I'm currently in the process of starting to apply for a new passport. You're probably wondering what "starting" has to do with this relatively simple process, so if you're sitting comfortably then I'll begin (the Oldies among us will remember hearing this expression regularly).
I was born abroad and indeed now live abroad (in a different country); like the Queen, I even ended up with two birthdays, thanks to the proverbial "lost in translation" between two different alphabets. It wasn't a problem for nearly 70 years - until a duffer by the name of David Cameron decided that it was inconceivable that a small majority of Brits might actually vote in favour of something called "Brexit".
So fast-forward to now and my application for an EU passport. In order to get one, I have to prove my identity; in order to do this, I have to present my British passport and my birth certificate from the country in which I was born, but of course they don't match. Okay, now I have to get a new British passport with the correct date of birth but in order for that to happen I first need a corrected birth certificate. This is something which is dealt with by GRO, General Records Office, nowadays amalgamated with the Passport Office. Easy-peasy you're thinking, especially as they're in the same building; naively I thought the same.
So I apply for a correction to be made and after some hassle it's agreed that this can be done, obviously once I've supplied duly translated and certified proof from my country of birth that the British registrar there messed up. It takes a while but I eventually receive confirmation from GRO that I now have a new UK birthday - they suggest I give it a week for the new information to percolate through their system. Having worked for HMG in the past I don't fall for that one, so I wait three months before applying for a copy of my shiny new certificate. I actually need three copies: one for the country I was born in, another for my country of residence, and a third one for the Passport Office. The first two have to be apostilled, so I arrange for them to be sent direct to the Apostille Office; the third one has to accompany my application for a new passport. Even though GRO and the Passport Office are part of the same organisation and are in the same offices, it's not possible for the third copy to be simply attached to my passport application - that would apparently be too "joined up", so it has to be sent to me and I then have to send it back to them. However, it IS possible for them to send the other two copies to the Apostille Office in another part of the UK....
Something tells me that it might be an idea to hang fire until I've received the apostilled copies; it takes GRO an additional six weeks to produce them and send them to be apostilled and three more weeks for the apostille. Adding in postal and courier times, it took about four months until the courier put them in my hand. However it turns out that my estimate of three months for the new data to filter through the system was wildly optimistic as I now had two new and expensively-apostilled copies of my old birth certificate.
Surprisingly, GRO eventually agreed that the screw-up was down to them and are forking out for new certificates, apostilles and courier fees. Of course, until I receive the new batch of apostilled certificates I still have no way of knowing that they're actually finally correct.......
Now of course every piece of official documentation I have has my wrong DoB on it, including my EU residence permit and driving licence, my marriage certificate, deeds to my property, health records etc etc. It's going to be an uphill struggle to get all of those amended....Thank you, Mr Cameron!
If the information is of any use, by the way - it isn't actually necessary to send your UK passport with your application for a renewal; it's just more convenient for them and they'd prefer you weren't aware that that is the case....
