Passport Rip off

jammybunn

boots_babe wrote:

trigger mike - same here. Got married in February and have 8 years left to run on passport so was shocked to find I have to pay full price in order to just change my name. Especially considering I will be able to do the same on my driving licence for free.Had my pictures rejected once - nobody really knew why either??? Asked at post office, spoken to Liverpool passport office on the phone, and they can't give me an answer. So have just sent some more off from different booth but how can I be sure they will accept them if they can't tell me the problem?!!

if you want to pm me your reference number (or if you dont have it, your full name and dob then ill look for you when i go into work tomorrow or saturday)

isayoldchap

fudgem wrote:

Am I reading this right? You got a British passport at the Italian Consulate? or are you Italian

Just took the British one to show them it had expired.Being Italian I got one for £4.50.Now where's that world cup flag gone?

paulow

Why are children being ripped off even more than adults??! Current price for a 10 year adult passport is £51, A child's passport is £34 for only 5 years! then I will get ripped off again 5 years down the line because my son will still be under 16, so another overpriced 5 year passport!

code-a-holic

I have just filled in 4 applications, one for me and the 3 children. We are going abroad for the 1st time (with hubby who already ahs one) in April now the in laws have bought a house in France.

The price is a bit steep, wouldnt be so bad if renewel prices were lower. its an ongoing expense.
A local independant photogropher does passport photos for £4 and promises to do more for free if they are refused - he has the kit to do kids sitting in a chair or lay down.

Is it worth getting the passport check? Only i have heared quite a few times of people still having them rejected.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Hope this helps. I had mine done at the local photographers after having my photo booth pic turned down, although the reason given was not correct. He told me he's always getting people in moaning about their photo booth pix being turned down. He offers a retake if his are turned down but so far this has never happened. I think he charged me £6. He advises people to clip their hair back and not wear glasses and will shoot until he gets a neutral expression.
If you've got your head screwed on you can check your application as well as any post office clerk, the forms are straightforward and easy to understand and the explanatory notes are comprehensive.

Gers

I renewed my passport using the online service and sent off the photos - not a problem at all. I paid by credit card and it was all effortless. THEN it make getting a new DL so much easier as they now can check your ID and use the passport photo and signature for the DL too.

Oh.. and the important bit:

Note 5: applicants who were 16 years old or older at the end of World War 2 (that is, applicants born on or before 2 September 1929) are eligible for free standard 32-page ten year passports.

My mother renewed hers just about 3 months before I did and hadn't noticed this clause. She soon got a refund when I pointed it out to her.

C_Ronaldo

i wouldnt say getting a passport renewed is a rip off, its the only way to do it so if you want a passport and you go away then you need a passport

bottlered

asda print passport size photos from memory cards for less than a £1.

I had to resort to this when my very pale children kept having their 'photobooth' photos rejected.I took my own photos at home, altered the colour settings & printed them at asda.

I couldnt believe it when they were accepted,after 3 sets from the booth were turned down.

keith234

we want to go abroad 4 holidays but my son is just 15, if i get a passport for him it expires in 5 years, same situation with my 11 year old, disgusting cost, it costs less for the whole holiday (barcalona by ryan air)

and

talking about photo booths, the booth i used had a smudge on the glass, so when the pics were printed it looked like the kids noses were erased, they had to be retaken at a futher cost of £4 each, the shop claimed not there fault (asda)

jamescredmond

if you could meet the home secretary face to face you could ask him about this rip-off. he in turn would probably reply that national security is paramount and this comes at a cost. what he wouldn't tell you is that the IT company handling passports is a voracious, multinational enterprise raking in millions for providing a mediocre service. he wouldn't explain the governement's enthusiasm in rushing to award mouth-watering IT g'ment contracts without properly evaluating the benefits to the public. are we watching gross incompetence? or something more sinister?
But we must sympathise with home sec. john reid. he has inherited a department that, by his own admission, is not fit for purpose. let's be a little more candid. it's a bloody shambles, unable to even tell us how many illegal immigrants now reside in the UK. It permitted the release of foreign nationals convicted of violent offences without even considering deportation. The list goes on. The saddest part is that the least well-off are hit hardest the minute they dream of a cheap spanish package trip - something else the home sec. wouldn't want to hear......