AIBU to be surprised that when you renew a British Passport, you have to send any passports off you have from other countries?

[PassportQuestionxoxo]

Just renewing British passport. In the last few years, have gained an Irish passport. I was surprised to find that in order to renew my British passport, I need to send my Irish passport to the British Passport office as well. The only alternative to sending off the Irish passport, is to do a colour photocopy of all the 30+ pages, which would be a massive task.
Is anyone else surprised by this or is it just me? I had thought that one of the advantages to having a second passport is that you can use it when the other one is not available. Yes, I know that I could photocopy the second passport if desperate, but what a faff, and why does the British Passport Office want my Irish passport anyway?

I know it says you 'have to' send in other pass8ports.

But you don't. Just send a copy of the bio page.

How do they even know you have one? I wouldn't bother.

I'd be very worried they'd lose it, having dealt with the incompetent passport office myself.
For me it would be worth the faff and cost of photocopying each page.

I wouldn't bother either (but tragically don't have one)

Like you, I was surprised that I had to supply my other passport to renew the British one. I was very reluctant to do so, especially when we were in and out of lockdown, as I worried if I would ever see it again. I was not offered the option to supply a photocopy. In the end, I sent it, and it was returned surprisingly quickly!

How is photocopying a passport a massive task? It’s realistically 5 minutes work.

Well it's expensive if you have to pay for colour print

Still don't know why anyone would bother it's not like they can refuse you a passport if you don't

It's over 30 pages long, so hardly a five minute task!
I now wish I just hadn't admitted having the Irish Passport now as many of you have suggested!

A photocopy is literally seconds per page.

Not on my printer/copier it isn't! Goodness only knows how much it would cost to do that many colour photocopied pages if I paid for someone to do it or did it in Boots!

My husband I have (different) secondary nationalities.
I sent in colour copies of all pages.
He sent a B&W copy of the bio page.
Both were renewed without problems.
Don't overthink this.

My daughters have dual passports. I photocopied every page rather than send the actual passports. They cost way too much money to trust them to a postal service and a big office.

Well I am glad that you think that this is not an onerous task!

I found an FOI exchange with the Passport Office and below is relevant information from the HMPO's reply.

"Should it subsequently come to HMPO’s notice that a person had failed to disclose at the point of application for a British passport that they hold a passport in another nationality, it would be a criminal offence on the basis that they would have made a false statement on
the application form.

This may render them liable to criminal proceedings and it would be open to the Secretary of State to consider the exercise of the Royal Prerogative to withdraw or refuse the issue of a British passport. That would be considered on the individual circumstances of the case and the seriousness of the consequences of the attempted deception. "

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/requirement_to_submit_foreign_pa/response/552095/attach/html/3/32065%20final%20Battley.pdf.html

Bloody hell! I am glad that I did send off the Irish Passport in that case!

Look you have a choice. Send it in or photocopy it. Or do the bio page.

Or have a good moan about it on here and then do it.

Personally I wouldn't send it in.

I just didn’t mention it.

I did this for DS and it was rejected and I had to do the whole thing.
Wasn't risking sending the passport though

I wouldn't be concerned about that. It's almost impossible to withdraw a British passport from a British citizen for all but extremely serious reasons

It's not a big deal to photocopy a passport. I had to do 4 full passports to get visas for holiday last year. It took less than 10 minutes.

I think it's to stop someone from having official identity documents in more than one name. Didn't know you could send photocopies though.

When I renewed my British passport, I declared my Spanish one, fotocopied it and sent the photocopy. I just don´t see what is so onerous. When I got the British one back it has a note on it that this holder also has a passport issued by Spain in such and such a name. If you don´t declare it you will be making a false statement on an official document. Not a good idea.

Easy to get confused with these forms

You're entitled to use different names

I don't see the problem. It's not much to ask to see copies of other passports you have. If you can't be arsed to send it off or scan 30 pages, you don't have to renew your British passport, you can still travel to most places around the world on your alternative one.