To have a valid passport or not?

[EdaYildiz]

I've not been much of a traveller and I'm fine with that, the last time I had my passport renewed was in 2012 due to a job which required a valid passport and I've been away twice overseas within those 10 years.

My passport has now expired and I'm wondering, is it worth me renewing it? I don't have any plans to travel outside of England (we may plan a trip to Florida at some point in the next few years). A part of me feels I should have a valid passport on standby just in case.

What are your thoughts?

I have family abroad and so I always have a passport for me and the kids, whether I plan to go anywhere or not. If nothing else it's great ID and a few times I've seen a last minute cheap deal and gone on holiday which I wouldn't have been able to do if I didn't have a passport.

I feel like it's better to have one than not. What if you spontaneously decided to nip across to Amsterdam for a weekend. You may say that's very unlikely but it's handy to have the right documentation in the drawer in case you do.

It's good to be prepared.

I think yes, it's a good idea to have one even if you don't intend on going anywhere
I didn't have one for years as never got around to renewing it until recently, pain in the bum if you don't drive like me so when anyone asks for valid ID such as driving license or passport and you don't have either you're a bit stuffed! 😬

If you've only been abroad twice in the last 10 years, don't need to do so for work and are unlikely to want to pop over to Amsterdam for the weekend at short notice, then it's probably OK to let it lapse.

But also to consider:

Do you have a photo driving licence? If so, you've got ID covered unless you need to visit certain very secure sites that require multiple sources of ID.

Is it harder or more time consuming or expensive to get a new passport when your last one is long expired? I don't know the answer.

Are you happy to spend £100 knowing it could be wasted/barely used or would you rather keep the money?

OTOH if you're likely to need a passport every once in a while, you might not save any money by not renewing now, you're just delaying the spend, plus if fees go up, it might cost you less to renew now compared with in the future.

My passport expired in 2020 and I didn't immediately renew it as I had no plans for travel. I have just got a new one as it's my only form of photo ID and some places require in date ID - I am also travelling next year so it will be used.

It's in my work contract that I must have a valid passport at all times but that's no hardship as I travel regularly anyway. In your case if you would have no reason to travel abroad at short notice I would just wait until you need one to apply (or more accurately 6 months before you need one).

Mine expired during one of the lockdowns, and even though I have no plans to travel anytime soon, I felt quite twitchy without one. I have heard that expired passports are the ones that get cloned or fraudulently renewed. That got me worried enough to get it renewed. It's 79 pounds online, so divided by 10 is very low cost.

I renewed mine when we remortgaged. It was easier than jumping through other hoops for id purposes.

I let mine lapse for years. Had photocard driving licence, so was never needed. Caused no problems to renew or any other difficulties. It just saved me £80 or whatever. Only issue I had was several students / friends asked me to countersign their passports and I couldn't because yours has to be in date to do that, If you don't need one, don't bother. What's the point?

I like having a valid passport because it’s useful as ID, and I enjoy being able to make an ad-hoc trip on Eurostar occasionally, without the need to plan months in advance, even though our main holidays are spent in the UK.

It’s also useful for stuff like renewing your driving licence - they can pull your photo across from your passport to use on your licence, and having it is the main proof of ID you need to get the renewal. I like efficient things like this which reduce my life admin!

You know better than anyone whether a passport is something you need.

DH job involves international travel at short notice. They also pay for passport renewals to cover this.

Rest of just renew it as needed.

I would. Some places need you to provide two pieces of ID to verify your identity and you can usually use passport + driving license (rather than have to find an in date utility bill). I've also had to show my passport at job interviews as proof of my right to work in the UK. There are other ways to do that of course but passport seems to be the default.

I’ve had to show my passport twice for totally different reasons in the last month, nothing to do with travel but for ID purposes. Alongside my driving license.
Only you can really know if you need/want it.
I renew all of ours as and when needed, just handy - I’ve been known to book very last minute breaks in the past.

If you have a photo driving licence and don't plan to leave the UK I wouldn't bother. I've not had a valid passport for almost 5 years now and it's never been a problem for me, my driving licence is enough for almost every eventuality. Worth knowing you can use an out of date British or Irish passport for a right to work check.

I just remember that as soon as we start even vaguely contemplating an overseas trip I need to get straight onto passport applications for me and DD, even before we book anything.