Hi there everyone,

I have a bit of a problem and wondered if anyone else in this forum has had a similar situation and how they got out of it. Or if anyone can offer some advice it would be very much appreciated.

I moved to the Algarve around 10 months ago now and, stupidly, 3 or 4 months after I arrived, I allowed my passport to expire (yes, stupid I know!!!) Because my parents were here at that time, they needed to renew theirs and simply went to Portimão and got their passports renewed on the day, if only it was still so easy! I recently went to Portimão to the British Consul to apply for my new passport only to be told that they no longer deal with passport applications there and now it is dealt with through the main passport processing office in Madrid, Spain. Not admitting defeat, I took the relevant application forms home to read through at my own leisure, but (and this is a BIG but...) I have come across a couple of problems in getting my replacement:

1) Because they do not accept cash or cheque payments through the post, you have to pay by credit or debit card, however, they do not accept Portuguese debit cards due to they cannot be used for postal purchases and the such like.

2) Because I have only been here for 10 months and because they require the photographs to be countersigned by someone who has known me for AT LEAST 2 years who is a person in "high stature" (ie a Doctor, Lawyer etc) I am in a snag as I do not know anyone in Portugal who could sign my photographs.

This leaves me two options, either I travel to Madrid (by train I might add as I can't fly as I have no passport) to apply for my passport in person so I can pay cash and dont have to get the photographs countersigned, or at my own expense (which as you can imagine will be very costly) send my passport forms back home along with my photographs and the money (all by recorded delivery so I am insured if anything goes wrong) to someone who has an English credit card for them to write the card number details on the form, countersign the documents and return them to me for me to receive them, add my old expired passport to the package then forward to the central office in Madrid........ phew.....I am out of breath after that!!!

As you can imagine, this is all very much a big inconvenience for me and, although I can already hear the distant voices saying "You're the one to blame!!!" I cant help but be in this situation. To make matters worse, I only have limited money and without my passport, I cant work legally!!!

If anyone can give any advice it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Get your photos done and send them back to the Uk for someone to do it there .... thats what I did. Go to a proper photographer though with the photo instructions from the Embassy web site. I had to have two attempts cos first time I went to a booth and they rejected them

I'm sure that they gave a cheque as an option for payment, maybe its changed. Dont you have a credit card of any kind?

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Three points , measure the photos on pick-up , a certified cheque is normally accepted ,( i have never had a credit card )never blame any-one for your own oversight(stupidity) . You are the master of your own destiny , so face the consequences of your own lack of prudence . Good luck anyway , Colin .

This is an interesting thread as our passports run out next year. I must set myself some reminders !

I thought that you had to go back to the UK to get the passport renewed if you had let it run out. Obviously this is not the case?

You're not allowed to apply in the UK if you're not resident there! You have to do it at the embassy, and you pay through the nose for it including a contribution to the re patriation fund!!!

I've never heard of the repatriation fund. What is it?

Its a fund for destitute ex pats that have no money to get back to the UK. They can apply to the Embassy and they will be given assistance, and you and I pay for it when we renew our passports

Interesting. It works differently in the US. The government 'loans' you money for a place to stay and airfare, confiscates your passport until you pay back the debt, takes all monies owed you by the government until the debt is paid, and, oh yeah, makes you fly first class so you owe them a lot of money and won't be getting your passport back and pulling this trick again any time soon.

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I have been doing research on forum etc on the net and have come across an interesting piece of information. Obviously you dont believe everything you read on the internet so I thought I would share it with you to see if anyone can shed some light on it.

Apparently if you are a British Citizen, you automatically have "right of abode" in the UK meaning that you are free from immigration control. Does this mean that although you have a British Passport and it has expired, you can still enter the UK? Surely because it says "British Citizen" on your passport and because it has expired doesnt mean that your British citizenship has expired does it?

The information I read was here:
Right of abode (INF 12)

Any advice would be very grateful, it just so happens that my parents have driven down from the UK to the Algarve to finalise the sale of their restaurant and therefore I will be travelling back with them on Friday of this week. I have heard of people getting back into the UK with just a British driving license so I cant see it being a problem if I have my passport AND my driving license.

Any thoughts/suggestions???!!!

I don't know specifically for the UK, but this IS the case for entry to the US. Technically, I think you're still subject to passport control, but even an expired passport "proves" your nationality.

Except in France - but ain't that always the way!? In France a passport does not prove your nationality - only a carte d'indentité does that.

In any event I know someone in the US who is a dual national - UK and US. It is strictly illegal to attempt to enter the US on any other form of passport if you have US citizenship, but this person was advised by a customs agent that he would be admitted without difficulty on his expired US passport.

But, it may also depend on the particular customs official you happen to be dealing with.
Cheers,
Bev