Postal method for passport

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Wicksey
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Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Sat Feb 03, 2018 1:06 pm

How do others send back their passport to the UK when it's due for renewal? The website says it is up to you how you send it back and doesn't say it must be recorded or registered post. We find the post between here and the UK pretty good and quick usually, but is it safe to send it ordinary post do you think?

I have done everything online including taking my own photo and downloading it. It does an initial automated check to see if the photo is acceptable or not (first 2 attempts were rejected) and they will still have to do a manual check so there's a chance it may have to be re-done. It was harder than I thought to get a photo without any shadows on my face, so I shall have to wait to see if it is OK.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby gerryh » Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:01 pm

We've used recorded delivery without any problems so far.
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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby markwilding » Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:41 pm

The whole process was very easy. Give your email address or phone number and you will recieve notice of day and time of delivery.

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Wicksey
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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:49 pm

It was more a question of what method for sending the old passport back to the UK Mark.

Delivery back to me with the new one may be a problem if it's by courier though, as I'm in the campo and some delivery companies aren't very good at arranging a meeting point.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Free at Last » Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:35 pm

Wicksey wrote:
markwilding wrote:The whole process was very easy. Give your email address or phone number and you will recieve notice of day and time of delivery.
It was more a question of what method for sending the old passport back to the UK Mark.

Delivery back to me with the new one may be a problem if it's by courier though, as I'm in the campo and some delivery companies aren't very good at arranging a meeting point.
I sent my old passport back by courier - it was very expensive and still took a week to reach the Passport Office in Belfast. My husband sent his back by Correos certificado, and it got there in the same timescale for about a tenth of the price.

When the new passports were returned they came via DHL and we had the option to collect them from a local collection point (in our case it was the Copyrap shop on Av. Vivar Tellez in Vélez-Málaga, not sure if there would be an alternative nearer to you). We opted to collect them as our old address was difficult for couriers to reach. They send you a text message asking if you want delivery to your home address or to collect it from their collection point, normally the day before the package arrives. They send the old cancelled passport in one envelope and the new one in a separate one, they were both ready for collection at the same time.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby gerryh » Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:56 pm

When I received my first new passport the English speaking courier insisted that he would deliver to my house in the campo.
I directed him via our mobile phones to my house. Normally I meet couriers at the local fuel station.
When my second, 10 years later, passport arrived I had it delivered to a local drop off shop in Torre del Mar where the the old cancelled passport was in one envelope and the new one in a separate one.
Of course the drop off shop wanted identity such as my passport. :think: :think: :think:
When I pointed out that my passport was in the envelope they accepted my Spanish driving licence as proof of identity.
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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby ajtg1952 » Sat Feb 03, 2018 10:20 pm

I posted mine using normal post. Not registered or recorded. I've never had a problem with Spanish mail. Got it back in under three weeks.

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patricia
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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby patricia » Sun Feb 04, 2018 10:28 am

Wicksey wrote:How do others send back their passport to the UK when it's due for renewal? The website says it is up to you how you send it back and doesn't say it must be recorded or registered post. We find the post between here and the UK pretty good and quick usually, but is it safe to send it ordinary post do you think?

I have done everything online including taking my own photo and downloading it. It does an initial automated check to see if the photo is acceptable or not (first 2 attempts were rejected) and they will still have to do a manual check so there's a chance it may have to be re-done. It was harder than I thought to get a photo without any shadows on my face, so I shall have to wait to see if it is OK.
I used recorded delivery. When they receive it they let you know. It does take longer for some reason to get back, but better be safe then sorry.
Torrox Costa "El mejor clima de Europa"

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Sun Feb 04, 2018 12:49 pm

Thanks everyone. It seems that the return may not be too bad if they text and offer a pick up point. (Ironically, Amazon couriers use the local PO as a pick up point .... but won't deliver it to my PO Box which is in the same office!)

