I have texted my friends and told them they must report the theft of their passports to the British Consulate in Alicante, but it seems they are prepared to take the risk of coming back without informing them and sorting it out when they get home, if they are allowed back in the country lol, thanks for your advice anyway.

Cheers sweet.

Hi just wondering if anyone can help with a query - I am off to Morocco in Nov this year and my sister and her kids are coming along.
She still has both kids aged 08 and 15 on her passport I am assuming this will be ok but I know some countries like Bulgaria do insist on children having thier own passport, does anyone know the rules for Morroco?
Thanks.

Unfortunately I have put my son's passport through the washing machine as it was till in his jeans pocket!
It still looks alright to me but a bit worse for wear round the edges, do you think he will need to get a replacement or will he be ok next time he goes away.

Shirley ... as far as I am aware, children up to the age of 16 can enter Morocco along with their parents without needing their own individual passports, as long as their photos are included on the parent's passport. Passports should be valid for at least 6 months from date of entry.

Carol ... that's a difficult one, without actually seeing the extent of the damage. If that damage is mistaken for tampering, the passport could be rejected either for departure from this country or entry into any other. You may need to seek advice from the UKPA, please click HERE for the relevant page of their website.

David

Thanks for that,I was worried about it being mistaken for tampering and as he has got another 7 yrs to go on it yet I think it's best to get a new one for him.

It's unfortunate to have to go to that expense Carol, but better to be safe than sorry. Although there may be no urgency at the moment, please bear in mind that passport fees increase by almost 30% in October, so now might be a good time to deal with it.

Have you checked whether any existing insurance policies may cover this damage ?

David

My passport expires 31st July 07, I am going on holiday around April so I shouldn't need to renew it before then... I'm also going on holiday around the end of June/beginning of July. Would I need to renew it before I go?

Depending on which country you are going to, and which tour operator or airline you use, there may be a minimum 6 month passport validity requirement. It would be advisable to renew before your April holiday, and have the unexpired period (up to a maximum of 9 months) added to your new passport.

David

Hi,

Going to Finland (Lapland) on Dec 17th, hubbys passport expires March 2007. Do we need to apply for a renewal or is it ok. Can't find any info and my travel agent was unsure

Someone said you need at least 6 months left on it.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to find correct info please.
Thanks x

Finland has no minimum passport validity requirement, your passport needs to be valid only for the duration of your stay.

However, your airline or tour operator could stiplulate different requirements which you may have to adhere to.

Bear in mind that hubby could renew now and avoid those passport fee increases which are effective from 5 October, and have 9 months validity transferred from his existing passport to the new passport.

David

PLEASE CHECK YOUR PASSPORT EXPIRY DATES

As we have mentioned previously in this thread, for entry into Turkey (and some other destinations), passports should be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the proposed date of entry into the country.

An investigation is now under way into how a passenger was allowed to travel on a Monarch flight from Gatwick with a passport which not only didn't have that 6 months validity remaining, it had actually expired 6 months ago. The passenger was apparently unaware that her passport had expired and although the discrepancy was not spotted at Gatwick, it was noticed at passport control in Turkey and the passenger was sent back home.

Please check that your passport is still valid, and also includes any minimum validity period which may be required either by the country you are visiting, or by the airline or tour operator you are travelling with.

David

Can anyone tell me if you need a passport for travelling from UK to Dublin by ferry or is it just photo ID???

URGENT Thanks

A passport is not an official entry requirement for UK citizens travelling to Ireland, but your ferry operator may ask for some photo ID.

As with airlines, photo ID requirements vary, and so you would be best checking with your ferry operator.

David

My nephew's passport turned up on the morning of the trip (in one of the drawers in his parents bedroom, can't think why they hadn't looked there earlier!) Anyway, the important thing was that it was in time for his trip to go ahead as planned!

Excellent !!
David

Renewed my sons passport ,sent it last monday come back this morning all done, nine days in total.

For some strange reason there don't seem to be the long wait for passports at the moment. I renewed my sons for him at the end of July and the whole process from posting the application ourself (not through the post office or fastrack) it came back within 8 days, Brilliant.

Regards Jackie

My sons passport took nine days as i have already posted. this passport has come with a chip in it, biometric thing. had problems getting it counter signed (photo has altered) neither doctor or teacher would sign it, don't know why.

Hi ratistuta .... those eligible to countersign passports were usually more than happy to do so in the past, especially in cases where a fee was charged for the privilege.

However, it is no longer a case of simply signing the application, as the countersignatory now has to enter their own passport details on the form as part of the security measures implemented by the Passport Agency. The countersignatory should also retain the form and send it directly to the Passport Agency, rather than hand it back to the applicant to do so.

Some are reluctant now to countersign forms, either because they don't want to supply their own personal details or have their status verified as part of security checks, or they may not want the applicant to have access to their personal details, or they may not want the responsibility of forwarding the application to the Passport Agency.

David