# UK Passport Renewal



## tp85 (Jan 25, 2013)

Hi all.

Does anyone know / have experience of renewing their passport while living here in Dubai?

Can you renew at the embassy or does it have to go via application to the UK?

Thanks in advance,

Tom


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

a good place to start will be the embassy website?
https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy-abu-dhabi


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## tp85 (Jan 25, 2013)

rsinner said:


> a good place to start will be the embassy website?
> https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy-abu-dhabi


...hence my questions. The website talks about many options and I was keen to see what has worked for others.


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## Sevenoaks1 (Mar 22, 2012)

tp85 said:


> ...hence my questions. The website talks about many options and I was keen to see what has worked for others.


My husband did it recently. It took 6 weeks in total and he had to send it back to the UK. He was not sure why it took so long but had to cancel 2 work trip and it was a close call to get it back in time for a family holiday. He kept calling and was told it was in the system.I am hoping there is a quicker way but in case there is not I am renewing my sons when I fly back to the UK in the summer. It is hard for people out here to go 6 weeks without a passport so I am also interested in a quicker way if anyone can help.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

There is a massive backlog at the UK Passport authorities at the moment. Check the women's forum, loads of thread on there and there are a lot of articles in the newspapers too.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

there's an earlier thread on this - try searching for it.

If I recall correctly, six to eight weeks was the norm. It took me eight weeks to get a second passport without giving up my first, but I had to provide originals of all sorts of things, along with a letter from my employer justifying why I need a second one.

Short of an appointment in person, there is no quick way.

Not aimed at the OP, but why don't people renew earlier - like when they are not going to be using it ratehr thanwaiting until just before the peak holiday period and imagine the staff won't be on holiday as well ?


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

I did mine the other month, took 6 weeks and cost me over 1400Dhs in fines so all in all it would have been cheaper and quicker for me to get a cheap flight to the UK and renew it there.

Oh in asnswer to your question I went online here https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports filled out the form and filled out the relevent bits then sent passport back via Aramex.


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## Fat Bhoy Tim (Feb 28, 2013)

Do it in the UK in person, takes 3/4 hours and costs about the same as sending it off (including courier fees).


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Fat Bhoy Tim said:


> Do it in the UK in person, takes 3/4 hours and costs about the same as sending it off (including courier fees).


But not including the cost of flying to the UK surely ?


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Sent my application off to the office in Liverpool on 23rd March. 

Received an e-mail on 22nd May saying that they can't process the application because I didn't send my original passport. It said on the form that I could send a photocopy in certain circumstances which I believed I qualified for and wrote a detailed letter explaining this (which was backed up by actual overseas trips I had to make in those 2 months).

They said they could turn my renewal application into a second passport application if I send them a letter from my employer which I then did 27th May (and was signed for on 29th May.

5th June, I get another e-mail asking if I'm going to bother complying with their request. Sent them the DHL tracking number showing they've had it for over a week. No response since.

There are just no circumstances where I can be without a passport for 2 months and it's unlikely I'll have the opportunity to be able to get to a passport centre in the UK in the near future.

The process seemed to work fine before they moved it all to Liverpool.


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## Fat Bhoy Tim (Feb 28, 2013)

twowheelsgood said:


> But not including the cost of flying to the UK surely ?


If you get yourself an ID90 like a friend of mine recently did, not that far off :eyebrows:


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## Ogri750 (Feb 14, 2008)

I miss the days of being able to renew the passports at the embassy in 10 working days.

Just been through the process with my kids' passports. 9 weeks from the online submission to receiving everything back. Mind you, there were numerous phone calls made to try and hurry them along, considering they are still saying 6 weeks for UAE applications


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Gavtek said:


> Sent my application off to the office in Liverpool on 23rd March.
> 
> Received an e-mail on 22nd May saying that they can't process the application because I didn't send my original passport. It said on the form that I could send a photocopy in certain circumstances which I believed I qualified for and wrote a detailed letter explaining this (which was backed up by actual overseas trips I had to make in those 2 months).
> 
> ...


Finally get a response from them, they are saying that they have not received it. 

Looks like I'm single-handedly paying for the DHL corporate Christmas party.


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