When Should I Renew My Passport?

With travel starting to open up again you may be itching to get away again, but have you checked if your passport is still valid? After looking forward to your hard-earned holiday all year the last thing you want to happen is a last-minute panic when you realise your passport is expiring. With many passports confined to safes/drawers over the past 2 years we wanted to look at a reader’s question today – when should I renew my passport?

When should I renew my passport?

Before you book any trip make sure you check the expiry date of your passport (or as soon as possible afterward!) Whilst a lot of countries just require your passport to be valid for the duration of your trip some require your passport to be valid for a minimum of 6 months from entry. You can view the entry requirements for the country you are visiting here – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Whilst the Passport Office’s website says to allow up to 10 weeks to receive your passport we like to err on the side caution. We like to renew our passports 9 months before the passport expiry date to allow time for any delays as it will ensure we always have a minimum of 6 months validity on our passport when travelling. Frustratingly if you do this, the time left on your expiring passport isn’t added onto your new passport… bear this in mind!

At the time of writing, there is an estimated wait of 5 weeks to renew your passport. You can view the current wait times on the UK’s passport office’s website here – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office/about-our-services

What’s the best way to renew my passport?

There are 3 ways you can apply for your passport: online, by picking up passport application forms from your local Post Office and apply by post, or by using the Post Office Check and Send service.

Applying online has several benefits over applying via post/using the Post Office…

1. Applying online is cheaper. Online applications currently cost £75.50 whereas ones via post cost £85. A saving of £9.50. If you want to use the Post Office Check and Send service it’s an extra £16 on top of that!
   
2. According to the Passport Office’s website application online are QUICKER. Whilst they don’t provide a current wait time for post application we’d imagine they’d be at least a week longer than online application.
   
3. It’s easier! When applying for a passport previously through the post office we’ve had to use several forms as we kept making mistakes, you also need to provide photos in a certain format printed out as well as any supporting documents. Compare that to online where you can edit any mistakes as you would using word processing software, pictures can be taken and uploaded digitally and if identity confirmation is required you can supply a name and email. Much easier!

Conclusion

Remember when you renew your passport you will need to update the information with your airline & it will usually void any entry visas you have already obtained related to that passport. So for example, if you had an ESTA to visit the USA on your old passport number you’d need to get a new one with your new passport number.

Having a valid passport is essential for a smooth-running international trip so don’t leave checking it to the last minute! We like to check our passport every time we book a trip to ensure everything is valid and how it should be!