jobin

Helping my friend renew her UK passport which she obtained in UK years ago. Now she lives in Hong Kong. Have found the relevant UK govt website not very good, written no doubt by amateurs since the UK govt cannot afford much quality work done these days.

One of the biggest headaches is when something goes wrong, then only recourse is to PHONE London. Can you imagine how many times we need to phone to get a response, and the time of day we need to be dialing? Oh, of course they took the money first thing so now we are out that 110 sterling unless we can get results.

Anyone else getting such headaches and silly website confusion? Yeah, kind of a rant and am glad I'm not a Brit and need to live with such a dippy govt.

hetismij2

I'm not sure this is a valid posting or not, but anyway I renewed my British passport and that of my husband, last November.
Whilst it wasn't as easy as it used to be when I would send them to Amsterdam, it was a painless and easy procedure. I had no problem understanding the online forms or what was required to renew, and despite a warning that it would take 6 weeks both new passports came back in under a fortnight.
Yes they want the money upfront, but only after you have completed, and double checked the application form.
Having done that you print out a declaration form, sign it and send your photos, declaration form and old passport to the office appropriate to where you live.
If after submitting the online application and payment you find your made a mistake you send a covering letter stating the mistake, with your old passport.
If there are further problems they contact you, but normally you get your new passport fairly easily. You have a log in code to follow the process.

Odin

The gov.uk website has a whole section on renewing a British passport from overseas. It asks complex questions such as what country are you in and what colour passport you are renewing and then asks if it is a renewal for an adult or child. Then the next page tells you the fees, how long the process takes, the telephone number to contact in case of a problem, the call charges, what is needed to apply (photos, the fee, the HK permanent ID card etc, how long the application will take, how the new passport will be sent back by courier), then the next page is the start to the actual application.

So which part of this is unhelpful and written by amateurs? Has something gone wrong, has the application been lodged for more than 6 weeks? Was everything submitted correctly? Are you expecting that the fee for the passport to be not taken? No sorry, I'm not getting the issue with the website but I am getting a headache trying to figure out the poster is complaining about.

Gordon_R

Yes it does come across as a rant. Perhaps your friend should be a little bit more grateful she is still entitled to hold a UK passport despite living permanently in another country for many years and presumably not paying any UK tax.

ribeirasacra

Paying UK taxes or not does not give one permission to hold a UK passport.
Yes the details are give quite clearly on the government website. If the op does not like it there is nothing they can do other than move back to the UK.
You do not have to make phone calls either.
https://www.gov.uk/passport-advice-line

hetismij2

Gordon_R, I haven't lived in the UK for 31 years, nor have I paid UK tax in that time. Doesn't make me, my husband or our children any less entitled to a UK passport.
Do you think all those Americans holding EU passports thanks to some long forgotten relative pay tax in those countries? Of course they don't.
Not every country is as aggressive over taxing their citizens as the US is, and most have agreements against double taxation.

nytraveler

Still, there is no information in the OP about what the problem is.

Was the application etc sent in and no passport received?

Was there a request for more info?

Is the OP unable to understand what to do - which seems incredibly simple?

If you provide some specific info perhaps someone can help.

Havana128

I am assuming you are Australian?

Just a guess.

thursdaysd

Without more detailed explanation this is indeed just a rant. I renewed my UK passport in the US in 2012 and it came back more quickly than the US passport I renewed this year. Admittedly I did have to get the photos taken specially instead of at AAA as they are a different size to the US ones, and I did have to get a "reputable" person to affirm that I am the person in the photos, but otherwise no issues.

Gordon_R

>>Gordon_R, I haven't lived in the UK for 31 years, nor have I paid UK tax in that time. Doesn't make me, my husband or our children any less entitled to a UK passport.

hetismij2

That isn't how your comment came across I'm afraid.

bilboburgler

Not sure why the OP had a rant at a perfectly easy website or indeed a sideswipe at the country or indeed why amateurs are inherently any less able than professionals, but hey maybe a bad hair day.

My BIL lives in Switzerland and renewed his passport last year perfectly easily. You just do what it says.

Christina

Usually, it's best to phone govt offices between 9 am and noon and 2 pm to 5 pm, I've found. Don't know about that one specifically.