Total, 100%, unmitigated, foul up!

[Danny]

Was due to set off tomorrow for a week's skiing holiday with the family, and some friends, so started doing some packing this afternoon. Got out the passports and was idly flicking through my son's when I discovered it had expired two months ago

Hadn't appreciated that kid's passports only last five years.

Fortunately this has not turned out to be the complete disaster I originally expected. We contacted the emergency passport helpline who were actually very helpful and have arranged for us to get an emergency passport issued tomorrow. Also got hold of Easyjet who have changed our tickets for a flight on Tuesday. However all this is going to cost mucho extra dinero.

Has anyone else had this happen before?

 

[Lardyboy]

An expensive skiing holiday - oh yes!

 

[snakehips]

I know somebody who tried to go on holiday to Goa without realising that you need a visa. (He found out at the airport)

 

[longers]

Have had a mad dash to get my passport renewed. Twice

Once to Glasgow and once to Liverpool. The Liverpool one was good as I spent the time looking round the Tate.

 

[MacB]

yep, about 3 years ago we were packing on the Wednesday night, due to fly to Portugal on the Thursday afternoon. Did final check on boys passports and the elder 2 were out of date. Emergency passport helpline line was no help at all, they offered an appointment for 2 weeks time! Asked about going to passport office at Victoria the following morning and was told not possible. Also told would need passport forms etc and could only get at post office, plus needed authentication on photos etc. So move into action:-

1. ring local Asda which has post office, very helpful girl agrees to jump the counter and get necessary forms for us.

2. Jane pops to Asda and collects forms and gets photos done

3. ring my boss and get his passport No then put this along with his details on form and fake signature.

4. my Mum drives me up to Victoria at 0300hrs, I'm 3rd in the queue, Mum heads home to finish packing, she's coming as well

5. get into passport office at 0730hrs and they do initial check of documents, all is ok except for piccies of my middle boy. There is a tiny amount of his front teeth showing so unacceptable.

6. ring Jane and she gets more photos done, arrange emergency courier to bring them to me at Victoria. Passport office won't give me appointment until I have all documents correct. Won't allow me to wait in warm, or use toilet, either.

7. new photos en route by motorbike courier at 0815hrs, I need to leave Victoria on Gatwick express by 1430hrs to make flights.

8. 1030hrs 'motorbike' courier arrives in van, I am apoplexic, van driver leaves in a hurry. People behind me in queue that morning are now collecting passports!!!

9. all hopes of making flights are gone so agree Jane, Mum and youngest son will go on ahead, with all luggage, I book flights for me and the older 2 for the following day. Only business class available, ouch!!!!!!!!

10. finally get appointment and all goes through ok, refrained from exploding at a couple of jobsworths. Told passports won't be ready until morning now, have paid for fastest possible service.

11. train home and collect elder boys who are with friends, have takeaway and restless night

12. drop boys at friends and train to Victoria, collect passports no problem and get train back.

13. wonderful people drive the 3 of us to Gatwick and boys proceed to thoroughly enjoy lounges and business class. Point out to me that they prefer travelling in this manner.

14. arrive in Portugal, collect people carrier, Mum and Jane didn't want to drive, and proceed to villa.

15. arrive at villa about 20 hrs after others, nearly £2.5k lighter, straight into pool, then beer abd barbie, and had one heck of a good holiday

 

[Slowgrind]

Not had as urgent a problem as yours, but the Liverpool passport office were very helpful when I`d not got enough time left on my passport to fly to America. Gave us a timed appointment and everything went through very smoothly.

 

[Dave5N]

Put it behind you Dannyg and just have a great holiday.

 

[summerdays]

Err that sounds a nightmare... I've had passports arrive only the week before setting off... but I have arrived in Uganda (1992), and been forced to sit in an office and explain why I didn't have a visa... didn't I visit the Ugandan High Commission? It took an hour or more to get out, having paid up, passport stamped, all the time our bags were waiting in the arrivals lounge.

 

[Globalti]

Last-minute visas are a fact of life for me on business travel. VisaSwift in London are very fast indeed.

At many airports you can actually buy your visa on entry though I prefer to go ready-equipped.

 

[Arch]

It's probably a sign of how infrequently I go abroad that I always check my passport 6 months in advance...

(having said that, I was in France twice this year! Second time it wasn't the passport that caused problems, but the fire in the channel tunnel, leading to a hasty cancellation of Eurostar tickets, and booking of flights, alas, as was really looking forward to getting the train)

 

[Night Train]

A few years ago, while getting ready for a holiday with my partner and her twin teenage boys, we did a last minute pastport check. One of the boys couldn't find his pastport and with frantic searching we found it in the washing machine, washed and with the cover seperate from the pages.

I did a frantic ironing of the pages and cover and then carefully glued it all back together. We got out on holiday without any problems but on the way back we got pulled as the customs officer noticed that I had glued the cover on the pastport upside down!
There was also a a lot of wear on the paper behind the photo so it looked like it was tampered with. It took a lot of explaining to convince them that there really was two matching twin boys with real matching pastports.
What made it more difficult was that customs would only talk to the lad in question we were all shoved off to one side and weren't allowed to 'interfere' with the due process.

They did eventually see sense and accept that teenage boys are prone to doing silly things like laundering their pastport and that step dads are prone to trying to fix them.

 

[ChrisKH]

The problem with passports is these things sort of creep up on you. I had a ten year passport which I'm sure I only got about five years ago, but on inspection in January (during the post Xmas depression period, when you need to book a holiday) I found both mine and Mrs. KH's run out in March. That's another £144 up the swanee then.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Members of the group of people I ski with each year have had some near misses. One managed to get into Canada on an out of date passport and one travelled in Europe on his wife's passport.

 

[zimzum42]

I'm amazed you're admitting to such a holiday on here, you're supposed to go on a cycling holiday and stay in a yurt in Devon.....

 

[AdamBlade]

Mine ran out some years back but only realised on a Sunday afternoon as I was due to fly out with parents to Gran Canaria on the Monday morning. We were told to go along to airport as usual by the travel agents who said they could phone through to the Gran Canaria airtport who usually allow people in with additional ID. Go to the airport very early and they phoned through but as is always the case when you need a favour, they wouldn't allow me to go. We then had to go to Peterborough Passport office, renew my passport and go back to airport (Birmingham). By this time we had missed our flight and they booked us on a flight 2 days later. Fantastic holiday albeit a little shorter than expected.