Passport renewal - should I wait until January?

[Fluke]

My passport runs out on the 31st March next year, the government website says that from the 1st January 2021 you will need a clear 6 months remaining on your passport to travel to any EU country. There's less than 6 months remaining on it now but while we're still in the EU that rule doesn't seem to apply. I'm not currently planning any travel but I often hop off somewhere warm at short notice if I spot a good deal and I'm fed up with the weather.

If I were to renew now does anyone know if I will receive a burgundy EU passport and will this need changing once we leave the EU? I couldn't find anything about this on the website.

[swill453]

My passport runs out on the 31st March next year, the government website says that from the 1st January 2021 you will need a clear 6 months remaining on your passport to travel to any EU country. There's less than 6 months remaining on it now but while we're still in the EU that rule doesn't seem to apply. I'm not currently planning any travel but I often hop off somewhere warm at short notice if I spot a good deal and I'm fed up with the weather.

If I were to renew now does anyone know if I will receive a burgundy EU passport and will this need changing once we leave the EU? I couldn't find anything about this on the website.

It seems to have escaped your notice that we left the EU on 31st January 2020

We're in a transition period until the end of the year, so you're probably fine until then - but I haven't checked that specifically.

I think they're now issuing blue ones, but whatever colour you get it will be valid for 10 years.

Scott.

[Johnspenceuk]

Hi My passport was valid till 29/4/21 so I renewed it on the 29/10/20 thinking it would be valid for 10 years six months however my new blue passport arrived with validity from 02/11/20-02/11/30 so I did not receive the additional additional 6 months.

regards

John

[Fluke]

Hi My passport was valid till 29/4/21 so I renewed it on the 29/10/20 thinking it would be valid for 10 years six months however my new blue passport arrived with validity from 02/11/20-02/11/30 so I did not receive the additional additional 6 months.

regards

John

Hi John, thanks you've answered my question in that you received a blue passport and therefore it is valid for the full 10 years. No you cannot carry over any remaining period from your previous passport but it's worth sacrificing that to avoid any nasty surprises when you turn up at the airport.

It seems to have escaped your notice that we left the EU on 31st January 2020

Yeah alright smarty pants

[swill453]

Hi My passport was valid till 29/4/21 so I renewed it on the 29/10/20 thinking it would be valid for 10 years six months however my new blue passport arrived with validity from 02/11/20-02/11/30 so I did not receive the additional additional 6 months.

All the "extra validity" has disappeared, even any you got at the start of an old passport. For example mine was issued on 6/8/12, 8 months before the expiry of my previous one. It therefore shows an expiry date of 6/4/23.

However it's now being treated as expiring 10 years after the issue, 6/8/22, meaning that extra 8 months I got is disregarded, and was money down the drain.

The "6 months validity" rule means I may have to renew by 6/2/22, a full 14 months before its expiry.

The above applies to travel to the EU I think. The UK authorities will of course consider the passport valid until its expiry date.

Scott.

[Alaric]

I think they're now issuing blue ones, but whatever colour you get it will be valid for 10 years.

I renewed recently and the new passport was issued very quickly. You can renew online provided you've been to a booth (or studio presumably) that gives you a web address for the photo. If a six month or three month validity is required, arguably it won't necessarily be valid for travel in he summer of 2030.

[swill453]

I renewed recently and the new passport was issued very quickly. You can renew online provided you've been to a booth (or studio presumably) that gives you a web address for the photo. If a six month or three month validity is required, arguably it won't necessarily be valid for travel in he summer of 2030.

Yes. In the past, passports could be valid for up to 10 years 9 months. Now the maximum is effectively 9 years 6 months.

Scott.

[Lootman]

My passport runs out on the 31st March next year, the government website says that from the 1st January 2021 you will need a clear 6 months remaining on your passport to travel to any EU country.

There are various non-EU countries that also require 6 months or more left on your passport.

So in my view it is always a good idea to renew early if you are planning travel. If on the other hand you are certain that you will not travel for a while, then you can wait until expiry or even wait until well after expiry, especially now that it does not take long to get a passport renewed.

But personally I would never want to be without a passport so I always renew a few months early.

[Dod101]

All of which assumes that we will be able to travel anywhere in the near future.

Dod

[Alaric]

All of which assumes that we will be able to travel anywhere in the near future.

I had a motivation that my driving licence will need renewal in a few months time. I understood that having a recent passport makes his process easier.

[Dod101]

All of which assumes that we will be able to travel anywhere in the near future.

I had a motivation that my driving licence will need renewal in a few months time. I understood that having a recent passport makes his process easier.

That is true. No need to worry about a photograph as they just take it from the passport records. Joined up thinking or what?

Dod

[yorkshirelad1]

My passport runs out on the 31st March next year, the government website says that from the 1st January 2021 you will need a clear 6 months remaining on your passport to travel to any EU country. There's less than 6 months remaining on it now but while we're still in the EU that rule doesn't seem to apply. I'm not currently planning any travel but I often hop off somewhere warm at short notice if I spot a good deal and I'm fed up with the weather.

If I were to renew now does anyone know if I will receive a burgundy EU passport and will this need changing once we leave the EU? I couldn't find anything about this on the website.

