Being in a foreign country without a passport
 

In June my passport runs out. I live in France. To renew it I have to send my passport with the forms, paper work etc to the UK passport office who expect to take about six weeks to process a new passport for me. During that Time I will be in France illegally without a passport or the means to return to the UK should any kind of family emergency arise ( like my 90 year old mother currently in a home).

Does anyone have any idea how I can remain legal whilst I await a new passport, Also what happens if it gets lost in the post etc?

No major worries, just done my renewal have a read here.... https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

I don't think you would be "illegal" in France just because your passport is not in your hands. It's still a valid passport and if there is a record of your entry, then you are legal. But as I recall there is NO passport check between UK and France unless arriving by air. I've done a few Ferry runs ... no passport required going either way IIRC. Ride your bike!!!

Dunno about UK, but in USA I was advised by US state dept. to use my expired passport (which I carry when on the road) in case my current passport was stolen or lost.

It's still works as basic I.D. though not valid for passing borders without background checks. If anyone in authority wants to check further, they can.

Just because my passport is stolen does not mean I am not a valid passport holder, I am, and the Us State Dept. can validate that in 10 seconds with a computer check.

I'm sure Brit govt. (and French) have something similar as Passports are lost, stolen and misplaced dozens a month I would think.

Good luck. We have to pay MORE to speed up the re-newal process. Typical.

Hang on to your expiring passport and apply for a second stating that you need one because you live in France and might have to come back for your mother, it is worth a try.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...sport-my-33725

I think as a French resident you can send your passport to Paris for renewal.
https://www.gov.uk/government/world/...-embassy-paris.

I have never been asked for my passport whilst in France (15year)
I have been asked for ID. I use my driving licence
It'll also be worth taking a photocopy of your old passport (Just in case)

Bot

Sadly that's not the case. Going out by boat from the UK more often than not the French authorities are not bothered and just wave you through. Not always but probably four times out of five. Coming back is a different matter - the UK mob want the whole lot - not only passport presented but helmet etc off if you're on a bike and individual faces peering through the window one at a time if you're in a car to compare you with your photograph.

You'll then get the sniffer dogs growling at you while you're waiting for the ship to turn up and then the contents of your car turned out while they check your steering wheel for dynamite traces or drugs or whatever at the customs post. Welcome to the UK :(

Broadly true and, unfortunately, totally necessary these days; funny how times change but Mollydog is remembering the good old days when there was a balance of power in the world and everyone toed the line; now there are lots of folks out there who have no experience of that world and who demand their rights to rule the world by whatever means.

I recently applied for and received a new UK passport. The process took 2 weeks, despite the advised 6.

my renewal also took 2 weeks but I used the post office check and send service..

Also ref passport control. I recently rode from UK to France and the passport control just wved me through without checking but on the way back I was stopped and asked to remove helmet to confirm passport tied up with me on the bike :)

I'm not convinced it's that necessary tbh. Nobody stops me when I drive from France to Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy or Spain (or any combination thereof). Their societies are not falling apart (any more than ours anyway) because of open borders and it's not as if we don't have any experience of it - you can go from the Republic of Ireland to the UK (Northern Ireland) and all you see is a signpost. If terrorism was the major concern you'd think that would be one border where everyone was strip searched.

It's just island mentality. We (They) keep track of everyone's movements and cross reference travel documents (like ferry bookings) with actual movement because they can - it's easy with only half a dozen ferry routes and a few airlines. It wouldn't be so easy if there were a thousand roads over a land border with France.

What Shengen Europeans think when they arrive at Dover God only knows. Not only does the place look like a Borstal as built by Top Gear, they're treated as guilty until proved innocent by a bunch of grim faced prison guards. :thumbdown: For the sake of the tourist industry I can only hope some of it gets lost in translation.

Right you are Dave. In 2003 no document checks that I recall. "Good Old Days" indeed. Now a different world! :(

I like the idea of applying for new British passport at the UK embassy in
Paris. Might be faster, dunno?

I've used US embassies twice for similar things ... once in Ecuador, where I got a NEW passport on the spot. One hour. Place was empty!

Another time in El Salvador, had pages added. Leave passport ... pick up next day. No charge back then.

Sadly, those days are LONG GONE. Now they look upon everyone like they are a criminal or ter rorrist ... I'll be foreign tourists arriving in USA now get
the 3rd degree too. Makes you want to turn straight around and go home!

Well somehow we went way :offtopic: and the question of the OP has been pretty much answered in any case.

So, there is no point in pursuing this particular line -- if it is of interest, then the BBC iPlayer can bring up a programme called "bitter lake" which, to me, says why nation states are about the best we humans can manage at present; by no means perfect but that's more or less what Churchill said about democracy.
You will need to set aside over two hours of your life for the full bitter lake, but it is worth it.

And yes, the whole of Dover exudes a dismal air;basically it is in decline like many other seaside towns of the UK.

My last passport I got at an embassy (Bordeaux) but this service is no longer available in embassies :(

For at least ten years now passports are checked at both ends of a ferry crossing. There were times back before 9/11 when the French would just wave you through.

Point is if I am stopped by gendarmes et al and they ask for my identity I wont have any which is illegal in France.

I have a bloody minded idea to go through the French port entry then post off my passport for renewal and just see how much it costs them when I end up between countries with no way to land on either.

I agree, an excellent feature documentary, although a little slow in places in my opinion. I've now watched it through twice. Superb [read: unusual] background music too.

For those that can't access BBC's iPlayer, then the film can be viewed on YouTube. Here's the link: Adam Curtis - "Bitter Lake"

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