[Tom Otley]

Interesting piece on Money Saving Expert

Revealed: Passport applicants given shorter renewals after stealth rule change

“Until a few days ago, when you renewed your passport, any time left on your existing document would be added to your new one, up to a maximum of nine months.

But those who have renewed their passports in the past week have been shocked to find this is no longer the case.”

1 user thanked author for this post.

travelsforfun

[BPP]

There is no valid reason for this other than to screw even more money out of the travelling public!

BPP

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Whilst it is frustrating it does bring the UK into line with virtually the rest of the world on passport validity. Very few (if any places) did offer this benefit. A bit of notice however might have been a nice thing!

[Johnnyg]

When I go to Sierra Leone this week I would have had only 5 months left on my passport which wouldn’t have guaranteed me entry, I renewed the week before therefore this new ruling therefore getting the extra on my new passport. In my dealings with the passport office nothing was said to me regarding this issue. At least I got my old one returned with my valid visa in it.

[canucklad]

In other words , and dependant on your travel patterns, a passport in reality only has 9 years and 4 months validation.
Don’t think the government trying to rip us off, just think that the company managing such things just doesn’t have nuance to add value to time !

[GeorgeJ]

I think there is possibly another angle here.

At present we in the UK have EU passports (yes they are, just look) and if things break down in confusion next March a boneheaded commission may be stupid enough to refuse to accept them (more cherry picking) and the UK has to re-issue all passports for those travelling to the EU; dealing with greater than ten years validity would be just too much complexity at that time.

I am basing my view on this from a comment by a supervisor at passport office recently when I had mine renewed and the staff member didnt know how to do it on a document with time to run – she said to pay close attention as they were likely to be having a lot more to deal with soon.

Just to be clear I am not trying to score a point one way or other on the remain/go issue – just where we have got to with the rule based commission approach.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Tom Otley, PhilipHart

[jjlasne]

Governments sell passports. And citizenships. That’ s the only way they have found to maintain a very large bureaucracy in business.

[Author]

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