When I got the last passport 10 years ago it seemed as if it would last forever. As I looked at the fresh-faced ‘me’ in the photograph it suddenly seemed a long, long time ago.
Living in Spain with a passport due to expire gives you a dilemma; do you apply for a new one before it runs out, or wait until past the expiry date? I pondered the following: If I apply before the end date, what if I need to go back to the UK urgently? Can I use my UK driving license as identification on a flight from Malaga to Mallorca? Would it be best to renew it whilst on a trip back to the UK? As a foreign national you may apply in person for a passport whilst visiting the UK. In order to do this, you need to make an appointment at a passport office and you must provide an address in the UK to which the passport may be posted. The Passport Agency do not accept applications by post or e-mail if you live abroad.
True to form I dithered and the passport ran out. This forced my hand and my only option was to apply for a passport from the British Embassy in Madrid. Driving to Madrid was not an option so I had to apply by post. All the information you require to apply for your passport is on their web site, which can be found at http://www.ukinspain.com
The site advises that although it takes 10 working days to process a new passport; you should apply 4 weeks prior to an intended travel date. This does not account for any problems with the application form or the photographs. Also, should these need to be returned to you to change or alter, a cost will be incurred for postage, so getting right first time is advisable.
The relevant forms are downloadable as well as guides on the size that your photograph needs to be and what it should look like in terms of the background colour and how to sit. However, one item that I could not establish is whether my friend Dave, who is a retired policeman, could sign my form and photographs. Dave emailed the embassy and received a 2-page response explaining why they did not answer passport-related queries. Quite honestly it would have been quicker to answer “yes” or “no”. I searched on the internet and found the answer on a BBC web page – he was able to after all.
Although I hate filling out forms, as my passport was a renewal it was straight forward to complete. When applying by post the only method of payment is by credit or debit card this means completing a second form. The form does not ask you to calculate the cost of the new passport. Instead you are authorising the British Embassy to withdraw the required amount from you account. If you wish to go to Madrid to obtain a passport in person, you can also pay in cash.
So with my forms completed and countersigned, photograph taken and also countersigned, all were sent with the old passport to Madrid. For this I used the carta certificada service by Corroes. The cost was very reasonable at around €3 from memory. Once sent, I waited for the new passport and hope that the picture was OK and that the forms had been filled out correctly.
Exactly 10 working days after I had sent the application, I received a telephone call informing me that I would be receiving my passport that day. Since 1st August 2007, the British Embassy has begun to use a courier called Bpack to deliver passports. As promised earlier, Bpack duly turned up within a couple of hours with my new passport.
I must say that the service and information provided was first class. The only problem was the cost – a painful €187. Ouch! The cost of renewing my passport in the UK would have been £97 (plus a flight of course).
