raemond333

Hey,
So I need to get my UK passport renewed asap.
I filled out the form, got the right sized photos and have just spent the last 3 hours online trying to figure out what the hell to pay. I cannot find a price ANYWHERE.
I was also all geared up to send my application to the embassy in Washington DC, but now I'm finding conflicting info saying I have to send it to the UK and the DC embassy is no longer accepting applications.
I am so incredibly confused and frustrated at this point.
The gov.uk website is incredibly confusing and just keeps sending me around in the same circles. No sign of any fees in dollars.
Does anyone know where I send my application? And how much it's going to cost me? I am beyond frustrated at this point by so much conflicting, out of date information.
Any help much appreciated.

Thanks.

Elvira

It's all here:

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passport...wing_new/adult

Elvira

I happen to have a question of my own though:

Given that it costs twice as much to renew from the US, is there any reason why one cannot send the application from the UK, with a UK return address?

Anybody recently tried this?

Duncan Roberts

You can do that. I renewed mine and got my sons done while we were there. Just walked into the post office and used their service. Took about 10 days from application to the passports and documents arriving at my mums house.

raemond333

I thought about doing that, via my parents address, but I'm a permanent resident in the US and spend 11 months of the year here. If I gave the UK passport people a UK address that's what would be printed in the passport and the US customs folk would no doubt get their knickers in a twist every time I come back from the UK, about why there's still a UK address on a brand new passport and I'm based in the USA.
Seemed like more hassle than it was worth.

raemond333

THANK YOU!
Don't know why that site was so hard for me to navigate.
I was specifically looking for a price in $$$, so that threw me off completely.

Duncan Roberts

There's no address printed in the passport. It wouldn't make any sense to have one.

Elvira

So did you put a UK address as your current address in Section 2 of the application form, or did you put your US address with a request (in Section 8) for the passport to be set to a UK address?

In other words, does one have to pretend to be resident in the UK or can one be upfront about one's permanent abode in the US, and still pay the lower UK fee?

Duncan Roberts

You're not pretending by putting a UK address down. It IS a current address for you even if its not your permanent address. I used my mums address in the UK. There was a whole section on the UK site about renewing that said you could renew when on holiday in the UK but it wasn't recommend unless you were there for several months due to the processing times and the possibility you wouldn't get your passport by the time you left. For that the instructions online told you to put the address you were staying at down.

They don't care how you apply just as long as the passport will end up in your hands when its done.

Bob

Yup, this pretty much.

And if you're not in the UK, it's worth using FedEx type service to send the stuff back and forth.

Pulaski

And the US CBP know when you come and go from the US, so as long as you're spending most of your time in the US, you're not going to have a problem anyway. But anyhow, as Duncan said, passports don't come with an address printed in them.

Elvira

Thanks

I note, though, that one now has to fill in a form online, which the Passport Office then send by post for signature, or one has to fill in a form that is available from the Post Office.

I wonder what happens if you print out an online form, fill it in with a UK address and then send it to the UK?

I myself now live in the UK but my menfolk's passports need renewing, so I was just going to take the forms back with me and mail them in the UK.

Elvira

That's what I thought!

So why are peeps not doing this, ie still paying the official overseas rate, which is TWICE the UK rate?

It seems so simple - or am I missing something?

Duncan Roberts

It is simple but has more moving parts. If you don't have a UK address or want a simple solution then the more expensive route is probably better. On a side note though, I found the form you get at the post office to be way simpler than the one used outside the UK. For a renewal it seemed like you only needed to fill in about 5 questions! Even a new application was easier with less documentation needed. The post office check and send was also worth the extra few pounds and it still comes in far cheaper overall.

Lbjen

Well I send mine from here and pay more because it's easier. There are less opportunities for something to go wrong and I don't have to worry about some well-meaning relative screwing it up. Sometimes peace of mind is priceless.