Passport renewal - might have made a booboo

Danyúl_II

Hi,

I am in a right pickle and would appreciate a quick bit of advice!

I am out of the country (I live in Germany) and need to make a visa application for China... didn't realise you need six months left on passport and I only have three.

From Germany it would take six weeks to process and I am leaving in four weeks, so that is not an option.

I have decided to have my mother apply on my behalf, as apparently this is something you can do if you provide a supporting letter. I am going to send my current passport to her in the post and she will go and apply for a one day application.

However, you can only do this if you are "in the UK". Will the passport office know I am not there and thus cancel my application? I realise this is going agains the rules and potentially dangerous etc etc... I don't need anybody to tell me that, but my holidays is paid for and I have stupidly only just realised my visa won't be accepted unless I do this.

Thanks for any advice!!!

Voyager2002

I suggest you telephone the consulate close to you and find out about any express passport service for British national resident in Germany.

Failing that, you or your mother could indeed make an appointment for a one-day passport service in the UK, but you will have to attend in person, so I suggest you research cheap flights home. Last time I went to Germany my flight (Ryanair) cost all of five pounds, so it can't be too bad...

Danyúl_II

The question I guess is: can (or will?) the passport office know I am not in the country if they do not need to see me in person?

Cheapest flights back home at such short notice are close to 200 pounds so I would rather like to avoid that ...

paddyrg

You could also try Benmar http://www.benmar-ltd.co.uk/ or similar companies to manage the process and Chinese visas etc for you. Yes, you pay a fee, but you get specialists and they'll know how to resolve your pickle

peachyprice

Dany!l_II wrote: »

The question I guess is: can (or will?) the passport office know I am not in the country if they do not need to see me in person?

Cheapest flights back home at such short notice are close to 200 pounds so I would rather like to avoid that ...

Depends, is your mum likely to crumble under pressure if they ask why you couldn't go yourself?

peachyprice

Voyager2002 wrote: »

t you will have to attend in person, so I suggest you research cheap flights home. Last time I went to Germany my flight (Ryanair) cost all of five pounds, so it can't be too bad...

You don't have to go in person, someone else can go for you with a letter giving them permission to do so.

Danyúl_II

peachyprice wrote: »

Depends, is your mum likely to crumble under pressure if they ask why you couldn't go yourself?

No, absolutely no! But I am more thinking they are able to and will look at when I entered/exited the country last...

She's just gonna say I am busy with work and thus couldn't go, no worries about that, just whether they do official checks to see for sure if I am in the country.

On the phone the guy said you need to be in the country in case they need or ask to see you about your application, that's all.

Danyúl_II

peachyprice wrote: »

You don't have to go in person, someone else can go for you with a letter giving them permission to do so.

Yep, it's just I am out of the country and if it is all recorded on a central system when I clock in and out of the country they will see I am not really there...

peachyprice

I really don't know. But is it really worth the risk of putting your existing passport in the post just to save the cost of a flight over?

I'd be trying to find the cheapest possible way to the UK myself, no way would I want my passport lost in the post. Even if the best price you can find is £200, it's a hell of a lot less than you stand to lose if you can't go on holiday.

Danyúl_II

Needless to say I am !!!!!!!! it now because I literally only just realised I needed 6 months on my passport for my visa this morning and then it dawned on me that I only have three weeks to renew passport and get visa...

The visa isn't an issue, that takes four days, I just hope the passport office doesn't clock on that I am not really there and reject my application!

It's a standard renewal and there really ought not to be any dodgy questions asked.

Danyúl_II

peachyprice wrote: »

I really don't know. But is it really worth the risk of putting your existing passport in the post just to save the cost of a flight over?

I'd be trying to find the cheapest possible way to the UK myself, no way would I want my passport lost in the post.

It's only got three months left on it anyway so if it gets lost it gets lost... wouldn't be able to use it for this holiday anyway! :eek: can't really afford 200 for flights ... which probably sounds ridiculous since the holiday is so expensive but I cannot afford it, not on top of 130 for passport.