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Original poster

to update my DC's passport now?

26 replies

FeliciteFaff · 18/02/2023 18:01

Please be kind I am dyslexic and the first to admit absolutely rubbish at math, planning etc. I have asked family for help on this in real life but no one is able to figure it out. I am asking mumsnet folk for their sage advice.

All our family passports are expired and we are updating them together. Except for youngest DC who (is 9 in June 2023) has validity on their passport till June 2024 when they turn 10.

My question is this:
Should I update their passport along with ours (for easy future admin) or update it this December 2023? We have big travel coming up in 2024 and need 6 months remaining on the passport before travel for visa requirements.

My main concern is 1. how long is a child passport valid for? I'm hoping till 16, when DC can get a new adult passport? I'm looking to save money and bother ahead of time.

OP posts:
nokidshere · 18/02/2023 18:03

Child passports are 5yrs at a time, I don't know if you can replace them early though

modgepodge · 18/02/2023 18:06

If his passport was lost you’d be able to replace it so it must be possible to do it early…I don’t know the procedure for this though!

either way you’re going to end up needing 2 more child passports for him as they last 5 years, so you’ll either replace at 9 and 14 or 10 and 15 (unless you happen not to go abroad between 14 and 16 I guess!)

nokidshere · 18/02/2023 18:06

Sorry meant to add that my son went on a trip when he was 15 but still had to get a child one. It was still valid for the full 5 yrs after though so he got his first adult one at 20

QuillBill · 18/02/2023 18:21

If his passport was lost you’d be able to replace it so it must be possible to do it early…I don’t know the procedure for this though!

You don't get a new five years though. You just get whatever was on the passport that was lost.

At one time you could 'carry over' six months but I have a feeling that was abolished but I could be wrong.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 18/02/2023 18:22

Of course you can renew early, how do they know that you don’t need it. It will only be valid for 5 years though regardless.

bikiniisland · 18/02/2023 18:23

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 18/02/2023 18:22

Of course you can renew early, how do they know that you don’t need it. It will only be valid for 5 years though regardless.

They know because they issued the previous passport?

AddUpToNothing · 18/02/2023 18:24

You don’t say when in 2024 you are travelling. But if you don’t need your passports before, I would just renew everyone’s at the same time Dec23/Jan24

YellowDots · 18/02/2023 18:25

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 18/02/2023 18:22

Of course you can renew early, how do they know that you don’t need it. It will only be valid for 5 years though regardless.

What? You think the passport office don't know you already have a passport? And it won't be for five years if she has over a year left. It will be for a year.

Original poster
FeliciteFaff · 18/02/2023 18:52

This wasn't even on my radar I was expecting that since it is likely that I would have to update the passports twice before DC is 16 I might as well do it now to get the 5 years alongside DC's siblings. So we update everyone at the same time.

Someone asked when in 2024 we plan to travel and the fact is that it could be at anytime due to DH's job (would be a long term move).

OP posts:
Vickythevan63 · 18/02/2023 19:02

I would maybe renew your sons in the autumn, so not a year+ early,
but with enough time in case you want it early in 2024.

Mine was valid until this summer, but actually issued in Jan 2013.

With the change in EU rules that needs >3 months validity, and some confusion around whether this was to expiry date or anniversary of issue (and with some travel plans before Christmas) I decided to renew in the autumn.

Yes I lost nearly a year, but better than not being able to travel in December.

Oh and my new passport doesn’t have just 10mths validity, but the full 10yrs.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 18/02/2023 19:08

I've recently renewed DD's early as we have some back to back travel planned and won't be able to do it later in the year and leaving it until after travel won't work as need six months remaining. We lost a year but I'm OK with that. Child passports are valid for 5 years. If you renewed when child was 14 for example it would be valid until they are 19.

dementedpixie · 18/02/2023 19:11

I would not update their passport right now if it doesn't expire until mid 2024. Update at the end of 2023/start of 2024. It will be valid for 5 years as all child passports are for 5 years only.

dementedpixie · 18/02/2023 19:14

QuillBill · 18/02/2023 18:21

If his passport was lost you’d be able to replace it so it must be possible to do it early…I don’t know the procedure for this though!

You don't get a new five years though. You just get whatever was on the passport that was lost.

At one time you could 'carry over' six months but I have a feeling that was abolished but I could be wrong.

No you don't. You get a replacement that has 5 years left as its essentially a new passport application

dementedpixie · 18/02/2023 19:15

YellowDots · 18/02/2023 18:25

What? You think the passport office don't know you already have a passport? And it won't be for five years if she has over a year left. It will be for a year.

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No it won't. It will be valid for 5 years from the reissue date

YellowDots · 18/02/2023 19:25

No it won't. It will be valid for 5 years from the reissue date

Maybe that's for a new one then. Rather than a lost one, My DD's was for the three years she had left on it. She left hers on the coach after a school trip to Germany 🙄 so it really was lost. I had to cancel it and then apply online.

Americansmoothy · 18/02/2023 19:27

@FeliciteFaff update all the passports together. This makes it much easier for you when planning only having to remember one date.

RosaBonheur · 18/02/2023 19:31

YellowDots · 18/02/2023 18:25

What? You think the passport office don't know you already have a passport? And it won't be for five years if she has over a year left. It will be for a year.

Show quote history

No it won't. It will be valid fof thr same amount of time as any other passport. Ten years from the date of issue for an adult passport or five years for a child one.

dementedpixie · 18/02/2023 19:33

Americansmoothy · 18/02/2023 19:27

@FeliciteFaff update all the passports together. This makes it much easier for you when planning only having to remember one date.

The adult ones will last 10 years and the child ones will only last 5 years so you'd still have different dates

LIZS · 18/02/2023 19:37

You can renew early but it will only be valid for five years from that date, no remaining time is carried over.

ArcticSkewer · 18/02/2023 20:03

YellowDots · 18/02/2023 18:25

What? You think the passport office don't know you already have a passport? And it won't be for five years if she has over a year left. It will be for a year.

Show quote history

So ...

how do the passport office know you don't need it because you are travelling somewhere and need x number of months validity. ....

And, no, it won't be a new passport issued for only 1 year. That's a replacement passport.

dementedpixie · 18/02/2023 20:05

Even replacement passports will be valid for 5 years/10 years

Lachimolala · 18/02/2023 20:11

I’ve just renewed mine and my kids, mine and eldest expired this February but youngest twos didn’t expire until Jan 2024.

I just renewed them all together, seemed easier and there’s no faffing about renewing them in 11 months time.

Mine has the 10 years and the kids have the full 5 years each, took about two weeks from online application to the passports being delivered.

Americansmoothy · 18/02/2023 21:40

dementedpixie · 18/02/2023 19:33

The adult ones will last 10 years and the child ones will only last 5 years so you'd still have different dates

Show quote history

@dementedpixie The op states “Please be kind I am dyslexic and the first to admit absolutely rubbish at math, planning etc.”

Having both children’s passports to renew in Feb 2028 and the all of them in Feb 2033 is simpler to plan for.

Original poster
FeliciteFaff · 18/02/2023 23:32

Ah so many things to think about, thank you everyone who responded I didn't imagine receiving so many helpful responses. Ill discuss with DH and let you know what we decided. Updating all of them at the same time is a useful thing for the kids passports because then at the next renewal date they would all be updated with new kids passports again. And everyone would get adult passports at the same time too assuming none are lost or damaged.

Again thank you!
.

OP posts:
Original poster
FeliciteFaff · 18/02/2023 23:33

(Just to be clear we have more than one DC everyone has almost the same birth date)

OP posts: