UK Passport Renewal

[Gone-east]

I have been reading here about the long delays American members are experiencing obtaining new passports and I have also read elsewhere about delays in receiving UK passports. Some members might find my recent experience of value.

Thursday 1st October 2020: Made an online application to renew my passport

Friday 2nd October 2020: Sent my old passport to the address they supplied to me.

Thursday 8th October 2020: Received new passport

Now seems a good time to renew.

[semi-retired member]

What country are you in ?

[Hallmark]

1 minute ago, semi-retired member said:

What country are you in ?

The title of the thread might be a clue ?

[semi-retired member]

Just now, Hallmark said:

The title of the thread might be a clue ?

Nope, that just tells you where he's from !

Another Brit, here in Thailand, recently took two months to get a new passport, and that was after the people at Trendy had started working again, hence my question.

[Hallmark]

1 hour ago, semi-retired member said:

Nope, that just tells you where he's from !

Another Brit, here in Thailand, recently took two months to get a new passport, and that was after the people at Trendy had started working again, hence my question.

Fair point that. I renewed mine last year in Thailand and it was all done on paper and 2 visits to Bangkok and I seem to remember there was some reason or other why I didn't do the online thing and have it sent to an address in the UK to be forwarded to me here. Buggered if I can remember it though ?

EDIT.....Just remembered why, I couldn't send off my old passport to the UK because it had all my visas in it and I needed them to transfer to new passport.

[semi-retired member]

If only we British-expats could use an online-system, or even go back to the old days, when you sent everything by DHL to the consulate in Hong Kong, and received your new passport back smoothly/efficiently !

I've never understood why they didn't simply change the system at-the-time, to courier it to an address in Liverpool instead, keeping the work in the UK  ...  but simple/efficient/obvious just doesn't seem to be in their rule-book. 

And that's before we mention the higher-price expected from us expats, compared to anyone still living in the UK, I mean it's not like we're not still UK-taxpayers, and all ! 

Whatever, good luck to the OP, assuming that he is in the UK currently, and Thanks to him for the heads-up ! 

[Gone-east]

6 hours ago, semi-retired member said:

What country are you in ?

England.

[Downandup]

15 hours ago, Gone-east said:

Now seems a good time to renew.

That's fast, I helped my mother renew her's in June and it took about three weeks to receive the new passport.  The online renewals process is easier and much faster, she was applying at the worst time of year when everyone was thinking that they could still go on holiday that summer.

[Gone-east]

For those Brits who haven’t renewed their passport for a few years the process is much easier than it used to be.

Get your photo taken at a booth that also provides you with a digital code. My local Morrisons has one so there should be one near you. You get the photo printed as usual but you also get a code that you use during your online application … photo gets uploaded automatically. Another bonus is that you don’t need someone ‘important’ to countersign your photo which was always a PITA (IMO).

As touched on above, you have to send your old passport back to them before they will complete your application.
 

[GARYZX6R]

At present in Thailand it's a three week turn around with Trendy house. Service was very good.

[Downandup]

On 09/10/2020 at 09:58, Gone-east said:

For those Brits who haven’t renewed their passport for a few years the process is much easier than it used to be.

Get your photo taken at a booth that also provides you with a digital code. My local Morrisons has one so there should be one near you. You get the photo printed as usual but you also get a code that you use during your online application … photo gets uploaded automatically. Another bonus is that you don’t need someone ‘important’ to countersign your photo which was always a PITA (IMO).

As touched on above, you have to send your old passport back to them before they will complete your application.
 

You don't even need to do that, you can take a photo on your phone and upload it.  It get's automatically inspected after upload and you get told immediately if it does not follow requirements.  Then you mail in your old passport and the application gets processed.

[beethoven]

i renewed mine the other month, turned out to be very easy and pain free, got my new passport one week later despite fear porn about 'delays' 

Cheers Beet

[Gone-east]

3 hours ago, Downandup said:

You don't even need to do that, you can take a photo on your phone and upload it.  It get's automatically inspected after upload and you get told immediately if it does not follow requirements.  Then you mail in your old passport and the application gets processed.

Useful for others to know. I recall reading all the do's and don'ts about taking your own photo, especially regarding lighting, so I decided as there is a photo booth 5 minutes walk from me, I would go for that option.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Gone-east