Passport renewal?

[Pale Rider]

I suppose the days of double parking outside the passport office in Petty France and renewing at the public counter are long gone.

 

[Blue Hills]

I suppose the days of double parking outside the passport office in Petty France and renewing at the public counter are long gone.

things do seem a lot more efficient - I remember that there used to be terrible panics, folk almost sleeping outside - I used to work with someone back in the 80s who knew someone who worked there. I seem to recall that he may have been a union activist and found that more stimulating than his job - I rather had the impression that there were a hell of a lot of strikes/go slows.
Of course you used to be able to wander into a post office and get a piece of paper called a British Visitors Passport with a nod from the person behind the glass with which you could then merrily bum around most of Europe.

 

[Pale Rider]

A few years ago the Passport Agency set up a handful of regional offices, including Durham and Liverpool, at which it was possible to renew at a counter.

I went to the opening of the Durham one, and marvelled at all the brand new kit, conference rooms, breakout rooms, rest rooms and so on.

At the time my desk was 1960s vintage, although still serviceable, and my chair wasn't a lot newer.

Strangely, the Durham office had several strikes, walkouts, and general industrial relations aggro.

This in turn led to some very aggrieved punters who had travelled to Durham on the hurry up, often from many miles away, to get their passport renewed for travel in the next day or two, only to find a picket line outside the office.

The office also produced a number of false application cases for Durham Crown Court.

All rather murky, but some of the false applicants appeared to be proper criminals.

There were one or two colourful arrests involving Durham coppers rolling around the passport office's Axminster as the dodgepot tried to avoid being captured.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

It kept telling me 'it looks like your eyes are closed' which is a bit personal really. They may as well have been blunt and called me pig face.

That reminds me of that old Les Dawson (I think) joke about the "speak your weight" machine, where his Mother in Law gets on and it tells her "Sorry, one at a time please".

 

[GuyBoden]

Just been for my passport photo at a booth in Asda.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Mine is due for renewal this year. Next Dec though strictly October if you go in date of issue.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Or like the woman in the post office when I applied for my son’s passport

Did she have a face that could sour grapes at 100 paces?

 

[oldwheels]

things do seem a lot more efficient - I remember that there used to be terrible panics, folk almost sleeping outside - I used to work with someone back in the 80s who knew someone who worked there. I seem to recall that he may have been a union activist and found that more stimulating than his job - I rather had the impression that there were a hell of a lot of strikes/go slows.
Of course you used to be able to wander into a post office and get a piece of paper called a British Visitors Passport with a nod from the person behind the glass with which you could then merrily bum around most of Europe.

I seem to remember it only lasted 6 months.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Thought I'd write an update in here if anyone is renewing their passport.

We are going abroad in September so I checked my passport. It would only have 5 months left on it when we leave, so to be safe I thought I'd better renew it. The online system was good, I paid and uploaded all my details and my photo (taken on my phone). It said the photo was poor but becasue I'm lazy I thought I'd risk it. On Friday I got an email to say my photo was no good. So on Sunday I went into Morrisons' and paid £10 for a photo booth one. Got back, typed in the code. Got an email and text Sunday night to say it had been accepted. Got another text yesterday (Monday) saying my passport will be delivered today (Tuesday)!

I did scoff at the £88.50 to renew it, but 2 days turnaround is quicker than I could ever imagine (and this is the standard rate, not the expidited rate)

 

[captain nemo1701]

Maybe best I get several answers on this.

My passport runs out very soon.

It will need renewing.

Anyone know if it's more involved/more expensive to "renew" one that has actually expired compared to one that that's still live?

I ask as I seem to remember that when I got the first one I had to get countersignatures/supporting docs or something from supposedly always upstanding members of society, priests etc.

Apologies for asking you good folk but though the official page seemed pretty user friendly, and you can do it online (at least for an existing one) with a digital photo I couldn't find an answer in any Q&As to this apparently simple question.

I renewed mine last week using the Post Office Click & send service, dead easy but a tad more expensive - £101. Just take your old passport, ID etc to the PO, they'll fill in all the forms on a digital tablet & take your photo. It's apparently more reliable and less prone to rejection. It took about 15 mins. I got an email saying my old passport had been received and it was all going through.

The only bum thing is that despite shaving & making myself look pucker for the photo, it highlights every scratch, zit, wrinkle, blackhead, mole, crows foot etc....I look like an escapee from Broadmoor

 

[fossyant]

Got mine through fine with a phone camera photo - just took a bit to get the 'lighting' bright enough. I also look like a convict, an old one.

 

[dicko]

Passport renewal at the Post Office is super quick about five days start to finish.

 

[T4tomo]

Passport renewal at the Post Office is super quick about five days start to finish.

you can also do it at home if you don't want to spend 5 days in the post office

 

[dicko]

you can also do it at home if you don't want to spend 5 days in the post office

35 minutes from walking in to walking out