Renewing a UK Passport

[Asterix]

Last one I did was done at the consulate and with the minimum of fuss in about a week.

Now it seems you have to courier everything to the UK, wait four weeks and pay nigh on AED 1,000 (for the 48 pager) for the pleasure!

What a pain

I'm only renewing because I've run out of pages again.

[yorky500]

Consulate/Embassy have not done it here for a good few years now. It has only recently changed back to the UK. Before the recent change, you had to send it to Stuttgart to get your new passport.

Think they have a special deal with DHL (AED100) to get it couriered over to UK (or Germany not long ago)

[85Carrera]

4 hour service at the passport office in london is the best bet if you're over in the uk at all

[thb]

I renewed last year and had to send it to Dusseldorf, now it seems it has to be sent to Liverpool.

Only other alternative is to fly back to the UK and set an appointment at the passport office and have it done in 4 hours.

Crazy that we can't just add pages, my (US) boss needed some extra pages for a KSA visa and just walked into the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and they stuck in a new book of 24 pages there and then.

[K50 DEL]

85Carrera said:

4 hour service at the passport office in london is the best bet if you're over in the uk at all

Have done this the last couple of times, including getting a second passport.
Incredibly efficient and not a huge amount costlier than the normal service.

I'm about to run out of pages again and London is the route I'll take for sure.

[rabailey]

Just in the process of doing the second passport thing myself.
Hopefully will be much easier as I'll never be without a passport.

[DubaiJohn]

I renewed mine via courier and Liverpool a couple of months ago. In total took 2 weeks to get it back which I thought was ok. Having a second passport for all of regional visas is must, especially those bloody KSA ones that require two facing pages.

[IanUAE]

I also did the 4hr London passport job last year. Walk in, handover application, pay fee, rent a Boris bike for 4 hours, return and collect new and old passports. You have to book an appointment 1st however.

How do you lot get regional visas in your 2nd passport? I thought you had to use a passport with your UAE residence visa in it.

[Reffio]

Useful post this as fast running out of pages in my passport too. The question now is either a trip to London or send it away and have a nice excuse not to have to do any travel for a cheeky wee 4 weeks?! The latter methinks!

[Gaffer]

Does it have to be London..? or are there other offices, preferably in the North West that can do the 4 hour turn round..?

Claire

[thb]

Not just London, here's the full list:

London, Liverpool, Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Newport, Peterborough

https://www.gov.uk/ips-regional-passport-office

[DubaiJohn]

IanUAE said:

I also did the 4hr London passport job last year. Walk in, handover application, pay fee, rent a Boris bike for 4 hours, return and collect new and old passports. You have to book an appointment 1st however.

How do you lot get regional visas in your 2nd passport? I thought you had to use a passport with your UAE residence visa in it.

For Bahrain/Qatar/Oman/Jordan/Kuwait etc I just get visa on arrival and hand over the 2nd passport without the UAE visa. Never had a problem in 10 years doing this, if asked I just say I was only in transit via Dubai.

For KSA I use a visa application service in London and send my 2nd passport off to them, usually done inside 10 days including transit time. Which save all the hassle of actually going to the KSA embassy here. This can be a ballache as I am currently living in Dubai but on an Ab Dab visa.

[IanUAE]

What puts me off getting visas in a 2nd passport is that I use the e-gate system and if that is down and you have to show your passport..... Don't fancy getting caught carrying 2 passports either to be honest, but that could just be me.

[rabailey]

Reffio said:

Useful post this as fast running out of pages in my passport too. The question now is either a trip to London or send it away and have a nice excuse not to have to do any travel for a cheeky wee 4 weeks?! The latter methinks!

Allegedly (as I'm in the process at the moment) it is a "NEW" application so you keep hold of the current passport.

I have sent copies of my parents passports (yes, I know!), my original birth certificate, copy of my current first passport and a company letter explaining why I need one.

[thb]

DubaiJohn said:

For KSA I use a visa application service in London and send my 2nd passport off to them, usually done inside 10 days including transit time. Which save all the hassle of actually going to the KSA embassy here. This can be a ballache as I am currently living in Dubai but on an Ab Dab visa.

Just did the KSA visa for the first time this week. Was done within 24hrs - after paying a 750Dhs platinum fee - at the processing centre next to the KSA Embassy. Didn't see what the whole process was like - sent our PRO/driver down to do everything - I just signed one form and jobs a goodun.

[shirt]

IanUAE said:

What puts me off getting visas in a 2nd passport is that I use the e-gate system and if that is down and you have to show your passport..... Don't fancy getting caught carrying 2 passports either to be honest, but that could just be me.

multiple passports is perfectly legal. a lot of countries aren't allowed them due to the proliferation of fradulent identities, so just keep the 2nd hidden until you really need it.

i use my first passport with residency for entering UAE and UK only. the second is used for collecting other country visas. in any case i always take both with me. its nice to know that you can still GTFO when one is held by immigration for some reason.

[Psychobert]

shirt said:

multiple passports is perfectly legal. a lot of countries aren't allowed them due to the proliferation of fradulent identities, so just keep the 2nd hidden until you really need it.

i use my first passport with residency for entering UAE and UK only. the second is used for collecting other country visas. in any case i always take both with me. its nice to know that you can still GTFO when one is held by immigration for some reason.

Just about to renew my passport in the office in London as the Embassy in Dubai advised me that this is the most straightforward way to do things, (especially as I needed to head back anyway). The process otherwise takes a couple of weeks at least and involves couriers to and fro..

Anyone know if its possible to get a 2nd passport without a company letter to sponsor? Would make my life easier if I could continue to travel while I lose my current passport with various visa applications..

[K50 DEL]

Psychobert said:

shirt said:

multiple passports is perfectly legal. a lot of countries aren't allowed them due to the proliferation of fradulent identities, so just keep the 2nd hidden until you really need it.

i use my first passport with residency for entering UAE and UK only. the second is used for collecting other country visas. in any case i always take both with me. its nice to know that you can still GTFO when one is held by immigration for some reason.

Just about to renew my passport in the office in London as the Embassy in Dubai advised me that this is the most straightforward way to do things, (especially as I needed to head back anyway). The process otherwise takes a couple of weeks at least and involves couriers to and fro..

Anyone know if its possible to get a 2nd passport without a company letter to sponsor? Would make my life easier if I could continue to travel while I lose my current passport with various visa applications..

When I did my second one a few years ago I was told that you need a letter from the company.
It's not authenticated though, so you could always write it yourself!

[Reffio]

I can't see anything on the UK passport site about how to apply for a second passport (only first or renewal applications). Do you have to apply through an agency and if so can anyone recommend one?

[K50 DEL]

Reffio said:

I can't see anything on the UK passport site about how to apply for a second passport (only first or renewal applications). Do you have to apply through an agency and if so can anyone recommend one?

As noted elsewhere, no agency required.
You simply fill out the normal form, ticking the box for "first passport" and either include the supporting letter explaining your need for a 2nd passport if applying by post or simply turn up with the letter if you're doing it in person.

It's really not complicated at all.