When I discovered I was going to have to apply for my new passport on line, I was not happy. It would be difficult, take ages, give me a nervous breakdown… and generally wreck my life.
Well, it didn’t! Nothing could be simpler, I discovered. I applied on July 12, filling in a very simple online form, returned my old passport on July 16 (by post, of course, some things don’t change!) and received my new passport today by DHL. That is pretty efficient.
What worried me most was the photograph which you have to upload, and that sort of thing makes me nervous. But again, it turned out to be simple. I took a memory stick (clé USB) to my local photographer, he copied the photo to the stick and I then uploaded it to the application site. You could also have it sent to you by email, the photographer said, and upload the attachment.
So all told a stressless experience.
So now to get French nationality maybe and a French passport to go with the UK version.
I also shared your anxiety Terry when faced with the same process back in May and like you it all went very smoothly with regular updates via email on the progress of the renewal. Very impressed with the service.
We are about to apply for my grandson’s new passport online. May I ask does the photograph have to be taken by a registered photographer or can it be one you take yourself.
The rules seem much more relaxed for digital photos - in the sense that the rules for printed passport photos became very stringent in where the face had to be, where the eyes had to be etc. Maybe the face recognition software is that much better these days.
Modern mobile phone photos can be very good - if the subject is well lit and you follow the guidelines I wouldn’t foresee a problem.
I’ve taken passport photos for the family for the past 20 years, not had a reject yet.
Well the French Nationality request will be alot more complicated and take about five years from beginning to end even if ,like me,you have lived inFrance for 30 years and have children who are French and you have worked and participated in life as any French citizen.So don’t hold your breath and Good Luck !!
I had the same excellent service 2 years ago. It was incredibly rapid and painless. I’ve been living in France since when I came at 22 in 1969. I’ve never looked back and am now enjoying retirement. But, I’ve never ever seriously thought about French nationality.
Why on earth become French when you are British !
There is not a single advantage except being able to vote for the W French government … which after all isn’t much ! I vote for the Mayor and the European elections .
So I say enjoy ones life in France but you are British and not from some third world country so forget becoming a frog.
I also had to renew mine recently and you dont have to do it online if its too mich hassle you can still do the good old fashioned way by filling in a form from the post office
I would recommend tho if you do it via the post office to get more than one form incase you made mistakes as they dont allow many of them as i found out
Hi Ben… interesting link… well presented and clear information.
I like the way they are up front that they are a Third Party Service and are going to charge extra for their Services… (eg £14-£29 checking fee and £1.50+ per minute for a phone call) …
so, I’m also posting a link to the Government UK Passport …
I have made the application for my ‘ex’ online, It wasn’t complicated as it was a renewal.
The form is straighforward and once you complete the first stages you are given a number. This can be used if you need to stop at a certain stage, to maybe look up how to complete a section, photos for instance.
I realised that we didn’t have any photos that would do so stopped at that stage. 2 days later after taking several photos myself I picked out the one that most complied with what they recommended, I followed the instructions of how to download it onto the form and finished the other details. You are asked to check everything and pay, did that and away it went.
You are sent an ackowledgment of the application and are asked to send your old passport. For security reasons I deceided to send it by ‘followed post’ as the application won’t be statred until they receive it.
A few days later I received an acknowledgmet telling me that it had arrived.
I have now received an e- mail telling me that the new one is on it’s way and that the old passport will be returned seperately.
Used the online service for both my and my son’s replacements which were due this year - as Ann says it all seemed to work pretty smoothly and in both cases the new passports turned up about a week asfter we put the application in.
Shocking to find a government department working efficiently, I know
Same here.
It really has always depended upon the time of year you apply.
Jim found out that there is no time put onto the new passport if you apply before it runs out, so, in fact, a sneaky price rise.
Applying on line was not difficult.
However, getting DHL to deliver from Lyon has proved interesting.
I am promised a delivery between 2 and 4 this afternoon.
I really hope so, because I want to go out to lunch.
I’m a Yank, and for fellow Yanks I think they should know that the renewal system has changed somewhat. It is now “almost” on-line. That is, it starts on-line but ends with paperwork by snail-mail.
Maybe you should read the explanation here:
*How to renew an American passport
*You start with a document called the DS-82 from the Department of State’s website; but from there the process is all snail-mail …
*Another hint: You need not necessarily go through the embassy in Paris. See the US Embassy consulates around France here: (https://fr.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/). I went through Marseille and it was very efficient. (Lucky me! ;^)
Informed that old p/p has been rec’d. Informed that photo has been accepted and application proceeding. Informed that new p/p is at the printer. Informed that it will arr soon - and it did.
I’m getting the same sort of service from HMRC and DVLA re application for a new V5 following a failed attempt to get my camper van registered in Spain.
So, it shows it can be done - by the Brits, at any event.
so forget becoming a frog.
