Passport expired - travelling Saturday

[inarightstatetonight]

Sorry, posting here for traffic. NC as have a number of people now know about this situation.

Can anyone advise?

My dc's passport expired last year - I thought it was this year and it was only when I was checking in online with airline that I realised.

We're planning to travel to Southern Ireland with Ryanair on Saturday. It seems that it's not possible to renew a child's passport in a day and that Ryanair insists on passports for all travellers.

A few people have told me that they've renewed child passports in recent years at a premium, one day appointment, but everything i've read online suggests that this isn't possible.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? I'll call the passport office first thing, but I'm not holding out much hope.

TIA

I have heard of people doing this, with a visit to a passport office and a fee! Ring them and see what they say. Be prepared for a rushed journey and lots of paperwork. Good luck, really hope it gets sorted.

Sorry, admittedly not heard of it for a child. But i'm crossing everything for you anyway

Blimey, this is the 2nd person this has happened to today. Exactly the same situation.

General consensus is make an appt with the passport office & hope you get a sympathetic person.

Good luck,

Unfortunately I don't think you can
www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently

No , but check just in case. Ring Ryanair because you just need ID to fly so they may accept an expired passport. You don't need a passport for a Ireland.

I did it 3 years ago - 3 passports renewed in a day in Glasgow, mine and two children. Expensive though. When I booked the appointment, it wasn't guaranteed to be done in a day, but they did it (just). The only problem was that they were not sure if the photo would be OK, so I would advise taking DD with you in case you need to get new photos quickly (we were lucky - ours were ok).

I think the rules changed in the last couple of years. Not that I'm at all disorganised, but 6 years ago, dd's passport ran out and I got a next day appointment and renewed in a day. Last year the same happened, but it took over two weeks to get an appointment and it was the week service (back in 4 days). All you can do is ring and ask tomorrow.

You don't need a passport for travel to Ireland, so it might be that the least hassle option is to rebook your travel with a different airline, or by rail and ferry, if they will let you travel with, say, your child's birth certificate as ID (if required for the child).

Have never had my passport checked when taking a car to Ireland on a ferry, for example.

Thanks for your prompt responses.

I actually can't believe that I've done this. I had his photos done a few months ago with a view to renewing his passport after this holiday as I know that spring is the busy time in the passport office.

I honestly thought it said 2015 as an expiry date.

It does seem very clear that you can't do the one day service for a child renewal even with both parents there, no change in circumstances etc.

I don't know how to break this to my children. I usually such an organised person, doing something so fundamentally idiotic is so out of character for me.

That's a point, Knittingdad. Ireland does ask for photographic ID, but he doesn't have any other photographic ID.

It seems that Ryanair insist on passports for all passengers.

I'll have a look at ferries now. We're supposed to be going with a big group of friends and he will be absolutely heart-broken.

Op this may be out of date but Ryanair used to let children travel without a passport to other parts if the UK and Ireland if travelling with parents. However you can't use online check in . I would check if this is still the case.

Thanks. I realised too late to do the online chat thing with Ryanair tonight, but I'll do it first thing in the morning.

Everything I could find online indicates that they've thoroughly tightened up, and all passengers need passports.

www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~drw/ryanair.txt

Scroll down the page to NB

Sorry op that was 2004 I linked too, really hope you can get it sorted.

Thanks soontobe.

I think airlines/borders have tightened up considerably.

Yes of course , didn't really it was so old x

Get a flight to belfast? Then train down perhaps?

That might be one option, just going to look at ferries.

Only silver lining at the moment is that we can get a full refund on the car hire if we do manage to get a ferry....

Last year we took a car ferry to Southern Ireland and no one asked to see passports. Even if you can't get a new passport you might be able to sort out something acceptable. I hope so.

Well until two years ago, I could never have flown Ryanair then, because I'm 41 and only got my first passport two years ago. But I'd driven to southern Ireland umpteen times by car ferry and there's no problem. So your answer is to drive.

Oh no good luck op, I'm sitting in Liverpool after discovering mine had run out last week and we travel on Friday a.m! I really feel for you. The passport people were so incredibly helpful on the phone so good luck & fingers crossed for you

Although there is freedom of movement between Britain and Ireland, Ryanair insist on every passenger having a current passport. I think other airlines will accept other forms of ID, like a drivers licence but a child wouldn't have any of those, so even flying into Northern Ireland would require some kind of a ID.

so even flying into Northern Ireland would require some kind of a ID.

NI is part of the UK isn't it? Children don't require photo ID for travel within the UK according to the Ryanair website.

Ryanair will only accept valid passports. Other airlines have different requirements.
And please stop calling it Southern Ireland. That's Cork. It's just Ireland.

We don't NEED a passport to travel to Ireland at all but then some companies insist on it.

We were going to nip over to Dublin as a treat on Friday but then couldn't as only ones we get with insisted on passport for child too and he doesn't have one yet.

Good luck OP!