Advice Needed: Renewing a UK Passport from the US with an active Visa
 

Good morning,

I searched through the forum topics to ensure I'm not repeating a rudimentary inquiry. I couldn't find anything asking my specific question and, of course, our friends in the UK Passport office have been less than helpful thus far.

Here is my scenario:

I've been here for 2 years (NYC), my current L1 Visa runs until April 2019. My company will be flying me back later in the year to get a renewal whilst my green card process unfolds. My passport is due to expire not long after the April 2019 date so I need to renew it. What I'm not clear on, is what happens to my Visa when I send it away within my passport to be renewed. The Passport website refers to the inclusion of a letter indicating your present passport shouldn't be destroyed due to the active Visa within... But that sounds extremely wooly to me?

Has anyone had any prior experience of a similar scenario? Should I renew my passport now and have my new Visa stamped into that when I return to the UK? Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Kevin

Re: Advice Needed: Renewing a UK Passport from the US with an active Visa
 

Your old passport will be returned to you with the biodata page clipped but the other pages intact whether you apply from the US or the UK.

Re: Advice Needed: Renewing a UK Passport from the US with an active Visa
 

It does sound woolly, and I don't know why they'd say that, because every time I have renewed my passport the old one has been returned to me, exactly as per BiP's advice above, and I've never even had an "active visa" in a UK passport I was renewing, it just comes back (in a separate envelope from the new passport, and usually a couple of weeks later).

Re: Advice Needed: Renewing a UK Passport from the US with an active Visa
 

US law requires a valid passport and a valid visa. It is fairly common for a non-immigrant to present a valid passport and the expired passport with the valid visa. The entry stamp in the valid passport will be endorsed "VIOPP" for "visa in other passport."

Do note that the expired and current passport must be for he same nationality.

Re: Advice Needed: Renewing a UK Passport from the US with an active Visa
 

I renewed my passport in 2003 and it came back with all the page corners clipped. :scaredhair: Luckily I had no visas at the time.

The next renewal in 2013 was exactly as BritInParis and yourself have described.

Re: Advice Needed: Renewing a UK Passport from the US with an active Visa
 

If you are concerned about sending your passport away (and are near enough to London for two trips) you could do the same day passport service on the same trip when you are here to get your new visa.