When Your Passport Expires

When my passport is about to expire, I’ll

  • Definitely renew it

    Votes: 9 40.9%

  • Probably renew it

    Votes: 6 27.3%

  • Not renew it

    Votes: 5 22.7%

  • Apply for a new one

    Votes: 1 4.5%

  • I’ve never had one, but will someday

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I’ve never had one and never want one.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I have passports from many countries, so I will …..

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 4.5%
  • Total voters
    22
Jules

Jules

SF VIP
My passport is good for a couple more years. I need it to go into the US so will probably renew it. These are good for 10 years so this would probably be my last. It’s easier to renew than to apply for a new one.

Not renewing it feels like I’m giving up on seeing more of the world.
 

Capt Lightning said:
In the UK, if you're eligible, it's common to apply for an Irish passport. The main benefit is that the Republic of Ireland is still in the EU, so it makes European travel easier while allowing free access to the UK.
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According to this only people who have Irish parents or grandparents.. being married to someone Irish..or becoming an Irish citizen..


When the Brexit vote was first announced, there was a big surge in British people applying for Irish passports to retain their EU rights.

Unfortunately, not everyone will have the right ancestry to be eligible for Irish citizenship.

But don’t worry, you can still get an Irish passport even without a lucky accident of birth.

British nationals can get an Irish passport in the following ways:


  • By having a parent or grandparent who is Irish
  • By marriage or long-term partnership to an Irish national
  • By naturalization, i.e., relocating to Ireland and maintaining residency for five years, then applying for citizenship.

Unlike other EU countries, such as Portugal or Spain, British nationals post-Brexit can move freely to Ireland with no need for a visa. This is a special situation due to the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland.


So if you’re a Brit weighing up your EU citizenship options and don’t have the right financial requirements for Portugal or Spain, Ireland is the easiest way to get your EU citizenship back – even without having Irish heritage.
https://digitalemigre.com/relocatio.../#can-a-british-citizen-get-an-irish-passport
 
I renewed my passport 2 years ago. I didn't know that you can apply for a passport at any district office. In my city I would have had to wait much longer. So I drove outside the city (where we have our garden) and had it done there. Didn't even take 5 minutes.

I don't understand why there are people who don't have a passport. Is it because of the costs? How high are the costs for a passport or the extension with you?
 
Never had a passport in my life and have seen a great deal of the world.
Well, I was on active duty military status and didn't need a passport.
Military ID sufficed but I was never asked to show it by locals in any country.
... Except ... Once rented an automobile in Belgium and drove to Paris France.
Military ID and credit card was good enough ... at the time.
 
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Tomkin said:
I renewed my passport 2 years ago. I didn't know that you can apply for a passport at any district office. In my city I would have had to wait much longer. So I drove outside the city (where we have our garden) and had it done there. Didn't even take 5 minutes.

I don't understand why there are people who don't have a passport. Is it because of the costs? How high are the costs for a passport or the extension with you?
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In terms of Americans not having a passport, it is a combination of factors. For some, they have no desire to travel outside of their country, while for others it is a matter of cost. The last census in the USA showed that about one third of US citizens have, or have had, a passport. In Canada that number is about 75 percent, who hold a valid passport, so about three times as many, as in the USA. JimB.
 
jimintoronto said:
In terms of Americans not having a passport, it is a combination of factors. For some, they have no desire to travel outside of their country, while for others it is a matter of cost. The last census in the USA showed that about one third of US citizens have, or have had, a passport. In Canada that number is about 75 percent, who hold a valid passport, so about three times as many, as in the USA. JimB.
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over 81 % of people in the UK have one or more passports...

often the media denounces Americans in particular for being unworldly.. and not having travelled.. but IMO.. Americans . live in such a HUGE culturally diverse country that they can travel just a couple of hours by plane..remain in their own country, yet have everything culturally different, including the weather.. .. so why not stay in the same country ...especially if funds are tight... and I think if I was born in the USA I might not travel so much either..

Here in the UK we are such a small overcrowded Island we can travel the whole length and breadth and we're still seeing the same shops.. the same restaurants.. the same language ( different dialects).. so if we want to experience different cultures we have to leave the country.. and we do.. all the time...
 
hollydolly said:
over 81 % of people in the UK have one or more passports...

often the media denounces Americans in particular for being unworldly.. and not having travelled.. but IMO.. Americans . live in such a HUGE culturally diverse country that they can travel just a couple of hours by plane..remain in their own country, yet have everything culturally different, including the weather.. .. so why not stay in the same country ...especially if funds are tight... and I think if I was born in the USA I might not travel so much either..

