Advice on Passports (lazy)

[NigelM]

I m being lazy I know but can a wise one help me?

Travelling next March 2007.

My wife and my passport are machine readable until 2011

My youngest is mr until 2010.

My two older boys passports expire this year. When I re-apply will there be enything new I need to do?

Also will we all need new Biometric passports by then?

Cheers

NM

[mizzy]

Hi Nigel

you can now renew passports online i think the site is something like passport.gov.uk but a quick search will bring it up no problem

you will still have to send new pictures and other details by mail but the renewal pages look nice and straighforward to complete
you can apply up to 9 months before your passports expire and it costs approx £51 to renew your passport

there is also a faq page on there explaining the passport changes that are happening during this year

hope this helps

Mizzy

[steph_goodrum]

Nigel
I would strongly recommend renewing them in advance of October this year. Any new passports issued after Oct 26th this year must carry biometric info to enable continued use of Visa Waiver.

The UKPA are in the process of changing to biometric and apparently between now and later this year it is random which sort of passport you will receive. They can take the facial recognition biometrics from a good quality digital photo so at present there is no change.

I looked at the online renewl but couldnt really see it saved much effort as you fill in the form online, they send you a printed copy and you send it back with the photos. I prefer to use the Pose Office service which although you pay for it means that you hand your passport into them to send off and they go through special mailbags to Passport office so imo a bit more secure than general post, also if you are applying for a first passport or change of name due to marriage etc, they Post Office check your original certificates and give them straight back so you dont have to worry about them going astray in the post in either direction.

[NigelM]

I see so:

If renewed before Oct this year they may be same as now or may be Biometric but either way the US will accept them. Passports issued after Oct this year will need to be Biometric to be accepted under the visa waiver scheme.

Does that mean all our other passports will be accpted in a non bio form until they expire?

Cheers

NM

[steph_goodrum]

That's right Nigel, it's actually new passports issued after Oct 26th this year (at present unless it gets deferred by US but not likely since they have done so twice now).

All other machine readable passports are ok for visa waiver use until expiry date.

[dawn burley]

I have just renewed mine which was due to run out next March. I used the post office check and send and had my picture taken at a local photo shop. I was told that most photo booth pictures are being rejected now. I received my new passport within 7 days :)

We are visiting our villa in October so I wanted to make sure everything was sorted well in advance.

[Kimmyp]

How do you know if your passport is machine readable? Ours were issued in 1998 and expire 2008.

[ellie]

It has a bar code on it at the back, where your photo is. That is what they scan when they take your passport and slide it through the machine.

[blott]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Kimmyp
How do you know if your passport is machine readable? Ours were issued in 1998 and expire 2008.
[/quote]It has &lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;1234567&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; (numbers and letters variable but the &lt;&lt;&lt;&gt;&gt;&gt; bits aren't!) on the bottom of the photo page then it's machine readable.

[NigelM]

Sorry for delay in offering my thanks.

:)