 Poster: A snowHead
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larkim, hang in there. Mine got to Sweden in less than 24 hours, it can be done.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm sorry it won't help those already in a pickle, but I thought I would share my system which seems to work using my write-on wall calendar. Though these days you can always put expiry dates for things like passports, driving licences (yes, they do expire every so often - I think it might be 10 years or so), EIII cards etc .onto your electronic diaries and set 6 month reminders. However, for ease of finding the info I've yet to beat my write-on wall calendar. What I do is on the last day of December I write all the expiry dates of everything I want to remember, then when I get through the year and hang up the new calendar, I copy forward the info. to the next December noting any expiry dates I want to remember that year and writing them onto the calendar with sufficient time to get them sorted if they occur that year. So a Passport expiring in November gets a calendar entry for March sometime. The only thing you have to watch is expiries early in the new year which might want noting within the previous year - if you see what I mean, i.e. an expiry Jan 2017, might want putting in 2016's calendar as a reminder. It's a system I've used for years and it seems to work. The only problem I ever had was not knowing until almost too late that trips Stateside require 6 months expiry AFTER the intended trip!! I hope this helps someone, and that the current folks with problems do get sorted in time.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| msej449 wrote: |
And to everyone reading this - whatever you do do not lose your passport while abroad - like I did! Firstly, you absolutely won't get back into the UK without one if you're flying, and it's 1 in a thousand that you'll get through on the ferry or Eurotunnel.
Be aware that only selected UK Consulates provide replacement passports (not all). So for Switzerland, I had to travel to Berne from Geneva, organise a hotel, stay over the Weekend and then travel back to Geneva for the deferred flight. I suspect that if you lost your UK passport in France you'd have to go to Paris to get the temporary replacement.
BA were terrific and simply moved my flight to the Monday at no charge. But they made the point that this can only be done at an airport, not on the 'phone. And they gave me the number of the UK Border Agency emergency helpline as well.
And I can't speak too highly of the UK Border Agency Helpline. They gave me good advice on the day, and liaised with the Consulate to have my temporary passport ready the next working day. |
the Wife's Swedish passport got stolen when we were in Milan, she went to the Swedish embassy who gave her an emergency "passport" to travel on, and it was accepted all the way through to the IOM (via the UK), been a PITA to get her new one though 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sack the Juggler is quite right. Not nearly the huge disaster msej449 suggests.
Friends (father, mother and son) had their passports stolen here in La Plagne over the weekend, and were due to drive back Monday. They contacted the police and British embassy, set off with police report, and had no trouble when they got to the tunnel at Calais.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Guys, I'm not suggesting it'll always be a huge disaster. But it was for me, and I can only relate my own experience. Great that it worked out fine for you. But clearly, no one case is representative either way. I'd got a bit blazé about personal security and for the sake of being a bit more careful, ended-up with a trek across Switzerland in the middle of winter, a lonely stay at a cheap hotel over the Weekend, out of pocket (even with insurance) and a lot of hassle. That was the reality of what happened to me. Other people say there's no issue; no problem when it happened to them; go ahead and travel without a passport; don't worry about losing it; everything will be fine. All I'd say is that like all Forum feedback, the person giving it won't be there to help when you actually follow their advice.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Currently I'm in love with the entire staff of the passport service in the UK. Despite only offering a 7 day turnaround on renewal of children's passports, I visited them on Tuesday, it was printed at 3:24 yesterday and is currently out with DX for same day delivery to me today.
I've been calling the customer services line at the passport office every 2 hours to get an update, and to a man every one of the people I've spoken to has been delightful, helpful (within reason), patient and clear in what they've said.
Looks like all 6 of us will be travelling tomorrow!!
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But what about the OP? prthomas, please come back and tell us your wife got her passport, the suspense is killing me!
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@larkim, great result. I only hope the OP has had the sense to keep in touch like you did.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm not sure keeping in touch made any real difference, but it added some sanity to the progress for me. Once you accept that the monolithic processes of UK Passport Security are there for good reason, and that they aren't really there to make up for stupid parental cockups, its quite simple to be friendly with the call centre staff. And given that you never talk to the same call handler twice, you don't feel like your pestering them!!
My only current vision of terror is that for some reason the courier service (DX) make a cockup and the hope and optimism of this morning becomes despair by the end of the day!!
(But that's not going to happen, is it!??!??!??!??!??!???!?!)
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Hello all. I have some good news, the passport arrived today! So we are off to Arc1950 altogether, rather than trying people smuggling or the wife coming next week sometime.
Some useful points for anyone trying this in the future - when you attend the passport office, ask them to print and hold the passport there (ie Victoria or whatever) and you will pick it up - this would have meant we would have had the passport yesterday as it was printed at 7am but DX Deliver collect at 6am, and you can't amend an application afterwards to add this in. DX Deliver pick up at 6am for same day delivery, so ours was picked up at 6 this morning and delivered around 11 - but this still meant some anxious time waiting for them to turn up (I paid my daughter £10 to sit by the door until it arrived!). Also, let the interviewer at the passport office know the urgency of your request and clarify any dates - my wife's one said 'you will get it next wednesday' - which she interpreted as Wed 1/4 but the interviewer actually meant Wed 8/4! If she had realised at the time then they could have maybe done something different (like arranged for us to pick it up from the office).
Anyway, all is well that ends well, so apart from a few more grey hairs and a bit of stress this is all good. Looking forward to the snow now.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@prthomas, 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Also, whilst calling the enquiry line several times a day was useful to know what was going on, it didn't help expedite it at all. The only chance you have to do this is with the interviewer at the original application and as I said above, my wife misinterpreted what she said and so didn't explore any options to get it more quickly.
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@prthomas,
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You know it makes sense.
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@larkim, @prthomas,
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@prthomas congrats - mine has also now safely arrived, DX are a great reliable courier service. So for me that was application in Tuesday am 8am, arrived in our hands Thursday 2pm. Not bad for a service which is supposed to be a 7 day one!!
I'd reiterate what you said - be explicit with the passport officer, but also be incredibly nice; "I know that the position I'm in is my own stupid fault, and I know there are processes you have to follow - but if there is any way things can be helped out I'd be so grateful" etc etc. And having them record the timings of your travel too so at the very least they have all of the info that they need, if they choose to read it.
Of course, had this been the summer I reckon neither of us would have had the service we've had - we're fortunate that we've got in at a time when demand is relatively low for urgent requests, so I suppose they have some flexibility.
On the "Local print" option - that wasn't unfortunately an option for us as childrens renewals don't get handled that way (apparently), and though the officer that I attended in Peterborough said it might be possible via the helpdesk to get the passport put in for local print, the helpdesk were ultimately unable to make that happen. As it turns out of course, getting it delivered prior to travel was the best of all worlds, we did think we might have to attend Peterborough tomorrow on the way down to Folkestone, but that diversion is no longer necessary.
And the moral of the story? Don't leave it so late!!!!!!!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Happy endings.  Well done, Passport Office.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Don't know what you we're worried about 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'll be renewing mine on a same day appt in Victoria. .I won't need mine for a couple of months on the early summet but can't deal with the uncertainty
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FAQ
