GrapeEater

Now we live in Spain we are unsure of the procedure / issues in renewing our Brit' passport over here which is due April 08.

A local suggested it can be done through a UK consulate (e.g. Alicante being the nearest to us)... someone else said you need to go back to UK. But Passports can take forever in UK don't they?

This page suggests it's Madrid.

Anyone know the score or done similar?

CBANDY

Can only be done through the Embassy in Madrid now. And it is bloody expensive. For my daughter it cost 92 euros when she was first born.

Econ

Yes Madrid will do this, it used to be done in the local British consulates but that was stopped a few years ago. Last time I did mine I went into the British consulate in Malaga, actually if I remember correctly they then sent it to Madrid for me 'or maybe I had to send it myself! can't remember' but I got the form there and it was simple enough although it took about 3 weeks all in all.

I also think it is expensive for a British passport, I paid something similer and mine was a renewal. My Spanish wife got hers done locally in Malaga within an hour and it cost something like 14 euros (the machine in Fuengirola National Police station was out of order!) .

I think it is a sort of stealth tax by the British government, same as them saying it would cost £40 for an ID card when in Spain and France it only costs a few euros! money for their gravy train pensions I guess.

Good luck

scampicat

My husband renewed his earlier this yeear from Madrid. You can download all the forms and the instructions from the British Consulate website and do it all by post. (Makes a nice change!!).

Be careful with your photograph; if it does not conform to all the recommendations they will send your application back. However, I took one of my husband using our own digital camera, we followed all the instructions to the letter and irt was fine.

Apart from the cost (142 euros IIRC) there was no trouble at all and I think it came back in a couple of weeks.

The alternative is to renew it in the UK. It should be back within three weeks.

Hope this helps.

JAJ

http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/apply.asp

Alternatively, you may apply in person for a passport whilst visiting the UK. In order to do this, you need to make an appointment at a passport office and you must provide an address in the UK to which the passport may be posted. Please note that we do not accept applications by post or e-mail if you live abroad.

twyntub

I asked this question of the Tony Blair last year when there was an open discussion on National ID cards and the National ID database, knowing I would soon be living outside the UK. I got this rather interesting reply:

If you are planning to move abroad permanently, your passport will likely be renewed at one of our overseas consulates and you will not be recorded on the Identity Register until you return to live in the UK.

So, there you have it - if you're worried about ID fraud - move to Spain!

Bri and Katee

Does anyone know what happens if it runs out in Spain and you don't bother to renew it?
Or leave it expired until you know you will need it? ie, it expires today but you won't need it for 10 months, so you leave it. What regulations cover an expired passport in Spain if you are required to produce it by someone?

JAJ

Not a good idea - what if you need to travel urgently?

Fred James

It depends where you want to travel.

You can travel within the (Schengen) EU without an up to date passport and you can also return to the UK (but they won't let you out again!)

JAJ

If you arrive at a British port of entry with an expired British passport you will be admitted. But the problem is that an airline will almost certainly not let you board a U.K. bound flight.

Understood that you can travel within Schengen, but the point I'm trying to make is that if you're a British citizen living elsewhere within the EU/EEA it's a really bad idea to let your British passport expire unless you are also a citizen of another EEA state and have a valid passport/ID card from that country.

It also raises the question of what if you want to take a quick trip outside Europe for some reason.

brisca

My experience was an almost carbon copy of Scampicat's.
I had my photos done in a Spanish photographer's, but unbeknown to me, Spanish ID photos are smaller then the ones required by the UK passport office!
However, the forms are easily downloadable from the British Consulate website, as Scampicat says.
Apparently, the extortionate cost involved, is because when renewing abroad you have the dubious pleasure of paying into a "distress fund" or something similar, aimed at helping British citizens who get into trouble abroad.
So, in other words.....................another stealth tax!!

I used "certificado" post (like registered post) to send my old passport back along with my application. It was about 3.50 Euros, I think.

You can only pay for your new passport by credit card.

jdr

Maybe that`s why the UK didn`t join Schengen, they are making too much money out of the passports. lol

scampicat

We used certificado post too, in fact the return certificado post is included in the extotionate fee.

JAJ

In fact if U.K. ID cards are introduced then many people may decide not to have passports, as the ID card will be valid for travel in the EEA, even without joining Schengen.

Reality - passport costs in most Western countries have gone up significantly over the last 10 years to pay for security features. The cost is still small ticket compared to the overall cost of travel.

jdr

True what you say, but by the time an ID card is sorted it will cost probably as much as the passport anyway.
In Spain they cost a few €`s.
Will the British borders accept other countries ID cards then if they expect theirs to be accepted ?