Doha
In advance of the busy holiday periods that are coming up, the British embassy in Doha has urged British nationals to renew their passports in good time and keep them safe.
The embassy issued 85 emergency travel documents in 2014. A closer look at the figures reveals that almost 50% of emergency travel documents issued in 2014 were preventable as passports had been lost, stolen or damaged, the embassy has said in a statement.
The embassy has advised British nationals residing in Qatar to regularly check the location, condition, validity and number of empty pages they have left in their passports.
Ann Munro, vice-consul at the British Embassy, said: “When living overseas, it can be easy to forget to renew or not realise that your passport is filling up with stamps and visas. If you need to travel in an emergency, getting an emergency travel document is both costly and time-consuming. This can further add to what may already be a stressful situation. In addition, you will still need to renew your full passport when you get back to the UK as you can only exit Qatar on an emergency travel document - you cannot re-enter.”
Many people think that by renewing a passport before it expires, they will “lose out” on validity they have paid for. Any remaining validity on an existing passport (up to a total of nine months) will be added to the applicant’s new one.
Her Majesty’s Passport Office can issue applicants a second passport if they are eligible. The applicant will need to submit a letter of support (on headed paper) from a senior manager who employs him/her, detailing the necessity for a second passport together with the application and either the applicant’s current passport or birth certificate. Residents will only be able to exit Qatar on the same passport they entered on or the passport that their RP is in.
Many British residents in Qatar find themselves in difficulties when they need to renew their residence permit and discover all the pages in their passport are full. Residents will require at least one clear page to renew their residence permit. They cannot add pages to a British passport, they must apply to renew it, the statement notes.
Applying for a new passport is simple. One has to apply online, pay online and keep track of the progress of the application. Supporting documentation will still need to be sent to the passport office in Liverpool for applications from Qatar.
To apply online, go to www.gov.uk/overseas-passports. For further enquiries, contact Passport Advice Line on +44 300 222 0000.