... to suggest you check your passport expiry dates?

[EdithWeston]

As a bit of New Year admin.

I am terribly disorganised, but this is one thing I do manage to do. So I know when renewals are coming up and can send off in good time.

Remembering the passport office chaos this year (and in previous years) and knowing how easy it is not to notice, I thought I'd post a little reminder.

And am ready to be flamed by those who think this is a misuse of AIBU and/or that no such reminder is ever appropriate.

Two years ago I sent all the passports off the first day the post office was open after New Year.
They were back five days later.

Don't you keep track of this as you use the passport?

I am lounging on the couch. My passport is upstairs in a travel wallet in a drawer. I know what year it expires without looking.

YANBU. Very sensible, especially as January is (apparently) peak season for planning and booking future holidays.

We were caught out one year, and had to make two trips to London to sort out dd's passport in person at the Passport Office. Not fun, stressful and expensive.

Ooh thanks for the reminder, dd is 5 this year and needs a new passport. Holiday is booked and everything!

Thanks I suppose...wondering why you are bothered to be honest? No offence meant! I have enough on my plate without worrying about other people's administration woes....

We were caught last year and realised a month before travel but due to the long delay we had to cancel our holidays as they didn't get here in time. We now have shiny passports and no holidays this year!

New Year Admin? Who does this?

Hmm I think mine runs out this year actually
Finally a new picture! I will make this a good one I will I will!

We go away in March at the same time DH passport was due to expire. Hassled him like crazy to get the application in after reading about all the problems people had this past year. He finally got it off at the end of November and the new passport was back before the week was out! Delivery man said nearly all straight forward renewals were taking about a week-he was enjoying all the shocked people receiving them! So definitely worth getting ahead of the game.

Why?

Because I'm MNetting whilst procrastinating doing my NY admin (such as it is: mainly transferring stuff from one actual diary to the next and making a somewhat fictional 'to do' list) and remembered how horrible it was for those caught in the backlog and that, for some of them at least, it was because they hadn't noticed that one or more passport had expired.

wondering why you are bothered to be honest

Because there will be threads upon threads in the summer full of people who could have done with a reminder to renew their passport early. Also, if lots renew in plenty of time at the quiet time, there will be less of a backlog for those who have forgotten or who suddenly need a passport.

Two of my 4 were done last year, DS2 and DDs are due next year.

Remember you can renew something like 9 months early and the extra time will be added onto the new passport.

(and by next year I actually mean 2016!)

Would have been useful when I travelled to France with two children on expired passports. Got outof the country ok but a problem coming back into the U.K.!!

I checked mine yesterday funnily enough.

Thanks I suppose...wondering why you are bothered to be honest?

Maybe because OP was trying to do something nice...

Two in my house to be for this year ( full, not expired) and as we live overseas it's a giant pain in the bum involving trips to passport office to submit application and another trip to collect.

Good reminder :)

It's a useful reminder. You also need to make sure there's enough time left on it for travel to certain countries. I know someone who was traveling to the USA, still had a couple of months left on the passport, but was not permitted to fly as there had to be at least six months left on it to travel there. Poor guy ended up missing a conference.

Tbh it's one of those things you need to know without looking at it. Unless you never use it.

Thank you! Dds runs out in May and we goon holiday in August. Had planned to do it asap in the New Year and this has just reminded me.

'Thanks I suppose...wondering why you are bothered to be honest?'

Exactly, you do realise that at certain times of the year MN gossip relies on the huge numbers of "OMG Passport Fail' threads and 'OMG how crap are the passport service' and 'OMG booked holiday and passports are OOD' and all the other squeaks and wails.

Now you've completely blown my chances of teeth-sucking, bosom-hoicking and FFS didn't you bloody check? smugness. Curse you, you considerate and organised individual.

Ooh DH's runs out this year and he'll be abroad at least once at some point. I'll give him a nudge to check it out.
Thanks OP

Ours run out in August 2016 and it's something I plan to sort out late in 2015 or early in 2016. Also don't forget that DCs passports only last 5 years so might expire at a different time.

It's probably also worth mentioning that driving licence photo cards need renewing every 10 years too. We moved into our current house in Feb 2006 so will need to do these at the same time approx as the passports. God that will add up to a tidy sum in boring fees just after Christmas next year.

We went on a major long haul holiday this year and I stupidly thought applying 3 months before we went would be ok. In the end it was fine but omg I can't say enough about how stressful it was thinking we might not be able to go so good advice to check now.