11 replies to this topic

[Abi]

Very convenient - not



From 15 June 2010, the British Consulate General in Istanbul will no longer issue passports in Turkey.

After that date, British nationals living in Turkey will need to send their application by courier to:

Passport Section

British Consulate General

Yorck Strasse 19

40476 Düsseldorf

Germany

Details of passport application fees, how to pay, and courier costs can be found on the British Embassy website http://www.ukinturkey.fco.gov.uk.

Link

[dande]

In February this year, Ms dande renewed her UK Passport through he British Consulate, İstanbul using a courier service for despatch and return. The only additional cost to the renewal charges was the costs of courier - approximately 5TL each way.

It worked extremely well, with the new passport delivered to our front door within 10 days and avoided the usual couple of 160kms return journeys to the Consulate in İzmir who, in those days, sent it on to Ankara for processing. Now it's Düsseldorf!

Wherever next?

[Fil]

This is completely ridiculous. Many passports will get lost and it will take ages to get a new one. I give it two years before it is abandoned.

[dande]

This is completely ridiculous. Many passports will get lost and it will take ages to get a new one. I give it two years before it is abandoned.

You may be right and Düsseldorf does appears a strange choice for British Nationals living in Turkey but I see no reason why it shouldn't work just as effectively from there as İstanbul. We used the Consulate's preferred courier service and it was a simple, efficient and hassle-free process.

[KKW]

The change to Dusseldorf doesn't just apply to expats living in Turkey. It covers applications from Europe and the Middle East.

These changes are part of a global initiative to streamline and modernise the UK’s overseas passport operation. The UK remains one of the few countries printing passports in Embassies and Consulates abroad. This is expensive to do and is less secure as we have to transport blank passports around the world. Our aim is to reduce the cost of running the operation, while improving security and maintaining a high standard of customer service.

By the end of 2010 there will be 7 Regional Passport Processing Centres (PPCs) worldwide. Six PPCs, including Dusseldorf, are already in place covering Europe, The Americas, Australasia and Southern Africa. Comments from customers include: “Very user friendly……No problems very smooth……….Quicker than anticipated…”


http://www.bbg-jed.o...t-services.html

[sunny]

I renewed my passport while I was in the UK over Christmas and New year. I paid the £129 for the one day service. You ring up and make an appointment for the office you chose and they process it and tell you to go back at a given time in the afternoon to collect it.

[cesmeresident]

I have just received my passport back from Dusseldorf and it took ages. You can only chase by phone and when I called Istanbul for advice they were not terribly interest - a real case of "its not my problem" but I did managed to extract the information that even if you do find an email address they will not respond. You dial a UK number and have to have your credit card at the ready as on top of the cost of an international call your government is going to bill you 69 pence a minute plus VAT. The cost of British expat passports is one of the most expensive in the world and it is justified as expat passports are only 400,000 per year whereas the UK issues approximately 7 million. I have just had a really good idea - why doesn't the UK issue the expats passports at the UK price and create a couple of UK jobs in the process? Abtran, the process management company the passport issue has been out sourced to, reported 75% growth in profits last year so with more contries like Turkey having to use them plus the expensive phone line to chase the passport, I am sure they will surpass that this year. The one day service Sunny used in the UK is considerably cheaper
than using the Dusseldorf route and obviously a lot quicker.

[Lucid]

yes thats what i wanted to hear...im not sending anything off anywhere...i would go wild with worry
id rather do from UK as Sunny did too....
can only hope i have no problems with it as i would be trying to do it in less than 10 days....and with a ticket booked for my return in my married surname which i would be getting changed on my passport at the same time as a renewal!...can only hope it all goes simply enough but the notion of having it back in my hand soon enough would calm my nerves!

[sunny]

It was certainly the best and quickest way to get a new passport, after getting an appointment in advance, it was all done and dusted in one day.

[sandy]

Very convenient - not



From 15 June 2010, the British Consulate General in Istanbul will no longer issue passports in Turkey.

After that date, British nationals living in Turkey will need to send their application by courier to:

Passport Section

British Consulate General

Yorck Strasse 19

40476 Düsseldorf

Germany

Details of passport application fees, how to pay, and courier costs can be found on the British Embassy website http://www.ukinturkey.fco.gov.uk.



Hi guys,

I have sent my passport to Dusseldorf for renewal 5th Jan 2011 this is the 4th week and has not returned yet. It did arrive 2 days later by courier as I tracted it. Has any one done this and how long did it take to come back. Have a panic on now !!!!!

Link

[sunny]

Sandy, to prevent copying a previous post, just scroll down a bit further until you get to the box that says 'Fast Reply' on the left hand side and use that.

[sandy]

Hi guys,

I have sent my passport to Dusseldorf for renewal 5th Jan 2011 this is the 4th week and has not returned yet. It did arrive 2 days later by courier as I tracked it. Has any one done this and how long did it take to come back. Have a panic on now !!!!!