From May 01 2009 Temporary Passports will no longer be issued at this Embassy.

Customers are advised to keep their passports in a safe place at all times and to check the validity.  Passports can be renewed up to 9 months in advance; the additional 9 months will be added to the period of validity of their new passport.  

Temporary Passports are being withdrawn because the system is no longer viable as a stand alone product, given the low demand worldwide.  The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is investing in the development of more sophisticated passport issuing systems and secure travel documents as part of our commitment to the UK Government’s National Identity Scheme.  Over the next 12 to 18 months we will be introducing a more flexible, but secure Emergency Travel Document enabling customers to travel at short notice to the UK or another country.  We will also be introducing measures to enhance the security and integrity of our full validity passport.

The Temporary Passports system will shortly be obsolete – the printers and supply of books are running out.  It would require a significant investment to upgrade the system to meet current and future security and quality standards. The new Emergency Travel Document (ETD) will be more secure, flexible and internationally acceptable for entry, exist and transit purposes.

In the meantime we will continue to issue Emergency Passports for people who need to travel quickly. Please be aware that if you need to travel, on an Emergency Passport via the United States, prior clearance will need to be obtained from the US Immigration Service.    

What this means to you?

You must:

• Look after your passport.
• Check its validity.  (Passports can be renewed up to 9 months before they expire.  The extra time will be added on to the new passport’s period of validity.)
• If you do not have a full validity passport, you will need to allow extra time to obtain one.
• If you are a frequent traveller, to countries requiring a visa, please enquire at the counter about purchasing a second passport.*

*These are issued at the discretion of the British Embassy/High Commission/Consulate.  Applicants must demonstrate that: a) they are entitled to a British passport and b) there is a genuine need to hold a second passport.

Q: Why will you not be producing Temporary Passports anymore?

• Temporary Passports were introduced in 2005 to meet the requirements of a very small number of travellers, who needed to travel quickly, to or via, countries unwilling to accept a paper Emergency Passport.
• Looking at the demand and following discussion with a range of stakeholders, it was agreed last year that it was no longer cost effective to maintain a separate standalone passport issuing system just for Temporary Passports.  
• The Foreign & Commonwealth Office made a commitment in 2006 to enhance our passport issuing systems and processes and the documents we produce, to support the UK Government’s National Identity Scheme. This meant investing heavily in increasingly sophisticated and expensive equipment to produce more secure travel documents. In examining our customers’ requirements, it soon became clear that the majority could be met sufficiently by either a more flexible emergency document or a full validity passport.  
• This information, coupled with the knowledge that the Temporary Passport system itself would soon become obsolete – the printers and ink can no longer be bought - led to the decision to withdraw the system.
• The Foreign & Commonwealth Office also faced having to upgrade the Temporary Passport system to be compatible with an upgrade in its main computer system. This was something we could not afford to do.

Q:  What will replace it?

• The new Emergency Travel Document (ETD). The Emergency Travel Document will be a new more secure, internationally accepted travel document.
• This document will enable a single journey, to an onward destination, not necessarily just back to the UK.
• Once a customer has reached their destination, (if it is not the UK) customers can apply for a second ETD to return home or a full validity passport from their nearest post. If they have returned to the UK, they can apply direct to Identity & Passport Service (IPS) for a new full validity passport.  Although customers’ resident overseas will need a UK address and appropriate documentation to be eligible.    

Q: When will the new system be ready?

• The new system will be ready and start to roll out across the world from Autumn this year.

Q:  So that means there is a gap in obtaining a Temporary Passport and being able to obtain a new Emergency Travel Document?

• Yes, posts that regularly issue Temporary Passports will experience an unavoidable gap in service.  
• All posts will still be able to issue Emergency Passports in the interim.
• The gap in service is due to the earlier planned roll-out of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s main computer system.
• Applications for full passports will continue to be processed by their nearest hub or new Production Centre.    

Q:  But the Emergency Passport is not accepted in this country or in the US, where most travellers have to stopover en route to the UK?

• This is a temporary situation which the Emergency Travel Document will address when introduced later this year.
• Posts will work with the host immigration authorities to advise them of this temporary situation.
• Alternatively, where there is no permanent United Kingdom representation, customers can apply to a European Union member partner embassy for an EU Emergency Passport, which is also an internationally accepted travel document.

Q: But I need a visa to exit and enter this country. A Temporary Passport let’s me do this but will an Emergency Travel Document?

• Yes.  The new Emergency Travel Document will have several new features including pages for visas and a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) strip, making it much more acceptable worldwide.

Q: Will the Emergency Travel Document be a one or two way document? As a customer who does not live in the UK, I might need to travel urgently to the UK or another country and return to my country of residence.

• The Emergency Travel Document will enable a single journey only to the UK or another country.
• Once a customer has reached their destination, (if it is not the UK) customers can apply for a second Emergency Travel Document to return home or a full validity passport from their nearest post. If they have returned to the UK, they can apply direct to Identity & Passport Service (IPS) for a new full validity passport.  Although customers’ resident overseas will need a UK address and appropriate documentation to be eligible.  

In the meantime you must:

• Look after your passport.
• Check its validity.  (Passports can be renewed up to 9 months before they expire.  The extra time will be added on to the new passport’s validity.)
• If you do not have a full validity passport, you will need to allow extra time to obtain one.
• If you are a frequent traveller, to countries requiring a visa, please enquire at the counter about purchasing a second passport.*

*These are issued at the discretion of the [***Embassy/HC/Consulate***].  Applications must demonstrate that: a) they are entitled to a British passport and b) there is a genuine need to hold a second passport.