Page 1 of Passport Question

Does anyone know why passports have to be valid 6 months after one`s return date to the UK from abroad ? Checked mine the other day and found that I was a few days short of the 6 months on a return from a U.S. hols trip. It meant that I had to fork out £42 for a renewal rather sooner than I expected.

JohnF

I would guess it may be down to things like unforseen accidents etc that may require a protracted stay as opposed to the original lenght of time when booking.

When I worked off shore, we always had to have our passports just in case we were airlifted to Europe rather than UK on return home/emergency.

"Great chunks of my past detaching themselves like melting icebergs"


Bigger on the inside

Yes thats right, It has to be a full 6 months after you return to the UK, I have just had to renew mine for the exact same reason, I was told it was because (as the post above says) You need to be covered incase of an unforseen delay in returning to the UK

This item was edited on Friday, 16th April 2004, 18:07

I remember not too long ago a report on the news that because of the world we live in at the moment (terrorists and the like) if you have less than something like 1 year left on your passport you will be only allowed into the US with your passport and a valid Visa. Ok so far - but the only place you can get a valid Visa from is the American Embassy in London. And you can`t book your slot you have to turn up and queue! OK if you live in London I suppose.

I don`t know when this comes into play - but I`ve gone and got mine renewed!

Badboybez

In Madness You Dwell

Renewed mine early when I graduated in case I got a job that required travelling. Nowt worse than leaving it to the last minute and panicking!!!

Nick

Mine was burned years ago and I never got a replacement. I don`t go anywhere so this has never proved to be a problem, but I imagine it`ll bit me in the arse some day.

Quote:
Renewed mine early when I graduated in case I got a job that required travelling. Nowt worse than leaving it to the last minute and panicking!!!

Not to mention expensive for one done "in person" at a passport office.

Yea, couldn`t imagine having to dash to Liverpool and spend all day queuing to get me passport done the day before I was due to fly somewhere. Nightmare!!!

Nick

Not as bad as having to present yourself in person at the U.S. Embassy in London or the consulate in Belfast (and paying £65 for the pleasure) to get a visa which you`ll need if you need a new passport on or after October this year. Apparently that`s because the Passport Agency won`t be able to issue the new biometric passports (which the U.S. will insist on) before October 2005.

JohnF