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Wifey's British passport renewal woes.

  • UK Man
  • January 28, 2025 at 8:15 PM

There are 22 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 1,377 times. The latest Post (June 4, 2025 at 7:35 PM) was by UK Man.

  • UK Man
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    • January 28, 2025 at 8:15 PM
    • #1

    So the other week the missus sent off the form to renew her British passport which expires in May. She received an email today telling her the application has been rejected. Reason given she will have to change the name she has on her Argentine and Spanish passports to the same name she uses on her British passport.

    Beats me how she managed to get a British passport in the first place? This one would have been her third!! :scratchead:

  • aficionado
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    • January 28, 2025 at 10:17 PM
    • #2

    Sounds like a lot of time and paperwork. They will not allow only a change the British passport name to match the other two?

  • UK Man
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    • January 28, 2025 at 10:32 PM
    • #3
    Quote from aficionado

    Sounds like a lot of time and paperwork. They will not allow only a change the British passport name to match the other two?

    It wasn't suggested. I told her to ask them to return her current passport and refund her payment. We're going to the UK this May so we can sort it out then. It's all a bit of a faff from here. Phoned them six times today and got cut off every time.

  • serafina
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    • January 29, 2025 at 5:52 AM
    • #4

    I do a lot of dual (or more) citizenship work and yes, her name on her passports should match.

    If she was using her married name on her British passport, but her maiden name on the other ones, this is obviously an issue. Imagine buying a plane ticket as Mr. Lopez and showing up as Mr. Doe at the airport. She will be denied boarding!

    Italian passport provides a field on page 4 where married women can add their married last name. In Italy and Argentina, women do not take their husband's last name.

    If she wants to go by her married name, only, she has to do a Deed Poll in the UK and then change her name in Spain and Argentina. Or she can do the opposite and become known as her maiden name in the UK, so that her UK passport is aligned with the other twos and not vice-versa.

    Since she has more business in Argentina than in the UK, I believe it would be simpler to switch legally in the UK to her maiden name.

  • UK Man
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    • January 29, 2025 at 8:49 AM
    • #5

    She always carries all three passports when travelling so the passport name not matching the ticket name has never been an issue. She has often entered a country with a different passport name than the one on her ticket.

    It's no big deal really apart from likely having to cough up the £20 ETA fee if they don't send her current passport back.

  • Splinter
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    • January 30, 2025 at 3:12 PM
    • #6

    I've just done my application and all I need to do now is post my old one off to the UK, but it looks like I'll be using the Arg post office and not DHL!

    A Brit In Buenos Aires

  • serafina
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    • January 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
    • #7

    Like I said before, buy your label on Eurosender. it shouldn't cost more than 50 USD.

  • Splinter
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    • January 31, 2025 at 7:41 AM
    • #8
    Quote from serafina

    Like I said before, buy your label on Eurosender. it shouldn't cost more than 50 USD.

    I checked at the post office in Olivos and the cost for certified mail for my little envelope is AR$30,800, so that's what I'll do.

    A Brit In Buenos Aires

  • UK Man
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    • January 31, 2025 at 9:31 AM
    • #9
    Quote from Splinter

    I checked at the post office in Olivos and the cost for certified mail for my little envelope is AR$30,800, so that's what I'll do.

    You chose well as their more expensive option is a rip off. We've both been sending documents to the UK recently and although not that quick it's so far so good. :thumbup:

  • Splinter
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    • February 10, 2025 at 7:53 AM
    • #10

    Miraculously my old passport only took six working days to reach the UK passport office and I was informed by text message. That's pretty good going for Argentine post!

    Incidentally, I had Adri take my photo in the kitchen instead of going to a photo booth and I expect to receive the new one via DHL in the next few days.

    A Brit In Buenos Aires

  • UK Man
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    • February 10, 2025 at 9:52 AM
    • #11
    Quote from Splinter

    Miraculously my old passport only took six working days to reach the UK passport office and I was informed by text message. That's pretty good going for Argentine post!

    Incidentally, I had Adri take my photo in the kitchen instead of going to a photo booth and I expect to receive the new one via DHL in the next few days.

    That's a result. My UK pension life certificate letter took a couple of days to get to Mercedes then sat there for days before moving on to Buenos Aires. F*** knows where it is now.....a slow boat to Tilbury docks probably!! :D

  • Splinter
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    • February 13, 2025 at 1:57 PM
    • #12

    My new passport should be with me on Monday 17th, according to DHL. Not bad, considering I only started the whole process on 31st January.

    A Brit In Buenos Aires

  • Splinter
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    • February 17, 2025 at 12:54 PM
    • #13

    My new passport arrived this morning via DHL. Very impressed with the speed!

    New - old.

    A Brit In Buenos Aires

  • Rice
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    • February 17, 2025 at 1:38 PM
    • #14

    Is there a reason for the change in color? Just curious.

    We sent in applications for our US passport renewal this week and were told the new ones should arrive in 4-6 weeks. We’ll see.

  • Splinter
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    • February 17, 2025 at 1:51 PM
    • #15
    Quote from Rice

    Is there a reason for the change in color? Just curious.

    We sent in applications for our US passport renewal this week and were told the new ones should arrive in 4-6 weeks. We’ll see.

    Because of Brexit I assume.

    A Brit In Buenos Aires

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    GlasgowJohn
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    • February 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM
    • #16

    All EU passports have the same colour.

    We are no longer EU....

  • Rice
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    • February 17, 2025 at 7:52 PM
    • #17

    So just went back to the old color?

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    GlasgowJohn
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    • February 17, 2025 at 8:08 PM
    • #18
    Quote from Rice

    So just went back to the old color?

    Yip

  • UK Man
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    • May 28, 2025 at 11:19 PM
    • #19

    While in the UK the wife phoned the GOVUK passport helpline to find out what was goping on with her renewal application. She could actually get through quickly and spoke to a hell of a nice chap with a Northern Irish accent called Stephen. He was keen to get her application sorted out after she told him she was going around in circles. 24 hours later she was informed her application was successful and her new passport will be arriving by DHL next Tuesday. Well done that man.:thumbup:

  • Rice
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    • May 29, 2025 at 7:16 AM
    • #20

    It is so encouraging to encounter a public servant who takes an interest in what ordinary people are going through!

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