IMPORTANT - PASSPORT RENEWALS - ALL BRITISH NATIONALS IN EGYPT (AND ANYWHERE ELSE!)

22/2/2010: STOP PRESS: THE BRITISH EMBASSY WEBSITE HAS NOW BEEN UPDATED:

UPDATED BRITISH EMBASSY WEBSITE

 And I quote:

"The Cost

If you apply for a British passport overseas you can expect to pay:

·          For your passport (the fee is the same worldwide).

·          The cost of sending your application to us (as you would in the UK)

·          For the secure return of your passport and documents.

In the next 6 weeks we will publish instructions on how to submit your application and advice on using local courier services."

This seems to confirm that the INDIVIDUAL will be responsible for dealing with the postal side of things.

I have just been informed tonight (and have been sent a copy of a letter from the British Embassy in Cairo to prove it!) that from 15th APRIL 2010 it will NO LONGER BE POSSIBLE TO RENEW YOUR (FULL VALIDITY) PASSPORT AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY HERE.

AT THE TIME OF WRITING, THIS DOES NOT YET APPEAR ON THE EMBASSY WEBSITE


Update from a source:


"Applications direct to Paris and returned to your overseas address via courier (to be paid for by you of course) if you don't trust the post. Embassy only to get involved in emergencies. This will make it really secure........ go figure.......This was from embassy employee last night."

The sooner this is clarified by the Embassy on their Website the better!


Passport renewals are being consolidated in several countries and apparently ours is to be in Paris.

You can still get it by post but (a) consider how utterly inefficient the postal service here is and (b) how impossibly fussy the new regulations for passports regarding photographs are, this is actually going to be pretty well impossible.
 

Here are print-screens of the letter.

I have also uploaded the print screens here:
British Embassy passport letter page 1 of 2
British Embassy passport letter page 2 of 2


British Embassy in Cairo Website (Not showing changes as of date of post).

.