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Two Passports Become One: My UK Passport Expired

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I realised last week that my UK passport expired last year. Due to the pandemic, there has been little travel and I never thought about it. And so the next logical question is whether it is worth renewing it. For clarity, I have a Dutch passport these days, since becoming a Dutch citizen after the B word became real. Feels like a pivotal moment when I could just surrender to being a pretend Dutch person forever.

Valid Reasons to Renew?

I asked Twitter peeps whether there were reasons to renew my UK passport immediately that I hadn’t thought of.

One obvious consideration was whether I am planning to enter the UK as a non-visitor. In other words, am I planning to move back any time soon. That’s a hard no.

Another good question, is there any paperwork I am busy with that requires a UK passport to be shown. That’s also a no. The last British paperwork I was involved in was proof that I was not already married, prior to being able to get married here in the Netherlands. A Dutch requirement, but a document the British Embassy needed to produce.

Queuing at passport control could be an issue. But planned trips involve the whole family at the moment so even if I zipped through UK passport control, I’d have to stand about waiting for the Dutchies.

Twitter – the Nays Have it

The Official Passport Index Ranking

Just out of curiosity, I compared the usefulness of the Dutch and British passport.

The Official Passport Index Ranking compares passports based on where you can travel visa free. Japan is ranked top of the passport charts.

So, renewing my British passport doesn’t open up more visa free doors than my Dutch passport. Which would be a consideration if I was a worldly traveller. Which I am not. My main travel is to Germany (a bit of occasional shopping, the DIY store and petrol in the car), England and France.

And The Cost?

A standard passport is £86 for an adult, and £56 for a child. Plus a £19.86 courier fee.

Gov.UK

So £106. 124 euros.

Benefit v cost analysis isn’t persuasive for starting a passport renewal process.

UK passport

But What About the Colour?

Of course, if I were to now apply for a UK passport, it would be blue. Instead of the burgundy it is currently is. Which would make it easier to distinguish between my Dutch and British passport. And that’s all I have to say about that, as Mr Gump would say.

All in all, no immediate pressing urgency to get my passport renewed. At this time. In any case. It doesn’t mean I never will, but right now, with the current state of things *waves around wildly at the world* there’s no hurry.

Over to You

Do you have more than one passport? If you renew both as they expire, why? Hit me with reasons to renew my expired UK passport.

The post Two Passports Become One: My UK Passport Expired appeared first on Turning Dutch.