Passport Emergency HELP!

A snowHead

Just checked my wifes passport and it runs out today!!!! Due to fly Sat morning 6am! Passport office closed tomorrow, no appointments available Sat, closed sun and mon, first appointments Tuesday but....the guy on the helpline was trying to imply there was a solution he couldnt talk about it - taped lines etc. Do you think this was turn up in person on Sat at the passport office and fly out a day late? (possible cos flights are availble frm Leeds) Or try to get on the plane with passport plus a photo driving license?? Or is their a private service that can get you an appointment at the office? This is desparate stuff - its my daughters birthday on Monday - the prospect of not going until Wednesday is heartbreaking for my wife Sad

Any advice greatfully received

A snowHead

kewhoward, Thats really unlucky.
If you are going to Europe (I guess you are if flying from Leeds) then you could get away without it being noticed, particulary if you can check in online.
We usualy just get a cursory glance at the photo to check identification and I think you would be unlucky if the date was spotted.
Having said that you are taking a chance but I would certainly give it a go and if you get stopped you could still shoot over to Liverpool.
Best of luck.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I reckon your only hope is a commercial service which has a 'same day' appointment with the Passport Office on Sat. There are plenty in London, but whether there are any in the Leeds area, no idea. I suppose that Durham or Liverpool is your nearest passport office. Your wife could always turn up on at the Passport Office on Sat and plead, I suppose.

Good luck.

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Online check in with Ryanair at Doncaster (& for Easyjet too I think) is only if you have no hold baggage. Also the process asked us for the expiry date of the passport. When we arrived last Sat at Doncaster the security was exceptionally thorough, so it is very variable.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks all - going to try to sleep on it.... Crying or Very sad

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I wouldn't try getting away with it; if the passport is scanned electronically, which they usually seem to be, I would expect the fact that it has expired to show up. The smart move might have been for her to travel out today and wing it on the way back (although I don't know that you'd be allowed into abroad, even EU, with a passport expiring that day).

Good luck again. With 4 passports (+the dog's) it's only a matter of time before it happens to us.

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kewhoward, Where in europe?

After all it is free

My uncle went skiing last week and travelled on his wife's passport!! He only noticed himself once he'd arrived the other end, and obviously nobody at either airport (departure or arrival) had been sharp enough to pick up on the mistake.

Airport Security is a wonderful thing isn't it?!?!

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kewhoward, coming back into Leeds 2 weeks ago they were scanning the passports at the check desk. Didn't fly out of their as we got bussed to East Midlands but at the check in desk the lad from Jet2 was looking at the passports.

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kewhoward, Not much I can add other than sheer horror and I hope it sorts itself out Sad

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Morning all - and a grey morning it is. BMF_Skier, We're flying (maybe) to Chambery - are you asking cos its EU? In theory you dont need passport at all? Certainly if we do try and blag it tomorrow morning then we'll have back up ID.

Anybody come across these private firms that richmond mentioned? Are there any in the north?

Plan at the minute is to turn up and try, if not successful to go to Liverpool and sit on the doorstep crying to get a renewal , and then fly next day

In theory you can travel within Europe on any kind of photo ID - you don't need a passport. Mr L has travelled with his French carte d'identite before now, and I have used my carte de sejour without a problem. If it comes to it, take a driving licence and as many other forms of ID as you can muster, and see what happens.

You know it makes sense.

technically in europe you need photo ID - you are normally required to have a passport for international travel, so they are accepted, and quite a few of our euro brethren have photo ID cards, so they are accepted. I *think* that a new style photo driving licence is also acceptable in some cases. I remember about 10 years ago being allowed to fly London - Dublin with no passport, but that's a slightly differrent proposition

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Lizzard, The Schengen accord covers Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The UK is not part of this goup and therefore you need a passport to get in or out.

A snowHead

Frosty the Snowman, Does that mean we're boogered unless we get through on slackness by the airline and security and immigration. I don't suppose hysterics helps?

A snowHead

In a word YES. That said a friends uncle came over from Canada last year on hhis wife's passport, and it was only noticed when he was leaving to go home. I would also try and sneak through.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I had a similiar issue 2 years ago, my childs passport had run out.

We played the honesty card and jet2 wouldn't let her checkin, despite bringing other photo ID etc.

On the return at Leeds the passport office told the people in front of us that their kids passport had expired and did they know. Someone in our group did the same thing a year later and got away with it.

So 2 choices, turn up and see if you get on the plane, or

2 book an emergency appointment at Liverpool or Cardiff for first thing Tuesday, which is what my wife did, whilst I took the youngest with me on holiday a few years ok.

I don't think turning up at the passport office on Sat in person will help, unless they get a real last minute cancellation, but I think they already have waiting lists for cancellations...

