melanieg1

I've never lost a passport in my life... I am a UK citizen, and a naturalized US citizen living in CA. My 7 year old daughter is US born but has a British passport too.

We went through a major house remodel last year and in the upheaval I realized today that her UK passport has vanished, almost certainly in the remodel process. We are leaving for Europe, including the UK in 4 weeks.

I checked out the embassy site for replacing the passport but have some questions...

1. Would you simply travel on her US passport into the UK and wait to replace the lost one till we get home?

2. How much of an ordeal is it to get a replacement via the DC embassy? Do I really have to call the local police dept to report a lost British passport?! I think they'll laugh at me...

3. Is 4 weeks long enough to get a replacement, given the embassy's warning that they will only issue a replacement after exhaustive enquiries?? What exactly does that mean????

4. Do I really need to send them her US passport in order to replace her British one??? That would leave her minus ANY passport, a month before our trip...

I am so upset with myself right now... I have a handful of passports, current and expired, for her and me, and no valid British one. I am climbing the walls over this and would really love some advice on what to do, other than panic...

Highly embarrassed in California....

British Consul

Calm down, people lose passports every day.

In response to your questions:

1. Your call. A US passport is just as good as a British passport if you intend to travel and then return to the US.
2. Ordeal? It takes five days maximum from start to finish. Don't use the US Post Office to send your documents though. Use UPS or FedEx. It helps to have a police report if you intend to claim for the replacement costs from insurance, otherwise we're not that bothered.
3. Yes, plenty of time. Just don't leave it until the last minute to apply.
4. You only need that for a first time passport application.

Hope this helps.

Dean

JAJ

Does the daughter have a British consular birth certificate? It should make it simpler to replace the passport, if so.

melanieg1

Thank you so much...

Sometimes I find the voluminous notes and requirements that seem to go hand in hand with a British passport application to be a bit overwhelming and rigid.

Thank you for the very human response and for asnwering my questions.

Much appreciated!

Melanie.

melanieg1

No, she does not... Just a standard US birth cert. I do have her first expired passport, just can't find the current one.

What is a British consular birth cert??? Is that something I could get for her and is it worth having?

British Consul

We're changing that. New website coming in September which will make it easier to understand.

Dean

Bob

The daughter is going to need a US passport to exit/enter the US, for the purpose of a holiday, US passport is all she needs to enter the UK.

Getting a replacement UK passport ain't that bad in the US, but costs a fair bit. No idea about trying to blag getting it replaced within four weeks in the UK though, maybe Dean knows if that's a goer or not?

melanieg1

Can I ask you two more things????

1. I don't have the number of DD's passport... I found it was missing when I went looking for it today to make a copy of it(!) Will that be a problem with the replcement application?

2. If she goes into the UK on her US passport, should I go in on mine with her in the visitor's line? Or should I go in on my UK one and take her with me in the citizen line? Is it likely to be a problem if I get questioned about her lack of a UK passport and tell them it's lost and will be replaced?

Thank you, Dean. It's wonderful to have such close to the source advice from you like this.

Bob

yes, it's worth getting, in the event that you carp it and she loses her passport again, it'll make getting a replacement one a lot easier to get etc....not cheap though, which is partly why I've been putting off doing it myself, being made redundant with a new born has shifted the spending priorities a bit

JAJ

British consular birth certificate => means exactly what it says.

An extra birth certificate which acts as a "stand-alone" proof of her British citizenship (handy if her passport is lost or stolen when she is much older) and can be replaced anytime through the GRO in the U.K.

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/a...=41016&a=25315

Even though she is aged 7, she is still eligible to be issued with one, provided she was British immediately when she was born.

melanieg1

Very interesting... Thank you for explaining that.

British Consul

Don't worry about the passport number. We have ways of knowing what the number was.

It's up to you which line you stand in. Personally, I'd stand in the shortest one.



Dean

British Consul

You can only get adult passports renewed in the UK if you live overseas.

Dean

melanieg1

Thank you again. I am very grateful to you for taking the time to answer queries like mine on this board.

BritishGuy36

http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/lost-abroad.asp