UK Passport Renewal | UK Passport Renewals. Made Easy.
What would happen if you were all set to go off on a foreign holiday and then realised that your passport was out of date?
It is easy to imagine that this situation has ruined holidays for lots of people in the past. Clearly the best thing to do is to make sure that your passport situation is under control in plenty of time. However, if the worst happens and you don't have a valid passport shortly before you are due to travel how long will it take you to sort it out?
The official word on the subject is that it takes 3 weeks to get a passport renewal issued using the standard process, which costs £72.50. The cost is £81.25 using the Post Office Passport Check and Send service.
Of course, you might get it back quicker than that but if you are in urgent need of a new passport then you would be better advised to look at making a personal appointment for the urgent delivery service covered in the next section.
However, if the worst happens and you don't have a valid passport shortly before you are due to travel how long will it take you to sort it out?
If you need to get a passport renewal done quickly then you can make an appointment with one of the Passport Customer Service Centres across the country. In this case, you can get the passport the same day as your appointment or within a week. Using the Premium service you will be able to collect it 4 hours after your appointment, while the Fast Track service sees it sent out within a week.
At the time of writing this service is only available at certain times of the day in the different centres, so be sure to check the details before making an appointment. You can make an appointment up to 3 weeks before the day you want it for. The Fast Track service costs £103 to renew an adult 32 page passport and £111 for an adult 48 page passport. The Premium service costs £132 and £148 respectively.
This is a good moment to consider whether you even need to renew your passport in the first place. The first point to think about is the time left on it. Many people don't know that you can renew no matter how long the passport has left on it. If it hasn't yet expired then a maximum of 9 months of the time left can be added onto the new passport. If you have less than 6 months left on your current passport then you should check the entry requirements for the country you are planning on travel to. Some places need you to have at least 6 months before you can enter.
Other countries look for visitors to have at least 3 months left, while others don't have a rule of this type and only require that you have a valid passport. Don't forget that while travel within the European Union is now easier, a passport is still needed if you are travelling from the UK to mainland Europe.
Technically, you can travel from the UK to the Republic of Ireland with some other form of photo ID but most travellers feel more comfortable taking their passport with them. Another situation to bear in mind is if your passport is damaged or has a high degree of wear and tear on it. In these cases, some countries may not let you enter, so it would make sense to renew your passport before travelling.
If your old passport has been lost or stolen then you are replacing it rather than renewing it. There isn't a great deal of difference in the process but applicants are advised that they may be asked to an interview and that their application may take longer than normal.
Many renewals are straightforward, as none of the holder's personal details have changed. However, if there has been a name change for any reason then supporting documentation has to be provided along with the passport application. Provided this documentation is provided it shouldn't make the process any longer.
If you have a passport that you want to renew but there is a visa on it that is currently in force you can still renew. Your old passport with the visa will get given back to you so that you can carry on using it to show the visa it contains. As with the previous point, this isn't going to delay your passport renewal application at all.
You may also be interested in the following passport renewal articles:
What to do if you need your passport in 24 hours.
What to do if you want to change name on your passport
What if you have unexpired visa's in your old passport
How long does it take to renew your passport
Beware of Passport Renewal scams
Find your nearest Passport Office
Call the passport adviceline for the following help: