Sheepdip

Thanks for all the brilliant advice.

In my defence I did try a search but it was the whole forum and not an individual thread (didn't know you could do this).

Will have to hang around as I'm only there for a fleeting visit (soccer calls!).

md95065

While I am sure that, in theory, this is true it depends on your being able to find a Wallgreens that has an employee that understands how to do this.

I tried two different Wallgreens last year when I renewed my UK passport and neither of them were able to produce passport photographs in anything other than the standard US format

kodokan

Hubby and I used the Premium Service to renew passports last year, and didn't need to have the photos/form countersigned as we both still looked the same.

We then renewed the kids' passports a month or so ago using the Premium Service. Children's applications always need countersigning, and the signer must be from the list of 'official sort of jobs' people who've known one of the parents (not the kids) at least 2 years, a UK passport holder AND UK resident. This makes it more complicated to get the photos done on the spot in the UK, and may require some weeks of advance planning and posting back and forth to the UK.

We used the Financial Director at the UK site of hubby's company, and they were still incredibly officious about it - wanted the company's registration number (searchable on the Companies House website, fortunately) and muttered about needing to get hold of the guy for confirmation during the 4 hour period (not sure if they actually did this or not). The company is a well-known enormous multinational, not a '2 blokes in a shed' set up, but still...

All done in the end, though, and the kids are now covered for another 5 years and 9 months, all ready to get their US visas stamped in shortly.

Englishmum

Hellooooo from a rainy and cool Switzerland! Just unpacked our shipment (but will continue to reside in New Jersey) and until now I haven't had any spare time to go on on BE for a while.

Yes, I got a same-day passport on 1st July at the Peterborough passport office, and had phoned a fortnight before to book an appointment - mandatory - from the US (at 3am ET, as obviously Summertime is the busiest time of year for issuing passports).

I was informed that the London time slots were already fully booked so chose to go to Peterborough - and combined it with spending the weekend in north Norfolk where we stayed in a B&B in a windmill on the coast and also visited Sandringham. We were staying in an hotel in Central London but I found it cheaper and more convenient to return to Heathrow airport on the Piccadilly Line and rent a car there; we were able to park on the street from 6.30pm until 8.30am free of charge in South Kensington just a few feet from the hotel which was charging 29 pounds per night for parking! (The signs are misleading, it looks like only local residents can park there at all times, but that's just during the day)

The day before I went there was a national strike of civil servants, teachers etc. The security guy at the passport office told me that normally 600 people work there and only 50 turned up for work on 30th June!

It was very efficient in there, the staff were very pleasant and the building is quite recent and posh for a govt. office (large TV inside with the BBC news with subtitles). You and your bag goes through an X-ray similar to at airports (without the frisking lol!) and show your documents to the receptionist (ie. current passport, photo and application form....by the way if you go in person no need for countersigning from a professional who knows you). The receptionist gives you a number as if you are at a deli counter and you are asked to sit and wait a few feet away.

My number came up really quickly and I was called to a window...a very nice caucasian Muslim woman just glanced at me (I guess to match me to the photo) and gave me a slip of paper to go to a cashier at another window nearby. I paid with my LloydsTSB Bank (offshore a/c) debit card, but you can pay in cash. It was 129.50 GBP.

Incidentally I got my photo from a 'Photo Me' photo booth outside Waitrose (adjacent to Gloucester Rd tube station, there is another booth inside the Post Office across the street). The photo booth has instructions for how one should pose for British passport applications. The booths are often at railway stations, no idea if there's one at Heathrow or other UK airports, they are also usually located in large town and city centre Post Offices.

That was it....I was in and out in approx 11 minutes. Similar to hospital appointments a batch of people are all given the same appointment time (eg. 10.00am, 10.30am etc. and I booked mine for 11am) but it was really quiet when I went in and no long queues at all. I had to return 4 hours later to a seperate entrance area where a clerk gives out the new passports, which you sign for, although you can arrange to send someone else on your behalf. My original passport was due to expire on 3rd April 2012 (9 months later almost to the day) and they added this time onto my new 10 year passport.

The weather was sunny and very pleasant so we went shopping and had lunch in the adjacent town centre - there is a decent sized mall as well as street level shops (my spouse bought a European Tom Tom in John Lewis and I bought some stuff in the sales at Lakeland). Also there is the Cathedral in a lovely square (there is a teashop there too). Another thing to do is to visit the Cathedral where they also do guided tours.

TBH I'm very grateful for that long thread about the passport delays from the British Embassy in Washington DC and I'm so sorry that many expats have been having to anxiously wait and have their travel plans in jeopardy in the past few weeks and months. Without that thread I wouldn't have thought about getting a passport issued in person, and as I often travel overseas I would have surely been 'in the same boat' and probably getting worried about travelling at Christmas. No worries now (unless I lose my new passport lol!)

lisa67

We must have a better class of Walgreen's employees where we live then

Sheepdip

Appointment booked for the passport. Went to Walgreens and the guy didn't really seem to know what he was doing. Took a photo with a point and shoot camera then stuck the SD card in the self service digital print machine (although passport photos require the assistant to enter a password to continue). There was an option for a 'UK' photo but I was convinced it wasn't correct (was against a white background and the head seemed to small on the print). They also didn't have a cutter so it was basically a 6" x 4" piece of paper. Will try another to see if they can do better be resorting to getting them in the UK.

Bob

http://www.epassportphoto.com/ follow instructions, and then print out in whatever place you like, target, walmart etc...

Sheepdip

Nice new shiny jumbo passport in hand - thanks to all who advised.