Passport Renewal

monkees78

My passport expires in March. Given that I won’t be travelling abroad for over a year, can I apply for a new passport this time next year?

[Deleted User]

If you want to, yes.

[Deleted User]

yes doesn’t have to be continuous but just ensure you keep your expired passport to send with your renewal (more straightforward for renewal) and send off in good time, preferably before you book a holiday.  

MattMattMattUK

You can renew your passport whenever you choose, however remember that it can be more difficult to renew an expired passport and you may have to complete a new application process which could involve an in-person interview. A current passport is also useful for other things such as being an official form of ID, which helps with banking etc. So you can wait until next year to renew, but it would be far easier, simpler and more sensible to renew now before it expires. As it only costs £75.50 to renew a passport and it lasts for ten years, the "saving" of not having a valid passport for a year would only be £7.55 anyway so really not worth the potential hassle and issues. 

[Deleted User]

Not necessarily longer for an expired passport but if there are any queries or the previous can’t be supplied then it will take longer.  

CKhalvashi

I'd consider doing it now, as a passport is a good form of ID if nothing else.

I'm not sure of your travel habits, but if somewhere you want to go opens for you (and it's legal to go under UK law), you may wish to book something at short notice if the price is right. Just having the ability to do this (for me, anyway) makes a valid passport worthwhile.

shadesofali

If you haven't done it already I'd do it now, there's only gonna be a backlog when everyone else waiting decides they need a new passport, if you are lucky the whole process might take only a week (i applied for mine on a Friday, they had printed it and sent it to me by the following Friday).

Westin

shadesofali said:

If you haven't done it already I'd do it now, there's only gonna be a backlog when everyone else waiting decides they need a new passport, if you are lucky the whole process might take only a week (i applied for mine on a Friday, they had printed it and sent it to me by the following Friday).

A timely reminder indeed.

Most years we normally see a Daily Mail/Sun/Mirror article of outraged and glum faced people who leave passport applications and renewals to the last minute, suffer processing delays and potentially upset prior to their holiday.  I expect no different this year when overseas travel restriction do eventually get lifted or relaxed. Those who have done little to pre-plan for travel over the past year will be up in arms that passport offices have three week delays and backlogs. Yawn.

TheShape

I've let my passport expire.  I could do with taking a new photo but I could do with a haircut first!

victor2

Don't forget that since Sep 2018, any new passport will be valid from the date of issue and not the date of expiry of the old passport (if still valid), as it used to be.

So you now get penalised for being organised and doing it well in advance - and increase the passport office's revenue!

Alan_Bowen

The government have warned this afternoon that passports 'may' take up to 10 weeks to be processed, at the moment that isn't the case but if you need a new passport, apply sooner rather than later