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Has anyone renewed a UK Passport recently?


NormanH
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In France, I mean. I last did it 10 years  ago so things have changed a lot, but it is now time to do it.

Has any one any tips or warnings to share?

In particular I have the 'Smart' form to fill in on the computer and there is a section for the person who has to counter-sign the photograph to

fill in.

I would be hard put to it to find an English  JP etc here in deepest Languedoc.

Who did others use?

.

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OH changed his a couple of years ago and I changed mine earlier this year.

As said by others, no need for countersignature of photos.  But then, we have both aged gracefully and (we kid ourselves) our appearance has hardly changed at all [:P]

As long as your present photo bears a passable resemblance to the one on your old passport, you should be OK.

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I renewed mine a few months ago via Paris. I didn't need to get signatures.

Have you downloaded the form Norman? They tell you on there whether it's necessary or not.

Mine cost about 160€ and took 10 days. Returned by courier.

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My son didn't get a signature either. Our only problem was that disgusting 6 weeks they allow themselves to issue the new one and they find quite reasonable.

For me, the clue is in the fact that someone is applying via their consulate, that they are already abroad and probably need prompt service. But helas no, pay a fortune and get lousy service.

I realise that many many have had prompt service, but that does not get away from the fact that they can and do spin it out to the full six weeks if they cannot be axxed to get them done and are quite happy to do so.

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Did mine via Paris in January 2012. No need to have photos signed as not changed in appearance and I did it by Mandat cash, don't do it via your card and the printed out form to send off, not security conscious in my opinion, plus Mandat cash gives you a receipt and only costs €7 extra to do. Passport back within ten days via DHL with old one in seperate package and to the door.
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Just a slight aside, renewed my passport via Embassy in Paris about 3 yrs ago. Waited for ages and eventually received a phone call from the Embassy to say that the courier service had returned the passport to them as I was out when they called. No note left, by the way. I asked if they would send it by courier again as they charged over €20 for that "secure delivery", "no we wont bother we will pop it in the post". Arrived a couple of days later.

So much for the security side of things [;-)]

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Why don't you just fill in the form & get it sent to a relatives address - who can then post it on? It is extremely sad to say, but after a lifetime of working hard, keeping my head down, & doing things legal - I have learned that actually in contemporary Britain, being honest actiually is not worth the grief. Tell the truth and - for example you loose child benefit - despite still paying UK tax on a modest service pension. I have been 100% law abiding all my life, But, I'll tell you what - It does'nt pay!
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But you can get french child benefit, as long as you have two or more children.

Why moan about this, all these things are on the internet, and you could have checked how things affect one's life before the move. There are plenty of 'unfair' things in France, it isn't as if the UK has a monopoly on unfairness.

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[quote user="idun"]But you can get french child benefit, as long as you have two or more children.

Why moan about this, all these things are on the internet, and you could have checked how things affect one's life before the move. There are plenty of 'unfair' things in France, it isn't as if the UK has a monopoly on unfairness.

[/quote]

The child benefit thing is new, however one of you has to earn £50,000 before you start losing benefit and at £60,000 you wouldn't get any.

I don't actually agree with the way it's been implemented or in act anyone losing child benefit, but £50,000 is around double the national average income so calling it modest could be a stretch.....
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[quote user="Russethouse"][quote user="idun"]But you can get french child benefit, as long as you have two or more children.

Why moan about this, all these things are on the internet, and you could have checked how things affect one's life before the move. There are plenty of 'unfair' things in France, it isn't as if the UK has a monopoly on unfairness.

[/quote]

The child benefit thing is new, however one of you has to earn £50,000 before you start losing benefit and at £60,000 you wouldn't get any.

I don't actually agree with the way it's been implemented or in act anyone losing child benefit, but £50,000 is around double the national average income so calling it modest could be a stretch.....[/quote] I agree that this has not been implemented very well. It should have been linked to the combined income because it is clearly unfair that a couple with a joint income of £80,000 get the benefit while those with just one earning parent lose the benefit at £60,000.

However there is not an unlimited supply of taxpayers money so it is better to cut the benefit for the better off than to penalize the worse off. Sometimes hard choices have to be made

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It seems to me that the original question has been answered and there is now thread drift, just as in everyday conversation once a topic is exhausted conversation naturally picks up on something that has arisen in the discussion. However should Kong or Norman have anything to add regarding passport renewal please feel free to get back on the original topic.
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[quote user="Val_2"] don't do it via your card and the printed out form to send off, not security conscious in my opinion.[/quote]

I thought that too but went ahead anyway. Its the only time I've had to write my credit card details plus the security code on paper.

Shortly afterwards the card company picked up a fraudulent "test" payment charged to my card, followed by a £400+ payment to Manchester Council.   My card is only used for Pay-Pal, Amazon, and to pay large bona fide busineses (M&S, Tesco...) online so the details aren't all over the place. Coincidence or what?

Steve

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Child benifit? I'm a tad too old for that, does it mean that I can't get my passport renewed in 9 months time?

When you renew a passport, you obviously have to do so before the old one runs out. Do they start the new one from the date of expiry of the old one or do you loose the time between the issue and the finnish of the old one?

I think I know the answer and that we loose out on it?

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