UK Passport - Run out of pages
 

Hello All

My passport is running out of pages but I can't send it back due to various travel commitments due to work.

I believe you can apply for a new one without sending the old one back if the reason is you need to travel for work.

Has anyone done this and could share more information?

Thanks

You can apply for a second passport. They are a bit miserable about doing it. You need a letter from your employer saying why you need it. Usually it is because you are a frequent traveller and need to apply for visas whilst you are travelling. There is a thread somewhere here which discusses it. See the document at this link:

https://assets.publishing.service.go...sports_v15.pdf

Adding to my last post, I think they will want to see your current passport if you apply. So a second passport will not help if you have to use the postal renewal option. You should be able to so a same day renewal if you can get to a passport office. I have not done that this side of covid, but it used to work well.

Oh and watch out for proposed strikes across the civil service that are likely to happen over the coming months. Better get your skates on if you don't want to be caught up in a quagmire of backlogged applications and a shortage of premium same-day appointments.
​​​​​https://www.civilserviceworld.com/pr...cabinet-office

Exactly the same has happened to me, although I only have 8 months to run so not a huge issue.

I’ve have just booked an appointment next week, fast track, in person for a 50 page passport. You get it within 30 minutes. There were plenty of appointments available when I looked.

It works well as I’m back to the UK tonight, with UK travel next week and then back to Europe the week after.

Thanks for the replies.

I live overseas so getting a fast track appointment is not an option. Also neither is getting a second passport.

However I know there is a way to get a renewal without sending the old one off. Hopefully someone on here has experience with it.

Unless you tell us this special way no one can tell you if it works!

but if it involves trying to claim your existing passport has been lost / stolen then that won’t work because the moment you report it it will be cancelled.

No it's a legitimate way, apparently there is a way you can do, by applying online and sending a letter from employer saying you can't submit the existing passport.

I was hoping there is someone who has done it here that could shed some light before I attempt it

I think you are talking about getting a second passport!. But as you say you can't get one of those so the only option is to renew your soon to be full passport.

HMPO will require your existing passport as part of their processes for issuing the new passport.

They won't do anything with your application until they get your old one and they can properly cancel it and clip the corner off before returning it to you.

I think you will need to speak to the British Embassy where you are.

Not sure consular services will be able to help much.

They no longer issue regular passports. They can issue an emergency travel document to allow a person to complete a trip but its use is strictly limited until a proper new passport can be issued.

And when it's issued they put details of your trip on it.. A friend of mine had one after they lost their passport whilst abroad. It meant they could finish their cruise and get back home to the UK and it was retained by UKBF on landing at LHR.

It costs £100.


https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document

However you resolve this, I think time will be a problem. My friend who is resident in China applied to renew his UK passport in very good time and ended up on a humanitarian visa* for a short time! If you are travelling a lot, get your employer to say you need to do business in KSA, Isreal, Uganda and DRC. I trusted one of my managers enough to let him keep my second passport in his safe - he applied for visa on my behalf, a few times, while I was out of the country.

* The Chinese were surprisingly nice about it.

This sounds a bit like the normal second passport route. See these threads:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-...-passport.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-...cedures-2.html

This document details some occasions when the Passport Office can issue a second passport without the original:
https://assets.publishing.service.go...sports_v15.pdf
Also see:
https://www.businesstraveller.com/fe...d-uk-passport/

Thank you, this is what I was looking for, the document has a section for "overlap customers" which is exactly what I need.

Hopefully this works.