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kewhoward, try these. If they can't help, they may know someone who can. I have no personal experience of them, could be dodgy etc etc.

http://www.direct-visas.co.uk/uk-passports/
http://www.visaswift.com/default.aspx?Menu=PassportOffice
http://www.uk.cibt.com/passport?type=UK%20Passport%20New%20(Adults)

It seems to me that your best hope is that a firm like this will have some interview slots tomorrow booked at a Passport Office and will sell you one, basically. Histrionics might help at the Passport Office if you can't get an appointment; at the airport, it'll probably get you arrested.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

kewhoward,

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We have got through before when presenting 5 passports together for 2 adults and 3 kids, only one of the passports didn't match the child Embarassed

(I did have the other with me, just handed the wrong five over). No-one noticed. Since any other approach will involve you delaying/missing your flights I'd go for the 'oh has it really? (look of shock and horror) if discovered at the airport, in other words - blag it. They'll be very busy tomorrow and almost certainly won't notice.

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Frosty the Snowman, theoretically true. However, in practice you can do it quite easily - I have done. I've also gone through Geneva without a passport.

After all it is free

First time they ask to see your passport is at baggage check-in is it not? Surely the woman behind the desk there will spot it Sad

Bit of conflicting advice about travelling in Europe with/without a passport. The official line is that you do need one (to act as ID, I think):

http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/travel-europe.asp

And so I doubt that in your case if it was spotted they'd let you get away with it - I doubt you'd be allowed to check in (if they notice it!!).

There are exceptions when photo ID is sufficient - my passport is away being renewed as we speak and given my job is a pilot and my employers would still like me to work, I still have to travel. Much as I'd like a few weeks off while it's renewed, they tell me I can still travel. That said, if I get detained somewhere for not carrying one I'll let you all know first!!! Laughing

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Unfortunately I lost my passport about this time last year (just before two ski trips). As it was lost I couldn't get a replacement. I'm afraid Frosty the Snowman is right, you will almost certainly not get through on a driving licence. I couldn't get through on military ID to get into France (tried enough methods of travel too). Your best bet is a coach (where they never seem to check ID).

Having said all that, try it, half the time they don't notice. I've always said that no-one would forge an out of date passport...

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kewhoward, Fly out on expired passport. 90% chance it will go unnoticed

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Have just spoken to Trailfinders. They think its worth a shot turning up at the airport. They are not optimistic about turning up at the Passport Office without an appointment. They don't think any firms pre-book slots on spec and then sell them on. Thanks for the help again - there seems to be a range of views on the likelihood of getting through - I'm hoping Odin is right...but I fear I'm not as optimistic. Sad

kewhoward, Good luck. Fingers crossed.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

pam w, Would agree, memories of Eurotunnel are very sleepy passport control guys. Especially if they see a family in a car

A snowHead

last week friends of our travelled with us with their out of date daughter's passport. They did not know. They were not allowed to check in initially until the Airline checked with the other country. Once that was done it was not a problem as such. In my view you should take other ID, check in and then say you did not know it was out of date but that you have this other ID with you if it helps. If you're with a TO get their rep to assist. You should be able to travel if all goes well - as I say it was done last week with a minor - so no driving license or anything else. The check in desk/passport control were more concerned about child abduction, but they did mention that passports not being valid happened more than one might think. Best of luck.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

johnnyh, this sounds like the best idea.

They may not even notice anyway.

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Re Eurotunnel, we had a horrible experience coming back through British customs a couple of years ago.......
Was middle of the night and though only a short queue in front, we noticed it was taking ages. The guy on the desk was a complete ******* and asked us many questions, the only thing he could pick us up on was the fact that we hadn't filled in the next of kin details inside the back covers of our (new) passports. He ranted on and on about what would have happened if we had been in a RTA in France and how our children (at this point waking up and very bewildered in the back) would have been made wards of court and shipped out to a French foster family etc etc while they searched for our details, while we lay in ITU beds in France (no kidding)

We knew very well that there are many other ways of tracking our details down with UK police (not least of all because each of our boys still had their names/details in their ski jackets which they were wearing) but I would not have liked to have crossed this guy and although I have thought many many times since of lodging an official complaint, the sceptical side of me tells me that we might just have our car taken apart every time we cross the Channel.
So I really hope that none of you ever meet this person, we still look out for him now. Just make sure you are good boys and girls and fill in the back of your passports!

I have to say that over the last few trips, British customs have asked us to wind the back windows down and checked the boys names with them, while looking at their passports

kewhoward, good luck, I hope my post hasn't added to your worries but as the subject came up............

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

turn up pal and if you get through happy days what have you got to loose

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

kewhoward, if the UK had signed the Schengen agreement you would be able to travel up to fiveyears after your passport expired in any of the other Schengen countries.

After all it is free

Maybe I can shed some light on the passport/no passport in the EU topic:

The UK is not part of the "Shengen" (spelling) zone/agreement....So whereas flying within the shengen area (which includes most but not all of the EU) is a bit like flying on a domestic/non-international flight, if you fly in/out if the UK, it is a fully fledged international flight, i.e. passeports required for you guys...

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Kruisler, which is what I was saying above.

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Passport Emergency HELP!

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