passport probem

[minty]

Hope someone can help.the u.s. embassy were vague with their answer.
originaly we asked the UK passport agency would my childs passport, which expires April 2006, need to be changed to an adults passport as he will be 18 years of age when we fly to florida in April 2005.They advised us to check with the U.S. embassy in London.Five months later, they replied "if you are unsure about the validity of your childs passport please confirm this with the issuing authority".We have gone full circle and non the wiser!Plz plz can someone help!

[Nostromo]

I may be wrong, but I believe anyone over 18 years of age WILL need a full adult's EU-UK passport irrespective of the expiry date of the previous one.

[athurstance]

As long as his passport is still valid there is no reason he won't be allowed into the US on the visa waiver. The UK passport office will continue issuing a 5-year child passport right up until the child's 18th birthday and it will still be valid for 5 years.
On the US Embassy website it says you must have a valid machine readable passport - it doesn't say anything about how long it is valid for.

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by athurstance
The UK passport office will continue issuing a 5-year child passport right up until the child's 18th birthday and it will still be valid for 5 years.
[/quote]

Sorry to query this Athurstance, but are you certain about this? If it was accurate, a 21-year old woman, who had her "child's passport" renewed for 5 years at 17, can still travel on it despite the possibility that she might have a baby herself? Sounds ridiculous to me, if you'll forgive the expression.

[steph_goodrum]

My daughter is in this situation Nostromo. Her passport expired the month before her 16th birthday. Had it been a month after she could have applied for a full 10 year passport but as we needed it to travel a week before her birthday, she had to have a 5 year one.
We were told we couldnt get a 10 year one till she was 16 so it means she will have this one till a month before her 21st birthday in 3 years time.
We last used it in Sept just after her 18th birthday and had no trouble.

[caz]

I might be wrong, but the only reason that a child's passport is for 5 years is because they would change so much during that time they need an updated photograph, and they are unlikely to be able to sign their name if very young. Apart from that a 'child's' passport and an 'adult' passport are exactly the same. Once they are 12 they have to sign their passport application, and at 16 they can have a full 10 year one because there is less chance of a huge change in appearance. When a child's passport is renewed after the first 5 years it used to be 'extended to full validity'- which was free, but I think it only applies if the original passport was issued before 1998. Now you have to renew rather than extend, which they charge for.

So in answer to your theoretical question Nostromo, a 17 yr old would not be granted a a new 5 year passport, they would be given a 10 yr one. Their passport could only be extended if it was issued before 1998,so if their passport was 'new'when they were 12(1998 or before) then yes it would be extended for a further 5 years until they were 22....... I think!!

Now I need a glass of wine to clear my head!!!

[caz]

Steph

It took me so long to work out what I was saying, you posted your reply before I finished typing.
And yours makes more sense[msnscared]

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by caz
I might be wrong, but the only reason that a child's passport is for 5 years is because they would change so much during that time they need an updated photograph, and they are unlikely to be able to sign their name if very young. Apart from that a 'child's' passport and an 'adult' passport are exactly the same. Once they are 12 they have to sign their passport application, and at 16 they can have a full 10 year one because there is less chance of a huge change in appearance. When a child's passport is renewed after the first 5 years it used to be 'extended to full validity'- which was free, but I think it only applies if the original passport was issued before 1998. Now you have to renew rather than extend, which they charge for.

So in answer to your theoretical question Nostromo, a 17 yr old would not be granted a a new 5 year passport, they would be given a 10 yr one. Their passport could only be extended if it was issued before 1998,so if their passport was 'new'when they were 12(1998 or before) then yes it would be extended for a further 5 years until they were 22....... I think!!

Now I need a glass of wine to clear my head!!!
[/quote]

Thanks for that. I think I'll turn grey before i get my head around these ever changing passpoert / visa regulations. Now pass me that wine bottle after you've had your glass!

[ujpest doza]

You can actually extend the 5 year passport to a 10 year passport at no extra cost in certain circumstances.

My brother in law got a 5 year passport when he was 11 in order to travel to Florida with us.
He is now 19 and is still using the same passport which he was allowed to extend when he was 16.
He was about to get a brand new 10 year passport when he was informed of the rule about extensions by the person in the post office who was checking his application.

[steph_goodrum]

I believe they have actually changed the system now in so far as when a childs passport was applied for you paid the same rate and that was why you extended it after 5 years (at no extra cost) (to change the photo and update it), now I think the system is that the childs passport costs around half the full 10 year one and you pay again after 5 years to get a new one, but I'm not 100% certain on that.
I'm sure someone will have recently bought a childs and will know for definite