New Arrangements for Passport Services Overseas for British Citizens

An important part of the change is that, all applications for passports will be processed by regional Passport Processing Centre’s, so applicants will need to allow some extra time for applications to be sent to and from the Processing Centre.

In some countries, applicants will still be able to hand in their application and pay at their local British Embassy/High Commission/Consulate.  In others, the application should be sent direct to the regional Processing Centre.  Details of how the new system is set up country-by-country can be found on the FCO website. The FCO will still aim to issue at least 90% of all straightforward passport applications within 10 working days of receipt of the correct documents and fee, although this will exclude the time taken for delivery. British Embassy/High Commission/Consulates will continue to issue travel documents for applicants who need to travel in an emergency.

British Ambassador to Thailand, Quinton Quayle, said “The British Embassy is working to ensure that the introduction of the new arrangements runs smoothly.  Further information about the forthcoming changes can be found on the Embassy website, which we hope will help to answer any queries at this stage.  We can assure customers that we will continue to offer the best service possible.

”The British passport is trusted as a secure document the world over.  We want to keep it that way so that British travelers continue to enjoy the convenience and benefts of a travel document which is known to be diffcult to forge or obtain fraudulently.   Limiting the number of locations where we print passports reduces the risk of them falling into the wrong hands. The new processing centers will be staffed by teams specialized in passport examination, fraud detection and secure document technology.

In order to keep costs covered, the UK Government is committed to looking for opportunities to reduce administration, centralize excellence and deliver benefcial economies of scale. 

This change is part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Offce’s (FCO) Passport Rationalization Project set up in May 2008 to deliver a more streamlined and effcient passport operation for British Nationals abroad, to achieve immediate fnancial benefts to the FCO, to UK taxpayers and to establish a sustainable operating platform for the future. The FCO is committed to supporting the UK Government’s aims of help secure our borders and tackle illegal immigration, prevent identity fraud, become a key defense in the fght against crime and terrorism, enhance checks as part of safeguarding for the vulnerable, and improve customer service. Where these arrangements already exist, they work well. Service delivery times have not been affected. In Europe, the Embassy in Madrid processes applications from Portugal and Paris is now processing applications from Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy and Malta.

The next three to four years will see signifcant changes to the way the embassy issue passports overseas. These changes are all about maintaining good customer service and value for money (including to customers and UK Taxpayers), whilst meeting the need for greater document security. The improving arrangements will deliver further enhancements to the application process and systems, including the development of more easily accessible online services and a more secure emergency travel document for those who need one.