As noted elsewhere on this thread, you can't carry over any unused time on the passport. You used to be able to carry over 6 months (IIRC)

I remember the ability to carry over unused validity being removed a couple of years ago.

Currently:

https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/renew
Time left on your old passport will not be added to your new one.

I found this Guardian article from 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/14/uk-passports-could-lose-up-to-nine-months-validity-after-rule-change

[Eboli]

One point worth making if you happen to be a dual national is that you have submit all passports to renew the UK one. I left renewing my UK passport to near the expiry date because of the new rules of not carrying forward unused time on the old thinking I would be able to use my other EU (Irish) passport meanwhile. Then I discovered I had to submit that as well (and, to add more insult, it was sent back 3 weeks after the new blue UK passport arrived).

Eb

[stevensfo]

One point worth making if you happen to be a dual national is that you have submit all passports to renew the UK one. I left renewing my UK passport to near the expiry date because of the new rules of not carrying forward unused time on the old thinking I would be able to use my other EU (Irish) passport meanwhile. Then I discovered I had to submit that as well (and, to add more insult, it was sent back 3 weeks after the new blue UK passport arrived).

Eb

There's something that doesn't feel right about that. How can a country's passport agency have the right to demand that you send them another country's passport?

I fully accept that there is a question of national security involved and the authorities may want to keep tabs on who has Iranian, Saudi, North Korean passports, or has worked for Donald Trump etc - - but if you have an EU passport, why is it any of their business? Even if it is their business, it seems a bit OTT to oblige you to send in that passport as well.

Steve

[Lootman]

One point worth making if you happen to be a dual national is that you have submit all passports to renew the UK one. I left renewing my UK passport to near the expiry date because of the new rules of not carrying forward unused time on the old thinking I would be able to use my other EU (Irish) passport meanwhile. Then I discovered I had to submit that as well (and, to add more insult, it was sent back 3 weeks after the new blue UK passport arrived).

There's something that doesn't feel right about that. How can a country's passport agency have the right to demand that you send them another country's passport?

Yes, I do not believe this is true. My wife has dual nationality and has never been asked to show the other passport or even admit to having one.

I for one would simply ignore any such request if it was ever made. It is none of the government's business if I elect to adopt another nationality.

[chas49]

I for one would simply ignore any such request if it was ever made. It is none of the government's business if I elect to adopt another nationality.

I'm not convinced that all governments agree with you

One example -

Please note that in terms of the South African Citizenship Act it is an offence for a South African citizen with dual citizenship to enter or depart the Republic of South Africa making use of the passport of another country. Once a person has been granted dual citizenship, the holder must always enter and depart South Africa on their valid South African passport.

https://www.sahc.org.au/citizenship/Dua ... enship.htm

[Lootman]

I for one would simply ignore any such request if it was ever made. It is none of the government's business if I elect to adopt another nationality.

I'm not convinced that all governments agree with you

One example -

Please note that in terms of the South African Citizenship Act it is an offence for a South African citizen with dual citizenship to enter or depart the Republic of South Africa making use of the passport of another country. Once a person has been granted dual citizenship, the holder must always enter and depart South Africa on their valid South African passport.

https://www.sahc.org.au/citizenship/Dua ... enship.htm

Ah but that is a bit different though. Various countries have that rule. The US certainly does and I believe the UK either advises that or mandates it.

However insisting that a UK person uses only his UK passport when entering the UK is not the same as the UK having a right to know about the other passport, let alone see it. And that was the issue being claimed here - that the UK can demand you show them your non-UK passport. Or even has a right to know whether you have one.

[chas49]

I for one would simply ignore any such request if it was ever made. It is none of the government's business if I elect to adopt another nationality.

I'm not convinced that all governments agree with you

One example -

Please note that in terms of the South African Citizenship Act it is an offence for a South African citizen with dual citizenship to enter or depart the Republic of South Africa making use of the passport of another country. Once a person has been granted dual citizenship, the holder must always enter and depart South Africa on their valid South African passport.

https://www.sahc.org.au/citizenship/Dua ... enship.htm

Ah but that is a bit different though. Various countries have that rule. The US certainly does and I believe the UK either advises that or mandates it.

However insisting that a UK person uses only his UK passport when entering the UK is not the same as the UK having a right to know about the other passport, let alone see it. And that was the issue being claimed here - that the UK can demand you show them your non-UK passport. Or even has a right to know whether you have one.

Fair point. Although I think that it would be perfectly possible to enact a law requiring that. And who is there to say the govt doesnt have the right to make such a law. (I think the current govt is rather against the idea that external international bodies have the right to say what they can or can't do).

[Eboli]

Lootman said

Yes, I do not believe this is true. My wife has dual nationality and has never been asked to show the other passport or even admit to having one.

Sorry to be tardy picking this up. It appears as a requirement on the new on-line application form. So when your wife applies I think she may be surprised to find that I'm right.

Eb,

[richfool]

I wonder if the situation under current discussion is being confused with, or is overlapping, the situation where a non UK national having obtained British citizenship, then applies for a British passport. In this instance they are required to submit their non British passport (or sometimes a scanned copy of it), as part of that application for a British passport? That is a requirement from the perspective that the UK require to be sure that the new British passport is in exactly the same name as the non British passport and to ensure that the person does not have passports in different names.