# Renewing a British passport in Greece



## Mummytotwo (Apr 21, 2011)

Last year I paid a phenonmenal amount of money to get a British passport for my baby daughter. 
It seems the British Embassy in Greece no longer deal with passport issuing and now all passport correspondace is dealt with in Spain

So, not only do I have to pay extortionate fees for the passport itself, but I had to pay to get my daughter's birth certificate translated into English AND pay 67 Euro in courier fees.

This month my elder daughter's passport expires and I am seriously considering sending it to the uk for my parents to renew.
Sending it to Spain will cost 
PASSPORT - 97 Euro
COURIER - 67 Euro

In the UK, a child passport costs only 49 GBP

I have read somewhere that in order to apply or renew a passport in the UK you have to actually be in the country - but how would they know?

Any thoughts?


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## torba (Jul 15, 2010)

*renewing a British passport in Greece*



Mummytotwo said:


> Last year I paid a phenonmenal amount of money to get a British passport for my baby daughter.
> It seems the British Embassy in Greece no longer deal with passport issuing and now all passport correspondace is dealt with in Spain
> 
> So, not only do I have to pay extortionate fees for the passport itself, but I had to pay to get my daughter's birth certificate translated into English AND pay 67 Euro in courier fees.
> ...



I have a friend who did that this year. Sent everything to her daughter in England who then posted and it was returned to the daughter's address. Then her daughter posted it back to Greece. Expect it is illegal and you take a chance with the post, but it can be done.


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

Mummytotwo said:


> Last year I paid a phenonmenal amount of money to get a British passport for my baby daughter.
> It seems the British Embassy in Greece no longer deal with passport issuing and now all passport correspondace is dealt with in Spain
> 
> So, not only do I have to pay extortionate fees for the passport itself, but I had to pay to get my daughter's birth certificate translated into English AND pay 67 Euro in courier fees.
> ...


..............

When I renewed my passport at the Embassy a couple of years ago it cost me over 145 Euro JUST for the passport and I COLLECTED it myself..............a childs passport may well cost only 49 quid but the thing is your in Greece.

Why not ask a friend to renew the passport and then courier it to you here, which must be cheaper than sending off to Madrid. probably frowned upon by the FCO but then as you point out, how on earth will they know??


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## HBK (Aug 13, 2011)

*Passport renewal*

Hello everyone! I'm so glad I found this site! My uk passport expired a couple of months ago! I want to renew it but I now live in Greece. My mother is English and my dad is Greek. I don't have a Greek pp. The forms I downloaded say i need to send my birth certificate!it's a renewal! What do I need to send??? It's so much easier in uk! A pain and costly!
Thank u!
Helen


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## Mummytotwo (Apr 21, 2011)

HBK said:


> Hello everyone! I'm so glad I found this site! My uk passport expired a couple of months ago! I want to renew it but I now live in Greece. My mother is English and my dad is Greek. I don't have a Greek pp. The forms I downloaded say i need to send my birth certificate!it's a renewal! What do I need to send??? It's so much easier in uk! A pain and costly!
> Thank u!
> Helen


Well, I just renewed my oldest child's passport in England even though we live in Greece as it was much cheaper to do so. My mum took it back with her after her visit to us and I got some friends to bring it back out.
The Greek embassy in Athens no longer issue or renew passports so you will have to send all documentation to the British Embassy in Spain. Not only will you have to pay almost double the money for the actual passport but you will also pay for registered courier fees there and back

So if you do have friends or family in the UK I would do it there. If you were born in Greece you will have to send your birth certificate and your old passport.
Hope this helps a bit!


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## HBK (Aug 13, 2011)

Mummytotwo said:


> Well, I just renewed my oldest child's passport in England even though we live in Greece as it was much cheaper to do so. My mum took it back with her after her visit to us and I got some friends to bring it back out.
> The Greek embassy in Athens no longer issue or renew passports so you will have to send all documentation to the British Embassy in Spain. Not only will you have to pay almost double the money for the actual passport but you will also pay for registered courier fees there and back
> 
> So if you do have friends or family in the UK I would do it there. If you were born in Greece you will have to send your birth certificate and your old passport.
> Hope this helps a bit!



My mum sent me the form from uk. I was born in England. The thing is my previous passport was issued by the british embassy! Is there any way they will know I'm not in uk when the form was signed? Just worries me a bit as is says it is illegal. 
So much cheaper though this way!


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## LGK616 (Sep 22, 2009)

Agreed that it is best to have it renewed in the UK.

As for your Greek one, check this website out:

????????? ??????????? - National Passport Center

There is an English option.

Lesley


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

it may be better to renew it in the UK BUT only if you are actually there. otherwise it is illegal


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