Passport Costs To Increase In October - Renew NOW !

debjay

Hi
Two queries:

1) Does the 9 month rule apply to children's renewals too? Both my children's run out in Mar 2007 so was thinking of applying now to beat the increase. Would they be valid until Mar 2012?

2) Also planning a trip to Florida for 2008. Both me and OH have passports that run out in 2012 and 2010. Will these be ok for entry to Florida? Got confused by earlier posts re Florida and visas etc. Dont want to renew these now when got 6 and 4 years left on them.

Thanks

jem16

debjay wrote:

Hi
Two queries:

1) Does the 9 month rule apply to children's renewals too? Both my children's run out in Mar 2007 so was thinking of applying now to beat the increase. Would they be valid until Mar 2012?

2) Also planning a trip to Florida for 2008. Both me and OH have passports that run out in 2012 and 2010. Will these be ok for entry to Florida? Got confused by earlier posts re Florida and visas etc. Dont want to renew these now when got 6 and 4 years left on them.

Thanks

1. Yes

2. Yes unless the US change the rules which I doubt.

nedski

Money won't be the only saving you'll be making by renewing your passport sooner rather than later, you'll also be avoiding getting tangled up in the government's doomed and dangerous National Identity Register / ID Cards scheme, at least for the next 10 years... When they passed the ID Cards Bill they put a sneaky clause in to make everyone who applies for a passport after a certain date automatically have to register!

Read more at http://www.renewforfreedom.org

A lot of people who know about this sort of stuff think this huge database will actually make identity theft worse. So even if I didn't care about being tagged and tracked by the Government for the rest of my life (which I darn well do) I don't want my personal details going anywhere near it thankyouverymuch.

N.

nuttyrockeress

Question if anyone can help.

Mine and OH passports run out July 16th 07.

Can I get ours in for cheaper renewal?

sarymclary

I get really angry at the prices the Government decide to charge for their services. Like all services run by civil servants, the Passport Office is as equally inefficient and unanswerable for their mistakes as the Tax Credits and Inland Revenue offices (plus any local Government/Council offices you might like to mention).

I actually decided not to take my children abroad on holiday this year because the cost of renewing 5 passports, combined with photos and postage was going to add £220 onto the price of our holiday.

That would even mean that a cheap day trip to France, where we get a ferry trip for £30, would end up costing me £250! Ridiculous.

I certainly don't want my details being held by an unsafe government computer system (just look at the CSA & Tax Credits new computer systems for proof of that), and I'm seriously considering not voting after I discovered, via this website, that my address details had been 'shared' from the Electoral Roll to search sites such as https://www.b4usearch.com. I was listed 3 times, my dead husband was on there 4 times, and I can search all our neighbours details too. You have to request NOT to be included, which I have now done, and I regularly check to make sure I'm not back on there. Forget ID cards, Big Brother is already watching us.

jem16

nuttyrockeress wrote:

Question if anyone can help.

Mine and OH passports run out July 16th 07.

Can I get ours in for cheaper renewal?

Nothing stopping you. You will probably lose 2/3 months overall as they can only give you 10 years plus a maximum of 9 months.

karenj

Totally agree sarymclary and to top it all to phone the passport office, you need to ring an 0870 number - so they're getting even more money off joe public just for calling them! Downright cheek I think.... And no, I don't want all my personal details available to all and sundry either.

josie

sarymclary wrote:

I certainly don't want my details being held by an unsafe government computer system (just look at the CSA & Tax Credits new computer systems for proof of that), and I'm seriously considering not voting after I discovered, via this website, that my address details had been 'shared' from the Electoral Roll to search sites such as https://www.b4usearch.com. I was listed 3 times, my dead husband was on there 4 times, and I can search all our neighbours details too. You have to request NOT to be included, which I have now done, and I regularly check to make sure I'm not back on there. Forget ID cards, Big Brother is already watching us.

Sorry, what's the problem with being listed on b4usearch.com? Like you say details are on the electoral roll anyway.

josie

karenj wrote:

Totally agree sarymclary and to top it all to phone the passport office, you need to ring an 0870 number - so they're getting even more money off joe public just for calling them! Downright cheek I think.... And no, I don't want all my personal details available to all and sundry either.

You can always try the site http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php

and it gives you landline numbers for a lot of 0870 & 0871 numbers. Peterborough Passport Office is definitely on.

karenj

Yes, I know about the site which I regularly use. My point was that they are making even MORE money out of joe public by not giving geographical numbers.