No More Extra 9 Months on Passport After Early Renewal

[simonhill]

As some of you will know, many of countries require a passport to be valid for 6 months when you enter. This often meant you had to renew your passport months before its expiry date. The Passport Office generously took this into consideration and would grant an extra up to 9 months on the basic 10 years.

No more. As from last week, UK passports will only be issued for 10 years, regardless of how long you have left on your old one. This change wasn't generally announced, but apparently hidden away in one of the Brexit briefing papers.

Welcome to the 9 1/2 year passport.

[Cyril Haearn]

I just applied for a new one, takes a couple of weeks, one has to surrender the old one, not sure what happens if one wants to travel in that period. I did not plan to, but an urgent need might have arisen

[Psamathe]

I just applied for a new one, takes a couple of weeks, one has to surrender the old one, not sure what happens if one wants to travel in that period. I did not plan to, but an urgent need might have arisen

A few months ago I paid extra for the medium (faster but not same day) turnround. There was a lot of "managing expectations". Even at the interview they were saying "it's after midday so it will be 8 days now ..." yet I got the new one within 3 days.

Ian

[Psamathe]

.....Welcome to the 9 1/2 year passport.

Very true given how many countries require at least 6 months validity on entering their countries.

Basically just slipping through a price increase they hope people wont notice - like your 63g bar of chocolate shrinking to 58b then further shrinking to 48g - people don't notice shrinking product as much as increased price.

Ian

[Cyril Haearn]

I applied in good time so might lose 7 weeks, one has read warnings that it could take a long time so I deliberately applied early

Looks like the passport office is *delighting* it's customers by processing the docs promptly, +1!

[Lance Dopestrong]

So what? A few months the here or there over a decade is insignificant.

I must concur with ones views about the wonderfully efficient passport office *cough*

[willem jongman]

I guess because after Brexit EU countries will also begin to demand six months remaining validity.

[meic]

I just renewed my child's passport. It arrived exactly a week after I posted the form.
The (admittedly tiny) few days unexpired were still carried over, I assume because it will only be valid for five years anyway, therefor the EU restriction forcing this change didnt apply.

The reason for the change is to satisfy EU Shengen area border controls and the same restriction must already apply to every non-EU passport holder in the world.

[mjr]

The reason for the change is to satisfy EU Shengen area border controls [...]

Have you any proof of that or is this another euromyth?

[meic]

Shengan area requires a passport that was issued within the past ten years.
Obviously a passport issued 9 months early will no longer be valid in the Shengan area 9 months before it expires.

[meic]

Mine is due next September.
This change is a move made to allow for no deal, at the same time as claiming such an event is unlikely.
I will find out in March next year, inconveniently 6 months before expiry if there is a deal or not.
If there is a deal that may well reverse this decision, if there isnt a deal then I will be part of a big blockage in the system of people needing to get a new passport as we can no longer get to Europe on a passport nearing expiry.
As I want to go to France for Easter, which is two weeks after Brexit Day, I dont stand a chance of getting a renewal done and my existing passport will be unusable.

So I (and many others) will have to "watch this space" to see if we have to get that application in much before March 29th or not.

It seems very likely that the powers that be will run the negotiations to the very last moment plus extra time, for show if no other reason. So I will not even get nine and a half years.

[nirakaro]

Schengen

[meic]

Third time lucky, maybe.

[mjr]

I've searched a bit and didn't find anything saying this is a change required by Schengen. They require a passport issued in the last ten years but I see nothing stopping a longer UK validity.

There seem to have been no relevant changes recently either. Interestingly, one change a few years ago was to add non-EU British citizens to those not requiring visas.

[meic]

I've searched a bit and didn't find anything saying this is a change required by Schengen.

That is because it is a change to satisfy Schenken requirements which pre-exist but we will (possibly) start to be subject to after 29 March next year.

They require a passport issued in the last ten years but I see nothing stopping a longer UK validity.

Even our incompetent authorities can see the stupidity of issuing passports that our nearest neighbours will not accept as valid long before they expire.