CHANGES AFFECTING 'FIRST-TIME' PASSPORT APPLICATIONS

The Passport Agency is currently setting up a network of offices across the UK, which from later this year will be used to conduct personal interviews with all first-time passport applicants. This affects those who have never held a passport in their own name, including those who have previously been named on a parent's passport. These are not walk-in centres, interviews will be by appointment only.

Passport applicants aged 16 or 17 will require to be accompanied by a parent during the interview.

The exact date for introduction of this new service has not been confirmed as yet, but is expected to affect over 600,000 applicants during the first 12 months of operation.

Anyone thinking of applying for a passport later this year or next year, may save themselves a lot of time and hassle by applying now instead.

David

Following on from David's post...

'Passport interview offices named'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4967276.stm

Pippy

I am flying to Turkey on the 26th May returning 10th June, I have just discovered that my passport expires on the 10th January.

Question..will I be allowed to fly? I thought your passport had tp be valied
for 6 months after you return, mine is bang on 6 months.

Hi Kilda ... according to the Foreign Office, your passport should be valid for at least six months on entry into Turkey. By my sums, you have seven and a half months validity on entry, and seven months on departure. So you should be okay, as long as your tour operator or airline does not require a longer period of validity.

David

Hi, I've just booked a last minute Holiday but stupidly without even thinking have noticed my 9 yr old twins passports need renewing, I know there is a fast track service but it states that there is a 2 week waiting time just to get an appoitment, does anyone know if there will be much chance of me getting them back in time using the postoffice check and send method this time of year, if I get down there tom (fri) that will be 2 weeks 1 day until we are due to go,
How stupid I am, I cant believe I didn't check them before making the booking,
Thanks from a very stupid Karen!!

Hi Karen ... according to the Post Office, the usual turnaround time for Check & Send applications is 2 weeks from the date it is accepted by them. However, this is not guaranteed and they warn that it could take longer.

The Passport Agency has two separate services for urgent passport renewals required within 2 weeks. The first is a Fast Track One Week Service, the second is a Premium Same Day Service. You will find more info on these services by clicking HERE.

Have you tried contacting the Passport Adviceline on 0870 521 0410, or is that where you learned of the 2 week waiting time for an appointment ?

David

Hi David,

Thanks for the quick response, it was through looking at the gov website on info for renewing passports urgently that I learned of the 2 week wait to get an appointment, it does seem a bit strange as that would not really be of any help to anyone who needs there passport back in less than 2 weeks, I think I will go back and read it again, the more I think about the more it doesn't make sense!!! No doubt its me....panicing and getting myself all stressed out!!! I've got to tell my Husband yet and don't think he is going to be very pleased with me regarding the passport situation, hopefully I can get it all sorted out without having to mention it to him!!
Thanks from a very worried Karen

Karen .... I think that you may well be right, in that there probably is a warning somewhere on the UKPA site saying that appointments may take up to 2 weeks. I think that is just to protect themselves in case that in peak holiday season, everyone leaves their passport renewals until the last minute and the system cannot cope. I would not expect that to be the case at the moment. You will undoubtedly encounter some inconvenience and expense, but hopefully it will be possible to obtain an appointment (and the new passports) in plenty of time.

Do let us know how you get on !!

David

Hi all

My son is Going to Crete on 11th August for two weeks. His passport expires 27th September, so on his return he will only have approx. 4-5 weeks until it expires. Is Crete one of these places where you need to have at least six months left on your passport on your return.

Your help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Jackie

Hi Jackie ... as far as official entry requirements for Greece are concerned, passports need to be valid only for the duration of stay in the country.

However, some airlines and tour operators implement different minimum passport validity rules, and so your son would just have to verify whether any apply in his case and if so, just how stringently they are enforced.

David

Thanks David, I'll tell him to check with his TO

Regards Jackie

Hi all

Just a quick update. Son phoned TO and when going to Crete you need six months validity on your passport on your return. What is the reason for this. Surely if your passport is valid for the duration of your trip what does it matter how long it is valid after your return.

Someone please enlighten me

Thanks Jackie

Hi Jackie ... as I mentioned above, some airlines and tour operators have minimum passport validity requirements which conflict with official immigration/entry requirements for some countries.

We know that some countries require passports to be valid only for the duration of stay in the country, some have a 3 month minimum validity requirement, while others have a six month validity requirement. Perhaps some areas of the travel industry find it easier to have a one-answer-fits-all policy rather than try and keep up with the varying and confusing passport and visa rules for all countries.

We did hear from someone a few months ago who was denied boarding on his flight because the passport was not valid for 6 months beyond his date of return to the UK, even although the country being visited only required the passport to be valid for the duration of the holiday.

It does seem unfair, but if these conflicting passport validity requirements are specified in the airline or tour operator's T&Cs or Booking Conditions, then unfortunately you may have to comply or risk losing your holiday.

David

David

Thanks for the reply. My son will be renewing his passport prior to his holiday because of the 6 month validation needed on his return, but I was just curious as to why this rule is implimented.

Rgds Jackie

Jackie ... Airlines/Tour Operators can face penalties and the expense of flying someone home immediately, if the passenger is discovered by immigration officials to have a passport which does not have the minimum legal validity period for entry to that country. To try and avoid placing themselves in such a position, that may well be one reason why some areas of the travel industry impose a minimum passport validity requirement for all countries, even in cases where no such immigration requirement exists.

It some cases it seems very unfair, but in others cases you can see the logic.

Just now for example, we have a long running saga in our Greece forum where many of our members were booked into a new holiday complex which has not been completed on schedule and which was pulled by the tour operator on Friday, just hours before some holidaymakers were due to set off. Those members may have passports which comply with immigration requirements for entry into Greece, but if that tour operator was to urgently try and secure holidays for those members in alternative resorts and countries, the choice may be restricted if their passports do not comply with immigration requirements for those alternative countries.

It is a difficult and problematic situation because most holidaymakers tend to check out individual immigration requirements for the specific countries which they are visiting, rather than any blanket policy imposed by their tour operator which applies to all countries.

But one of the main problems appears to be that there is little or no flexibility in tour operator policy. If someone presents himself at check-in for a 2 week holiday, with a passport valid only for a further 6 weeks, airline staff should quite rightly deny boarding if there is an official immigration requirement in the destination country which specifies a minimum passport validity period. But where there is no such immigration requirement and passports need to be valid only for the duration of stay in the destination country, then airline/tour operator staff should have the discretion to waive company policy on the issue.

David

Off to Spain on Thursday with the missus and daughter. Daughter is 13 and is named on both our passports which expire in 08. Mate in work tells me that some countries are not allowing children in on parents paasports anymore. A call to the passport help-line confirmed this but he didn't know what countries were involved. He gave me the number for the Spanish Embassy which is constantly engaged.

Will I have a problem getting into Spain. Travelling in 3 days time so the timing was absolutely lously!

Hi Steve ... your passport is perfectly valid for travel to Spain with your daughter. At the age of 16 or on expiry of the current passport, she will need to apply for an individal passport in her own name. But meantime she is okay to travel on yours, so no need for panic.

David

Thanks Dave

I have got friends who are in Benidorm at the moment, they had their passports and tickets stolen when they were checking into their apartments, they have reported the theft to the police, who have give them a letter to get back home and the rep has told them they will have to prove to passport control when they get back to Manchester that they are British, I have told them to contact the Foreign Office in Alicante, but the rep seems to think they will be alright, has anybody been in this situation before and do you think they should contact the Foreign Office.

Thanks