Passports
Withdrawal of temporary passports
From 1 May 2009 Temporary Passports will no longer be issued at the British Embassy in
Customers are advised to keep their passports in a safe place at all times and to check the validity. Passports can be renewed up to 9 months in advance; the additional 9 months will be added to the period of validity of their new passport.
Temporary Passports are being withdrawn because the system is no longer viable as a stand alone product, given the low demand worldwide. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is investing in the development of more sophisticated passport issuing systems and secure travel documents as part of our commitment to the UK Government’s National Identity Scheme. Over the next 12 to 18 months we will be introducing a more flexible, but secure Emergency Travel Document enabling customers to travel at short notice to the
The Temporary Passports system will shortly be obsolete – the printers and supply of books are running out. It would require a significant investment to upgrade the system to meet current and future security and quality standards. The new Emergency Travel Document (ETD) will be more secure, flexible and internationally acceptable for entry, exist and transit purposes. This product will be available in Autumn this year.
In the meantime we will continue to issue Emergency Passports for people who need to travel quickly. Please be aware that if you need to travel, on an Emergency Passport via the
What this means to you?
You must:
- Look after your passport.
- Check its validity. (Passports can be renewed up to 9 months before they expire. The extra time will be added on to the new passport’s period of validity.)
- If you do not have a full validity passport, you will need to allow extra time to obtain one.
- If you are a frequent traveller, to countries requiring a visa, please enquire about purchasing a second passport.
- The passport issuing office for
