how long is the turn around time generally when sending in your old pass inorder to get a new one?

just realised that despite the fact my pass is valid till March 2010 i can't use it if it has less than 6 months left on it. so not really valid till March 2010.

i'm worried that going through the embassy is going to take a lot longer thn it would if processed in the UK.

is it very stupid (illegal) to send my passport back to UK (where i'm still registered) in the hope it'll be processed quicker? or go through the embassy, to which i can't get to untill three weeks time then plus the processing time.

arrrgh. bugger. wanted to go to spain for a possible teaching contract starting in October. don't think it'll work out in time.

oh, and why does the rest of europe get to travel around on their ID cards (free or nominal fee) or driving license….?

F*ck me! 154€…!

i can't use it if it has less than 6 months left on it. so not really valid till March 2010.

Are you sure? – Mine runs out in Dec & since June I've been to the US + a handful of Euro countries

ohhh….. that is what the lady said at the pssport checking desk at stansted.

Some countries insist on 6 months, but not all. Worth checking at least

why can't you use it with less than 6 months- there's not many countries with that rule. Are you going ot one of them?

F*ck me! 154€.

Has the Euro taken a dive? – I thought the new fee was £77.50

ok, spoke to the lady in munich who spoke broken english.

if travelling within EU should be fine.

3-4 weeks turnaround.

Passport application in UK £70, application in EU 154€ + 7€ processing.

Passport application in UK £70, application in EU 154€ + 7€ processing.

BTW – they're going up in price tomorrow 🙂

If your in the EU and flying to somewhere else in the EU then you should (in theory) be able to fly on some sort of Photo ID (drivers licence?), tho im not sure if that only applies for EU citizens.

my UK passport re-application in Brussels was turned around in less than 2 weeks but they've closed the office now.
Nearest passport office is now Paris…..

In Madrid it was a lot less than that (IIRC), about 10 working days. Not that that's much use to you 🙄

More than reasonable for unaccountable, non-reactive government cost hungry apparatchiks.

Mind you brand new offices and marble floors don't grow on trees do they.

F*ck me! 154€…!

Ha, try a US visa for a laugh.
$100+ for the interview. Options are Belfast or London, with quicker turnaround in Belfast, so add in transport and overnight accomodation. And a copy of my police record (£70 for quick turnaround). And all for someone to spend 10 seconds looking at the paperwork and saying "that all looks in order, we'll print the visa and it'll be in the post tonight"

Mine took a couple of weeks, but they bounced it back once cos I didn't have the photos "Professionally printed". W@nkers.
Don't pay for check & send (or the local equivalent) cos they don't check anything.

try 15 weeks to renew an existing visa for the UK and £900 fee!

If you're in the UK, the Royal Mail Check and Send service has always been excellent for me. They've always gone through the entire application and checked that photos are the right size, etc. It's definitely worth the £6.85 or whatever it costs IMO, especially as that includes the secure postage.