I shall make a decision tomorrow as to the method of sending it to the UK. As the renewal costs over 100 pounds I don't feel like spending too much more on post.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:43 pm

I sent it by certificado so will see how long it takes to get there. I presume they'll keep me informed. It seems a better system than it used to be by post so far.

On the subject of receiving parcels via courier I am just in the middle of trying to get something via Nacex who have an office in Velez. Last time I ordered something they were really good and rang me to arrange a meeting point in the pueblo but no such luck this time. Just endless texts saying no such address, and I've already told them twice that I'll pick it up from Velez later this week. I hope the passport courier better organised as mentioned by Free at Last.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Free at Last » Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:11 pm

Wicksey wrote:I sent it by certificado so will see how long it takes to get there. I presume they'll keep me informed. It seems a better system than it used to be by post so far.
When I renewed my passport, which is about 18 months ago now, the Passport Office didn't keep me informed as such, I just had to keep logging into their system to check whether my old passport had been received, had the renewal been processed, etc (although some changes may have been made since then),

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:50 am

I see what you mean. I have checked the tracking link in the confirmation email and they still haven't received my old one. I shall have to check again next week.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Free at Last » Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:57 am

From memory (which is a bit hazy by now!) once they had received the old passport the status on the system changed from Awaiting Information (or similar wording) to Application Being Processed. There was a slight time lag (a day or so) between the courier company having confirmed delivery to me until their system was updated. I thought at the time it was something which could have been made clearer, possibly they have made changes since then.

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patricia
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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby patricia » Fri Feb 09, 2018 11:15 am

Going on my own application, the process the new passport and the new one is ready to send to you when they have received the old passport. That is what they did with my application.

Also the delivery process was excellent they use DHL and they were first class, it there is a problem they ring you on your mobile.
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Wicksey
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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Sat Feb 10, 2018 12:59 pm

patricia wrote: Also the delivery process was excellent they use DHL and they were first class, it there is a problem they ring you on your mobile.
You have an address though .... they won't deliver to a POBox which is all I have so I do hope they are sensible enough to contact me or offer a drop off point. (As mentioned earlier, Nacex texted me twice to say they couldn't deliver and it took 2 chat messages plus a phone call to get the message through that I was going to collect it from their main office in Velez.)

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Free at Last » Sat Feb 10, 2018 1:34 pm

As it seem from what Patricia says that they are still using DHL, I am sure they will. It's their standard procedure, I have had parcels delivered by them from companies as well as my passport, and they always do the same thing. You get a text telling you the delivery date and giving you the option to pick it up if you don't want it delivered to home, and if you opt to pick it up you get another text once the item has been delivered to the pick up point and is ready for collection.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Sat Feb 10, 2018 2:22 pm

Sounds hopeful then FAL!

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Tue Feb 13, 2018 12:06 pm

Just got an email to say they've received my old passport, rather than having to track it myself so that's good.

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby Wicksey » Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:45 pm

Passport office have been very good and have emailed me with the progress all along. Last email said that the passports are on their way (old and new).

Got two texts from DHL today re delivery this Friday but their website only gives me an office in Malaga as a collection point and it's not possible to ask for an alternative delivery address ....doh! It says:
A disabled delivery option(s) is either at the request of your shipper or for country operational reasons. Please contact Customer Service for more information

Their website says there are a number of collection points nearer to me but I cannot get it to offer me anything other than Malaga.

I contacted them to see where they will deliver it to as they will not deliver to a POBox address (no email for DHL Express or a chat facility, only a 902 phone number). I was told that they couldn't change the collection point on the computer to one nearer to me, but someone from another department will phone me tomorrow ... hopefully they will deliver to the collection point at Frigiliana and not make me do a 100km round trip to Malaga!! I really don't know why this is such a problem ..... you can see why I hate courier deliveries :evil:

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Re: Postal method for passport

Postby elusive » Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:39 pm

DHL are always delievering in ****. Families passports old and new were delievered to our door. Same guy seems to do the **** delieverys and when he came with the old and new passports a few days apart joked that the U.K is crazy why dont they just send both passports together!


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