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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have no sympathy for people who book their holidays before sorting out their passports...

57 replies

NickNacks · 30/07/2012 18:00

And then have a moan bitch abiut what a nightmare they are having trying to chase them in time.

Obviously there are always exceptions, family emergencies abroad etc but the application clearly states not to make any travel plans before your new passports arrive.

I'm just bemused by the amount of posts which start ' we go on holiday tomorrow and X's passport that I sent off for 3 weeks ago isn't back and the passport aren't being helpful at all'

(very prepared for all the disorganised people who've done this to tell me IABU) :)

OP posts:
BandersnatchCummerbund · 30/07/2012 18:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GetOrfMoiIand · 30/07/2012 18:37

I have always found the passport office staff really helpful, though.

rathlin · 30/07/2012 18:37

People seem to think that you need a certain amount of validity left on your passport to allow you to travel but doesn't this only apply to certain countries? I know the US don't require it and it varies across the EU.

We returned from Italy recently with about 2 weeks left on DS's passport and it was no problem. I don't know what would have happened if he had gotten sick and hadn't been able to return home on time but assume the consulate or embassy would have isssued a new one.

GnomeDePlume · 30/07/2012 18:41

Having made the mistake once, I have learned not to judge!

When I did have to do the application in a day the Passport Office were very helpful.

lambethlil · 30/07/2012 18:42

lamb - why is the fact that they are expensive a reason to leave it late? Either you can afford passports and the holiday, or you can't, surely?

Confused Budgeting? Some weeks you can afford £65, others not. For the same reason I wouldn't renew a passport with 9 months left until I had to.

Having said that, I had the luxury of enough time to renew mine a few months early and it was lovely having it safe and sound before I even booked the holiday.

Moominsarescary · 30/07/2012 18:45

I always leave them till quite late and then fast track them. This year i sent off for them in the middle of jan and got them back in just over a week.

I can imagen that this time of year could mean delays though

GnomeDePlume · 30/07/2012 18:45

I think it is airlines which are touchy about length of time left on the passport. This is because they are the ones who have to pay if the traveller doesnt have a valid document.

I think that within EU your passport simply needs to be valid.

mummytime · 30/07/2012 18:48

YABU
I have booked holidays 6 months or more in advance, I'd rather not pay the fee until I have to. Although I usually give it a couple of months. However even Mrs Thatcher once got to the airport with an out of date passport (and surely she had people for that kind of thing?).
However last year I applied for two passports for my two kids, dropped them in the post box at the same time, they took different times to process, and one went to Glasgow the other went to Wales, I live in England.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 30/07/2012 18:57

I think there have been cuts (as everywhere in the civil service) and so people are having to wait far longer now at peak times than used to be the case.

Every time I've renewed for either me or ds (using the checking service at the post office) I've had my passport within a week or so. I'd assume therefore that a few weeks would be plenty of time to give, but it appears that this is no longer the case.

RillaBlythe · 30/07/2012 19:03

lambethil, if you renew with 9 months left they add it to your new passport, so you are not losing time iyswim.

EmmaNemms · 30/07/2012 19:30

We were actually on the way to the Tunnel last year when I was idly flicking through the passports to realise with horror that DS 2's passport had actually expired 11 months earlier. I did check in advance, just hadn't clocked the year properly! It was 9pm at night, I phoned the Passport Office, from Surrey and they managed to get me an appointment in Newport the following morning. We were going in convoy in two cars to France, so one car went on, we rebooked the crossing and followed them a day later. They were excellent throughout. But I triplechecked this year!

Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 30/07/2012 19:53

Last time we went abroad was for our honeymoon in 2005. I had a new passport done when we got back to show my new married name. I haven't actually used it since. Grin

Actually when we checked in at the airport there was a family in front of us with two women sobbing and wailing because the passport of one of them had expired. It was awful.

