Anyone know about collective passports for school trips?

[AalyaSecura]

Struggling to work out what I should do - dc is due to go abroad with the school in September so they're organising a collective passport. The parental form asks if the child already has a passport, and if so, what's the number.

But our dc's passport will expire soon, before the trip, so we're renewing it - which generates a new passport number. So I don't know the implications of putting the old passport number on which won't then be the same as his passport number when he travels.

I've asked in school and got contradictory answers, it sounds like they're not sure. But they need the completed form back . Anyone know how the passport details get used?

Just update them with the new number when you have it. If you apply now it will be back within a week or so anyway, would school be able to wait?

Thanks motorpink - I had asked them if they could wait but they want the form by Monday. I've called the passport helpline office, and after a few 'let me put you on hold while I check on that' moments (I guess it's not in the standard scripts!), they've said that it's fine to put the old passport number on - it's referred to in order to process the collective passport, but not for the travel itself. So I'll delay renewing for a month or two to avoid a clash.

Better to renew now, in a couple of months it will be prime holiday season and the passport office will be chockablock. It doesn't matter if there are a few months left on the old passport as these will be added onto the new one.

I deal with collective passports in a school. The renewing of passports during the lengthy trip planning process happens frequently so the school really ought to know how to deal with it. The general passport line DO NOT KNOW A THING about collective passports, so I'm not surprised you didn't get a great service there. There is a collective passport section and only they appear to know anything about them.

I would not delay renewing, just proceed as you would have done anyway.