The Lemon Fool

The 10-year anniversary of my passport issue was in February next year. With all the scare stories about extended renewal times I decided to renew now, as I have no prospect of needing it in the next few months. The renewal website quoted up to 10 weeks to renew. I applied on-line on Wednesday 14th, and sent off my old passport the next day. To my surprise my new passport arrived this morning, after being kept updated by email of the renewal progress.

I did use the photograph service where you can go into a photo shop and get a photo with a code to quote on your application, cost me £10. I also used the royal Mail special delivery notice to send off my old passport.

My application was probably as simple as it gets, maybe the delays occur with less straightforward cases.

The downside is that the new passport is a black colour rather than the previous burgundy, which I rather liked. Another of the dubious benefits of Brexit I suppose.

Does it say 'Her' or 'His' Majesty?

doug2500 wrote:Does it say 'Her' or 'His' Majesty?

More importantly does the Royal Mail become the C3-PO?

doug2500 wrote:Does it say 'Her' or 'His' Majesty?

I really doubt they have acted THAT quickly
but would be pleased to hear they have

doug2500 wrote:Does it say 'Her' or 'His' Majesty?

I understand that it will be One's Majesty. Do keep up.

T7

Her Majesty

terminal7 wrote:

doug2500 wrote:Does it say 'Her' or 'His' Majesty?

I understand that it will be One's Majesty. Do keep up.

T7

Oh please let's keep gender for some things

malkymoo wrote:My application was probably as simple as it gets, maybe the delays occur with less straightforward cases..

I don't think the process for renewing the straightforward cases was ever broken, provided you used the on-line system and machine readable photo.

Our passports expired in early August last year and we did not get around to renewing them.

But, on 1st Feb a grandson tells me that passport application fees were due to rise the next day.

This fired us up and we applied pronto, on line, using photos from the phone.

Hey presto, mine arrived today.

I realise that this is not ground breaking news, but at least it makes me feel that something functioned as it should. Paul

Alaric wrote:

malkymoo wrote:My application was probably as simple as it gets, maybe the delays occur with less straightforward cases..

I don't think the process for renewing the straightforward cases was ever broken, provided you used the on-line system and machine readable photo.

Does not need to be online. I renewed last summer by post and had my new PP in about 2 weeks.

I will need to replace mine in a couple of weeks and its replacement is still going to be a nice burgundy colour as my Irish citizenship was approved recently.

So no more dealing with “you Britishers queue over there”,but just sailing through the empty electronic EU citizen passport gates.

AF62 wrote:I will need to replace mine in a couple of weeks and its replacement is still going to be a nice burgundy colour as my Irish citizenship was approved recently.

You do not have to "replace" your UK passport if you take a second passport. Unlike some other countries, the UK does not care if you hold other passports and I am not aware of any need to even declare that you hold other nationalities.

I have been told by more than one border control officer that, if you hold both a UK passport and a foreign passport, then you should enter the UK with your British passport, but it is not mandatory.

Lootman wrote:

AF62 wrote:I will need to replace mine in a couple of weeks and its replacement is still going to be a nice burgundy colour as my Irish citizenship was approved recently.

You do not have to "replace" your UK passport if you take a second passport. Unlike some other countries, the UK does not care if you hold other passports and I am not aware of any need to even declare that you hold other nationalities.

No, but the UK is due for renewal in the not too distant future and I don’t see the point in paying for both (potentially not getting diplomatic assistance from the British consulate, but that’s about it), and I would like to receive the benefit of the Irish passport sooner than later - being less facetious than the passport queue issue, it is to avoid the 90/180 day rule.

Lootman wrote:I have been told by more than one border control officer that, if you hold both a UK passport and a foreign passport, that you should enter the UK with your British passport, but it is not mandatory.

Recommended but not required - https://questions-statements.parliament ... -03/41847/

Not so though if you are a freedom loving American with dual citizenship where you have to use your American passport by law to enter or leave -

https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/dual-nationality/

AF62 wrote: I don’t see the point in paying for both (potentially not getting diplomatic assistance from the British consulate, but that’s about it), and I would like to receive the benefit of the Irish passport sooner than later - being less facetious than the passport queue issue, it is to avoid the 90/180 day rule.

£100 or so is not a lot to pay for a second or third passport. At that price I would have a few if I could.

However I guess that the renewal of a UK passport could harm an argument to be treated as a non-dom if you could otherwise qualify for that.

AF62 - there is nothing 'facetious' about trying to avoid the 'rosbif' queue. Frankly - politics aside - only too happy to have an EU passport going into the EU and a UK passport to show the striking Border Force on the way back in - though incidentally Lootman £100 would not even pay for the notarisation fees plus there's a small matter of the citizenship 'test' that is not a 'promenade de sante'.

T7

terminal7 wrote:AF62 - there is nothing 'facetious' about trying to avoid the 'rosbif' queue. Frankly - politics aside - only too happy to have an EU passport going into the EU and a UK passport to show the striking Border Force on the way back in - though incidentally Lootman £100 would not even pay for the notarisation fees plus there's a small matter of the citizenship 'test' that is not a 'promenade de sante'.

I meant that the renewal of a UK passport costs about £100. Obviously there are costs to gaining a foreign nationality of which that country's passport is just one aspect.

I would like a second passport but it would not be a EU passport as I have no interest in living in Europe and most of my travel is elsewhere in the world.

terminal7 wrote:£100 would not even pay for the notarisation fees plus there's a small matter of the citizenship 'test' that is not a 'promenade de sante'.

€278 for my Irish citizenship application, plus about £50 or so to obtain copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates, and another £40 for witnesses signatures* and a statutory declaration. All in around £350, which I didn’t think was too bad.

*they are very picky about witnesses signatures and even phone the witnesses to check they actually did sign and do know you.

AF62 wrote:

terminal7 wrote:£100 would not even pay for the notarisation fees plus there's a small matter of the citizenship 'test' that is not a 'promenade de sante'.

€278 for my Irish citizenship application, plus about £50 or so to obtain copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates, and another £40 for witnesses signatures* and a statutory declaration. All in around £350, which I didn’t think was too bad.

*they are very picky about witnesses signatures and even phone the witnesses to check they actually did sign and do know you.

They are picky but very bloody good at the process and surprisingly helpful, or they are when it tranpires your grandad was registered with a placeholder name at birth. Apparently it was common to do so and see if they survived long enough to be christened at which point they got the name that appears on every other bit of paperwork.

servodude wrote:… when it tranpires your grandad was registered with a placeholder name at birth. Apparently it was common to do so and see if they survived long enough to be christened at which point they got the name that appears on every other bit of paperwork.

I had the fun of the spelling of my family name constantly changing between documents - the British registry offices were clearly not too bothered about accuracy with an Irish surname and appear to have taken a ‘that’s close enough’ approach.

But I assume the Foreign Born Irish team must have seen it before as they didn’t query it.

It would seem I would qualify for an Irish passport as my Grandfather was born in Armagh, currently my wife and children don't qualify under that rule.

Let's just say I applied and received an Irish passport in due course, would my wife and children then qualify due to their relationship to me?

Beseeinyou