LegoAcupuncture · 30/07/2012 19:58

YANBU, I cannot fathom how people manage to book a holiday then realise a week before they travel that their pasport has expired. If it were me I'd check at the time of booking the holiday.

doublechocchip · 30/07/2012 20:21

yanbu and I did this only a couple of months ago. It was a mixture of not having the money (it was going to be £144 to renew mine and dds passport with check and send) and also I am a bit crap with paperwork. Didn't moan about it though but was extremely stressed, luckily they arrived with a week to go but i have vowed to never leave it as late again!!

LurkeyLurkerson · 30/07/2012 20:29

Well, YANBU really but

considering I've just noticed I've been driving around with a four months expired driving license I should really STFU! Grin

catgirl2012 · 30/07/2012 20:30

As someone in this situation YABVVVVU

and mean.

I am so worried we won't be able to go away. And we need this break

Thanks for not having any sympathy. Appreciated.

catgirl2012 · 30/07/2012 20:31

And BTW - I put DHs passport through the wash. Wasn't planned that.

But hopefully we will get it back in time. If we don't I will let you know so you can have a bit of a revel in our misfortune :(

DontEatTheVolesKids · 30/07/2012 20:32

Bit mean, imho. I wouldn't shed a tear but I wouldn't smirk at their foolishness either. We all do slightly daft things some times, have a little sympathy.

hettiebull · 30/07/2012 20:40

YABU. I don't think it's too much to expect a competent passport agency that can process a standard renewal in 3 weeks. Just because they say "don't travel until you have your passport" i.e. "you have to allow for the fact we may be incompetent and lose your application".

Different if you have lost it or realise at the last minute it's expired, then that's your problem!

Ambi · 30/07/2012 20:42

I totally agree OP, I'm usually super organised about passports however we had a frantic rush when DH booked some flights in my married name but my passport was in my maiden name. He knew this as I had to get a new passport in my maiden name to get married abroad (wasn't happy) so I had a 10 yr passport just as I'd gotten married so all future flights had to be booked in my maiden name. So another passport had to be ordered about 18months later Hmm. Still had plenty of time before flying though Wink

OlymPicture · 30/07/2012 21:33

OP YABU and a bit mean.

We all make mistakes / forget / have other things that get in the way.

We are looking at car hire for our holiday, and like Lurky I have just realised that my licence ran out a few months back Blush

DowagersHump · 30/07/2012 21:40

Do some of you have nothing to do other than worry about passports?

I am self-employed and work largely full time, am a single mum, cook, clean, look after my DC, do the laundry, shopping, do all the car and house updates and maintenance, renew every single policy, pay the mortgage and all the bills, do my accounts etc, etc.

Sometimes, I forget to check the passports. I've never actually managed to book a holiday when they've expired but I have gone away when I had less than 6 months on it because I forgot

I'm not a fuckwit. I'm just fucking busy

Notoutorabout · 30/07/2012 21:45

Yabu, have you never forgotten something, or done something too late?

Happened to me. Could not have felt worse ? dds passport 2 days before departure - but the very kind passport office fast tracked us. Was massively overstressed at the time and spent 2 hours sat weeping in their waiting area. Fortunately they didn't have their judgy pants on....in fact one even made me a cup of tea.

NoBloodyMore · 30/07/2012 21:53

We're waiting on DS' passport, we go away in 9 days time, he's 5 months old and we sent it off 3 weeks ago on the 14 day check and send thing, not sure what else we could've done, it was a last minute booking

HomeEcoGnomist · 30/07/2012 22:09

Well, I can safely say that it happens to the best of us. I travel a lot with work so I know my passport dates. However, when booking a last minute holiday (2 weeks before departure) it momentarily slipped my mind that kids only have 5 years...and Ds1 turned 5 this year. Cue mild (!) panic. Passport office only had an emergency appointment for 2 days after our departure

However, there is a registered agent who will get it turned round for you as a real emergency, so 1 or 2 days if needed. Obviously it comes at a price, but worth it if your holiday is at risk.

Where are all these other threads so I can share the good news?! Wink