does not, AFAICT do anything verify if the address proviced is your "normal residence", and given that people can move address/ location at any time and without giving notice, there is no reliable way for the Passport Office to even know. Indeed it is easy to even pass off a PO Box or Mail Box address as a residential address and I know of it being done a number of times by different people, though not that I am aware of, in the context of a passport application.

That said, Google Maps and Google Street View make address verification, or at least plausibility, to be very easy in most cases, and "free" other than the provision of a computer and paying someone to perform the checks, but I still can't see the Passport Office performing any sort of review on applicants' addresses.

UKMS

I beg to differ

The fee you pay is dependent on where you are when you apply, if you are applying from overseas and taking delivery overseas you make your application as such. If you are in the UK when you make the application (even if you are resident outside the UK) then you pay for whichever speed of service you choose. The fee within the UK is nothing to do with where you live. Assuming you are using a UK address to receive the passport or going in person to collect.

Bomber Harris

This official web page seems to suggest that it's acceptable to renew a UK passport whilst being a non-UK resident visiting the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/passport-applicat...le-visiting-uk

Red Eric

OK, thanks - I stand corrected.

Interesting conflict there with the following :
Passport fees

Pulaski

That argument probably has some validity for first-time applicants, but is utter BS for passport renewals. The incremental cost for passport renewals for non-residents is the cost of mailing/ couriering the passports back to the applicant over the same cost for a UK address.

Red Eric

I think there's some argument (as used by the govt) about the costs of consular services being in part borne by those who live overseas through costs of passports. They were considerably higher for non-UK residents until fairly recently.

I did wonder when I encountered it whether that link applied specifically to first time applicants but on skimming through the whole thing, concluded that it didn't. I may have drawn the wrong conclusion, though.

I'm happy to accept that I was incorrect in my intervention in the light of the other link.

Pulaski

Also a fair point, but all UK passports are now processed through the UK (they are actually printed in Poland), so unless the British government wants to argue that residents overseas make greater use of consular services than residents in the UK, which could be true, then there is no merit to surcharging non-residents for issuing passports.

Pollyana

And when you consider that they send the cancelled passport back by one courier, then the new one separately, thats reasonable enough I think.
I"ve been really satisfied with the service since they moved it to the UK. My previous passport processing, done in Canberra, took much longer than the renewal via the UK this time.

Red Eric

We do pay courier fees on top of an already enhanced renewal fee, though.

Not that I'm complaining about the processing fee now the difference is only a tenner or so. It hurt a lot more when it was heading for 50 quid.

Lou71

My partner had to renew their UK passport last year (gawd help them!) so they applied online, booked an appointment in Peterborough and we flew to Stansted, stayed in a hotel, hired a van (which we needed for something else) and my partner picked up their passport. It was easy.

Notdunroamin

Precisely what I did and the only address the form required was that for delivery and that was my daughters because that was where I was staying, if I'd been staying in a hotel/B&B/AirBnB etc. etc. etc. I could just as easily and legitimately put that.

My my residential address in Spain was not asked for at any stage and in any case would have been worthless as I was in UK not there and couldn't possibly get there without a passport!

BTW passport blanks may be bulk produced in Poland but ANY and ALL printing appertaining to the recipient is produced and inserted by the UK passport service in UK. Best I can describe the ID page is akin to a double sided overgrown credit card which is bonded to the first page of the passport which is a transparent sheet.

To be crystal clear my application was for the 7 day service.

Notdunroamin

pot

Likely more out of ignorance than by deliberate act (rest assured you won't be alone there) but the end result is the same.

March 21 could well mean that the OP gained his TIE under the WA not via an NLV but regardless if resident in Spain you pay your tax in Spain, that's what the R85 'Spain individual' form is for to ensure you don't pay tax on the same income twice.

We don't know when you actually began living in Spain, could have been many years ago, but to be legit you should have declared you worldwide assets - if in total in excess of €50k - via the Modelo 720 and if you have not done that then you are already potentially into fines and penalties.

Sounds like you may not have been doing tax returns either?

You really must get some professional advice and legitimise your affairs, forget about the passport issue - there isn't one!

DLC

Was this Online premium or 1 week fast track?

In both of those cases the "Who can apply" section steers people away from these two services if they live abroad but if your partner renewed using either of those services then it looks like anyone living outside the UK can use them anyway.

Notdunroamin

For the n'th time if you are actually in the UK you can use any service you wish, where you reside is irrelevant!

Lou71

We can't remember exactly but we are pretty sure it was the online service where you opt for a time and date to collect the passport in person. London was very booked so we opted for next nearest place which was Peterborough.