What used to happen is that if you had outstanding time on your previous passport they’d add up to 6 months onto the validity of the new passport - so you’d get 10 years 6 months (it might actually have been up to 9 months - see here).
The government quietly changed this towards the end of 2018 and stopped doing that, apparently something to do with Brexit preparations. The price stayed the same, of course.
It’s also worth noting that 10 year passports often don’t really last 10 years, given that many countries require at least 6 months validity to let you in. The previous rule kind of offset that.
I’m going through this right now so this message makes me feel better. Applied a month ago. They received my old passport two weeks ago. Website says I should send my old passport but the system might take some time to update. No point in having a tracking site of it isn’t updated even after two weeks.
How close to your ARC expiring did you leave it before getting an emergency renewal?
I still have over a month for the expensive piece of blue paper to arrive.
Passport arrived 8 weeks after I applied. Seven weeks after they received my old passport (they say it is only five weeks since they received it because it took two weeks to log it in their system after being delivered).
Dhl delivered my new passport to the completely wrong place. Crazy since it is expensive.
Luckily, a security guard at that place decided to phone me after a few hours. He could have just left it in a cupboard.
I had no idea it was delivered because they didn’t give me tracking info.
The passport is black. I thought we left the eu to get a blue one.
20 Apr - applied online
28 Apr - sent old passport
29 Apr - old passport waiting in airport
4 May - old passport arrived in the UK
18 May - called them as I hadn’t heard anything. They said busy etc. Just wait m8
31 May - office received my old passport
8 Jun - new passport approved
10 Jun - new passport printed
20 Jun - new passport arrived
24 Jun - DHL emailed a tracking number for my old passport
27 Jun - old passport arrived
It was also after the press informed that it’s taking months to renew passports because of a lack of staff due to the pandemic. I have a feeling there’s more urgency placed on passport renewals from overseas
I might need to travel while waiting for the passport application, I see it’s possible to get an emergency travel document for this. Does anyone know if this works with the ARC? Can I still get back into Taiwan with the emergency travel document and my ARC?
You can only get a UK emergency travel document for emergency travel. Inside it will even say your travel date, where you are traveling to, etc. I know because in a previous job I’ve actually printed one it’s not even a passport really, it’s just a piece of card, a bit like the yellow Covid vaccine cards.
I thought when applying for the emergency travel document you can specify where you want to travel to?
You can use an emergency travel document to travel to your destination through a maximum of 5 countries. You can also normally use it to return to the country you’re applying from if you live there.
Your travel plans (countries and dates) will be printed on your emergency travel document. If you change your travel plans once you have your emergency travel document, you’ll need to apply for a new one.
Unless things have changed in the last 3 years, the emergency travel document is for traveling to the UK, and it now looks like you can also use it to get back to where you live, but I don’t think they won’t give you one for going on holiday. The 5 countries you can list refers to layovers on your way to the place you are going because of an emergency.
Nah it’s just entitlement. People risk their lives crossing the chanel in dingies to try and get one, while others complain about the artwork. Privilege much !
it’s not even a passport really, it’s just a piece of card, a bit like the yellow Covid vaccine cards.