Well done to the UK Passport and ID Office - put my passport in for renewal via the Post Office Check and Send service at 4 pm on the 18th and got the new one back by courier delivery at 11:00 on the 24th (today)! 4 working days to turn it around when they say 14 days should be expected. That is excellent service. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

MAkes a refreshing change to hear of a government department that has their act together!! Current, M135i in Estoril Blue with more extras than the cast of Ben Hur.

535d m-sport Platinum grey and a few extras.... Gone

X5 3.0 sd in Space Grey, 20's, Dynamic Pack, Memory Pack, Media Pack, Tow Pack, Rear DVD, Panoramic Sunroof, Steps, 7 Seat Pack, Reversing Camera with moving lines, programmable park heat, etc etc etc - Gone

Range Rover Sport Santorini, privacy, dvd, towpack GONE!!!

Recently had to update my passport and those of my 2 daughters - it was quick and easy.  2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
2009 Alaska TDV8 - Gone and much missed.



WINNER - 2009 �Idler Of The Year� Award
Runner Up - 2009 �Just Doing What It�s Designed To Do� Award


DO NOT CLICK HERE!

Back in '96 I got a brand new passport from the Liverpool office in about 40 mins due to extenuating circumstances... I was amazed they could do it, and that they did it!

You can still do the one day with appointment/ interview but there is a hefty charge for it. If you are applying for your first passport in your own name or you have just turned 16 then you now have to go in for an interview and take all sorts of papers with you and it can take up to 6 weeks to issue a passport. With a renewal there isn't any requirement except 2 photos (not even countersigned) and your old passport. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Back then rules were different...

It was for my first passport (had the paper EU one from the PO before that) no appointment was necessary - turned up at the door before opening at 9am. There was no extra charge, was seen at about 9.10am and was on my way with passport by 10am! I couldn't believe that the civil service could move so quick!

I understand you are correct now Tim, that this is no longer possible for first time passports, or replacements where the passport is lost/missing - I looked into it because Australia House looked like they lost mine for a while before I got my visa to come out here!

Praise the Lord, an efficient gov't agency.........hip-hip, hoorah, hip-hip........bla, bla L322 Big Daddy SUPERCHARGED 5.0 Autobiography - Here & Now!

5 series for the miles

RRS S/C factory built HST - Gone

45 others have been and gone!

2nd Rower wrote:

Back then rules were different...

have you tried renewing your UK passport via FCO Canberra, i needed one urgently for a business trip as mine was becoming to full and India demands 2 pages for their visa a). I paid the extra for the frequent traveller version (more pages) and b) paid for the express service...should take about 10 days ish.. but with the usual no guarantee crap

It took the lazy 's 3 weeks, and that was only after i chased them .. so it took the same length of time as the normal and they supplied the standard one, not the one i specified.. Useless shower, must spend all day nobbing in the diplomatic circles and doing all else  Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

Zilch wrote:

have you tried renewing your UK passport via FCO Canberra,

Perhaps their is hope after all, DVLA have sent my new driving licence back in 7 days, unbeleivable

I'm impressed with the DVLA at present but my guess is that it's more about issuing fines quickly and correctly rather than service to people renewing Road Tax etc. 2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
2009 Alaska TDV8 - Gone and much missed.



WINNER - 2009 �Idler Of The Year� Award
Runner Up - 2009 �Just Doing What It�s Designed To Do� Award


DO NOT CLICK HERE!

Can vouch for the DVLA at present...renewed the tax on my wifes car on Sunday, tax disc arrived yesterday!  Current: I can't say...Oh the Shame!
Gone: 2003 Audi S4 - 340BHP of Fun
Gone: 2005 RRS SE, Silver, Chrome Mirrors, Tinted with a stupid spare wheel!
Gone: Audi A4 2.5 TDi Quattro 180bhp
Gone: BMW 535i
Gone: 1985 Audi Quattro
Gone: Subaru Imprezza Turbo (rubbish)

When I changed to the photocard licence a few years back it took me nearly 3 months to get them to process it from start to finish. While they were fannying around I had a fixed penalty speeding come through and as Id no licence to send them for the points and ended up having to go to court and get a 100 quid fine instead of the 30 quid it was at the time!!!!  Current, M135i in Estoril Blue with more extras than the cast of Ben Hur.

535d m-sport Platinum grey and a few extras.... Gone

X5 3.0 sd in Space Grey, 20's, Dynamic Pack, Memory Pack, Media Pack, Tow Pack, Rear DVD, Panoramic Sunroof, Steps, 7 Seat Pack, Reversing Camera with moving lines, programmable park heat, etc etc etc - Gone

Range Rover Sport Santorini, privacy, dvd, towpack GONE!!!

On 20th Dec 07, we had packed the car full to the roof ready to drive from UK to Sweden for our last 're-location trip' the following day, and my wife called me at work to say that she had just opened the washing machine and found both our passports in pieces in the drum - 'oh you silly thing I said' to her over the phone

We had booked all the ferries between UK & France and Denmark etc.

We were at the time living just outside of Exeter.

First thing on the 21st my Wife spoke to the Swedish embassy in London who said, no problem come in a get a temporary one, no charge. When you get back to Sweden just get a new one - FOC. Which she did - cost of train to London peak, plus taxi - £225rtn

In the meantime, I battled with the UK Passport service and they refused our trip was 'essential' therefore would not be given special circumstances due to the damage. Found out that if it were stolen then it is a different matter. You will never guess what hapened then....as it wasn't so badly damaged afterall, I decided to use it but someone must have stolen it from my car at the petrol station - what's the odds??

A swift call back to Swansea or Cardiff can't remember and they agreed to interview me, make me sign a 'stolen record' and sent me off for two hours until a decision was made. They agreed, I paid an enormous fee (£200 seems to ring a bell all in) and I got a new one.

Drove all the way back to Exeter to pick up my wife and the the fully loaded car (I daren't leave it unattended in Wales) to just do a 'U' turn and drive to Sweden.

Managed to catch all links and from Wales to Stockholm (inc detour back to Exeter) arrived 28hrs later - knackered and just back on speaking terms with my dearest!

A £400 and monster stressful pre - travel laundry cost!!

ps - my photo in my passport still makes us laugh when we travel as it clearly says in my eyes and face, 'I'm not too delighted with the situation'

tornado34 wrote:

'oh you silly thing I said' to her over the phone :

 Gone,,TDV8 arctic frost,black leather,colour coded handles,rear entertainment,sunroof.
1980 Rolls Royce,shadow 2 in white.
Gone 07/57 TDV8 santorino,black leather.chrome handle's/mirror's.
Gone 02/52 FFRR vogue.