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Renewing a UK passport


mazandcol
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We're currently trying to renew our UK passports from France. The UK website indicates we have to apply on-line and upload a digital photo. Has anyone else used this method because we're having trouble getting an acceptable photo. The ones we had taken at a booth (suitable for France) are no good as UK now wants to see shoulders and top half of your body. Ones we've tried so far at home (the website gives instructions) have also failed because "We cannot define your head outline" - which can be tricky as I have very frizzy hair... Anyway, we'll try again, but wondered if anyone else has done this process.
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Surely you don't have to renew online but can use a postal service with a passport photo from an approved booth. What happens to people who have no internet....I shall be looking at this next year and so am interested in other people's thoughts
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Sorry if I gave the impression you MUST apply on-line, it's just that they want you to. My main point rely is that the pics from a booth here in France (which are approved here) clearly do not show shoulders and top of body - which the UK guidelines require. That's why we're trying digitally - at least we know immediately if the pics are rejected. If I'd simply posted off our booth photos with forms, we wouldn't have found out for weeks. I'm going to try ringing for advice as maybe the shoulders/body requirements are only if you upload a pic. Who know? That why I asked if anyone had done it recently.
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Personally, I have never used a photo booth for any identification photos as I don't want to look like some identikit representation of a "WANTED" person.

I have always gone to a professional.  In fact, OH and I have recently had some done (not for passports).  The cost?  Twenty euros and he repeated the process for me as the first attempt was not clear enough.  You get proper lighting suitable for photos and, as you see, if the first attempt is no good you do not pay twice.

Also, we had 6 photos each for that price.

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Thanks mint that's interesting. I don't know of a photographer round us (near Fumel), but I will enquire with neighbours - maybe there's one in Villeneuve. I must say your price sounds very reasonable - even a booth is 5 euros - and we could take the UK guidelines with us. Of course the 'annoying' thing about passport photos is that they must be flat lighting, no smile, straight on etc. Never very flattering
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Sorry mint, I forgot to say before that although you can post forms and photos from France, you do have to have internet to complete the form and pay on-line, and then print, sign and post. Check with the website as they have a 'tool' to advise how to apply depending on which country you are a resident. Of course, if you're resident in the UK you just collect from, and take forms to, a post office.
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Thank you for that latest post, mazandcol.  My passport is good for another 8 years and OH has until middle of next year.

The last time he applied in France (sent to Paris), it was a cinch and everything was accepted and posted back within about 10 days.

I remember printing out the forms and following some instructions but these "shoulder and upper body" photos are new to me and so he will be prepared for when he renews next year.  Thanks again[:)]

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  • 3 weeks later...
Hello mazandcol not sure if you are still having problems renewing your UK passports, but if it is any help I applied for ours online yesterday. You have obviously got to the point of uploading your photos for their software to check, and say that you have had your photos rejected. I uploaded  two photos yesterday and my first photo for myself was rejected, but the second one I uploaded was accepted, the photo for my wife was accepted first time.

Regarding the head and shoulders bit, I supplied both photos with head and shoulders showing, when your photo is accepted the website displays the photo that was uploaded, cropped automatically to just showing your head which will be used on your new passport. So maybe worrying about the French photo booths showing too much head would not be an issue.

Even after the software accepts the photos there are further questions on the form that asks you to say if you are smiling or frowning and you must answer yes or no, and it further stipulates that the photos will be checked by a real person, and still may be rejected.

By this time if you have managed to jump through all those hoops, the print off you receive says your new passport will be issued roughly 4 weeks after they receive your old passport. So I guess for maybe at least a month you will not be able to leave France.

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Sounds quicker and easier to do it by snailmail.

When I last renewed via Durham (Paris had just shut down its operation), I got the new passport back within 10 days. It was sent IIRC in July or maybe late June. Two days later I got the "Avis de reception" having sent it signed for with confirmation of delivery.
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We renewed online last year as in completed the online form. We then received a reference number for both the payment and the application.We put a copy of this along with old passport and photos and sent with tracking.

It took just over a week to receive the new passport and the old one. It was all quite straightforward.

Hope this helps.
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  • 2 weeks later...
We received our new passports today, which took 2 weeks to arrive. This time could have been reduced due to the fact that our old passports arrived back in the UK within two days of leaving France, but Royal Mail then sat on them for 5 days before delivering them to the passport office. Mind you DHL then left our new passports in our postbox, as obviously we were out when they came to deliver them. Seeing as we had to pay £20 each for recorded delivery, I am not happy that they were just dumped in our postbox.

Nice to see the OP has told us how he/she has got on.[;-)]

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