Here in the UK we are such a small overcrowded Island we can travel the whole length and breadth and we're still seeing the same shops.. the same restaurants.. the same language ( different dialects).. so if we want to experience different cultures we have to leave the country.. and we do.. all the time...
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I agree. My friend in Italy has to travel to Libya to see the desert. I go to Arizona. We have a huge variety of climate a geography in the USA. Toss in Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico and there is a lot of variety one can travel to that does not require a passport.
 
As I think back over years of hearing about others traveling and the traveling that we did I have to agree that the US has a lot of what most of us want close to home. If we can't find it in the contiguous 48 and want something truly unique there are flights to Hawaii and cruises to Alaska to fill very different unique desires without leaving our own country.

Also, Mexico has been extremely popular with Americans for vacations and retirement until recently. Costa Rica and other spots in further south are also very popular.

Then there are the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, etc.

Europe is extremely popular with Americans too but it is more expensive than many closer places. Of course, once you are there you want to make the most of it. Because the countries are smaller than what Americans are used to they can see a lot of places in one trip.
 
jimintoronto said:
In terms of Americans not having a passport, it is a combination of factors. For some, they have no desire to travel outside of their country, while for others it is a matter of cost. The last census in the USA showed that about one third of US citizens have, or have had, a passport. In Canada that number is about 75 percent, who hold a valid passport, so about three times as many, as in the USA. JimB.
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How much do you have to pay for a passport? The renewal costs me 75€ (82$/65GBP).

If it comes at a high cost, I would understand. If it costs about the same, then rather not.

Where can you pick up the passport? Is the passport only available at certain offices and you have to go very far?
 
hollydolly said:
often the media denounces Americans in particular for being unworldly.. and not having travelled.. but IMO.. Americans . live in such a HUGE culturally diverse country that they can travel just a couple of hours by plane..remain in their own country, yet have everything culturally different, including the weather.. .. so why not stay in the same country ...especially if funds are tight... and I think if I was born in the USA I might not travel so much either..
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I think you can't really compare other places in one country with places in other countries. If I drive 50km (30Miles) I am in a completely different country. Different people, different language, different mentality, different food, different culture,...

If you fly from New York to LA it is about 4000km and nothing changes. Of course it might make a difference if I go from the Hamptons to North Carolina, but it still makes a big difference.

Travel has given me so much and broadened my mind. Everyone who has the chance should do it.
 
Myrtle said:
Europe is extremely popular with Americans too but it is more expensive than many closer places. Of course, once you are there you want to make the most of it. Because the countries are smaller than what Americans are used to they can see a lot of places in one trip.
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Sounds like "If it's Belgium, it must be Tuesday". I lived and worked in several European countries and met many American (and British) tourists along the way. There were ones who enjoyed the different cultures and lifestyles and those who complained that they didn't like the food or weather or that the locals didn't speak English. The thing about the 'whistle stop' tours is that you don't have time to see anywhere properly.
 
I had the file out that had all kinds of old passports, birth certs, etc. and came across my daughter's first passport. She was about three weeks old at the time when we got it.

For the photograph, I was holding her head up with my hand clutching her head from behind. My fingertips were showing and it looked like she had some kind of a knotty crest. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open. She looked like either a featherless little baby bird or an alien slug baby.

I treasure that pic.
 
Tomkin said:
How much do you have to pay for a passport? The renewal costs me 75€ (82$/65GBP).

If it comes at a high cost, I would understand. If it costs about the same, then rather not.

Where can you pick up the passport? Is the passport only available at certain offices and you have to go very far?
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Tomkin. I am a Canadian, so my reply will only relate to my country. For a renewal you have a couple of choices. Apply on line, to a Service Canada website, or go in person to one of their offices, stand in line, submit your forms, and pay for the new passport, then choose either.......Mail delivery to your home address, or come back in a week, to pick it up.

BY applying on line, you are avoiding the line ups, AND if you live in a remote part of our huge country ( Canada is the second largest country in the world, only Russia is bigger and we have five time zones ) you are skipping the travel to a Service Canada office in person. A Canadian passport is for ten years. A ten year passport costs $160.00 Link. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...es/canadian-passports/new-adult-passport.html

I hold 4 Citizenships. Canada because I was born here, from Parents who were also Canadian by naturalization. UK from my Mother , who was born there by descent. Irish Republic from my Dad, who was born there, by descent, and the Bahamas, through marriage to my Wife who was born there. I use the Canadian Passport the most. JimB.
 
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