Collecting visas in London
 

Hi all, some experience would be helpful here.
For various reasons I have had to leave it a bit late to apply for visas for the stans, Russia, etc. I'm hoping to leave beginning of June but obviously if I can't sort this out that will have to be pushed.

I'm looking for a quick way to obtain all the paperwork. I've been reading through all the application forms and they all want my passport to be sent in. That's fine, but when there is a processing time of 10 working days or more there is no way I will have everything back by the time I leave.

So the question is, can I just send in a photocopy of my passport and then go to London in a couple weeks when everything is approved to collect the visas? Or even better, can I just have a day or two in London to run around all the embassies and apply/collect all at once?

I know I can probably get this sorted out in Istanbul or some other city en route, but I would rather get everything taken care of now so I know I won't have any problems later on

Matt