Are E-Passports obligatory?

gregdedman

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure this is strictly moneysaving but I may be able to save money by finding out some information on my issue.

It is amazing how little information there is on the net regarding if it is obligatory to renew your old style UK passport for a new biometric e-passport.

I do not want or need a passport that holds electronic data on an RFID chip and so would like to renew mine (expires next year) for a basic style passport.
With mass surveillance and an unnecessary amount of data being crammed onto these new e-passports, I just do not want it.

So, this may be a tough question, but is it illegal not to renew to an e-passport?
Is it obligatory?
If I want to continue to travel, do I have no option but to 'upgrade'?
Is there any form of 'opt-out'?

Any help would be appreciated.

bluenoseam

As far as I can tell they only issue e-passports these days.

I'm leaving the disdain for the e-passport well alone, I don't mind it, clearly you're of a very different opinion.

tomtontom

Old style passports are no longer available. If you wish to travel you have no other choice.

pogofish

gregdedman wrote: »

It is amazing how little information there is on the net regarding if it is obligatory to renew your old style UK passport for a new biometric e-passport.

Why would there be any information relating to renewal options that don't exist?

gregdedman

Maybe someone else had asked a similar question at some point in the past?
Pogofish, I was simply asking.

Gloomendoom

I can't see what the problem is. They certainly speed up the immigration process is some places. Australia, for example. The often interminable wait to pass through immigration in the old days is reduced to a few minutes. Eyeball the camera and you are through.

eDicky

Come on, you can tell us - what's the real reason why you don't want a biometric passport..?

rainygreyhound

I've come back into the UK quite a few times and found the electronic gates a pain in the !!! because they were hardly ever working. Ended up queuing anyway.

lollipopsarah

My son has just renewed his passport for the first time - it was about 7 years out of date, he did all the details online and printed them out and sent an up to date photo.
Within a week he received a nice new shiny passport.
xx

duchy

You don't need to renew it
Many people don't
Not a problem at all -unless you need to travel abroad

callum9999

rainygreyhound wrote: »

I've come back into the UK quite a few times and found the electronic gates a pain in the !!! because they were hardly ever working. Ended up queuing anyway.

I've come back to the UK quite a few times and breezed straight through the electronic gates watching a big queue at the manned desks...

Unfortunately people are now much more comfortable using them so the queues tend to be quite similar to the manned desks, but when they first introduced them the line was always empty.

gregdedman wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure this is strictly moneysaving but I may be able to save money by finding out some information on my issue.

It is amazing how little information there is on the net regarding if it is obligatory to renew your old style UK passport for a new biometric e-passport.

I do not want or need a passport that holds electronic data on an RFID chip and so would like to renew mine (expires next year) for a basic style passport.
With mass surveillance and an unnecessary amount of data being crammed onto these new e-passports, I just do not want it.

So, this may be a tough question, but is it illegal not to renew to an e-passport?
Is it obligatory?
If I want to continue to travel, do I have no option but to 'upgrade'?
Is there any form of 'opt-out'?

Any help would be appreciated.

There isn't an "unnecessary amount of data crammed into these new passports" - the chip holds the same information that's printed anyway.

What exactly did you think they are putting on it anyway? Do they wire tap you after they receive the application and put details of your internet history, favourite food, preferred stores etc. on there?