My passport comes up for renewal in 6 weeks and as I need it for work I felt that my employers would pay for it, apparantly not so!! I had my medical last year (age 45) and they paid for that. As I require the passport for work do you think that the employer should pay? I understand that the cost of renewal is about £40. Only last week Charles Clarke (Home Secretary) stated that having a passport is voluntary and no-one is forced to get one. However, if I want to stay in my job I am FORCED to pay for one. 
You never go abroad on holiday?
Look at it the other way, a condition of being able to do the job is you have a passport, in the same way other jobs require certain skills or qualifications, presumably you knew this when you first got the job? How badly do you want to do the job, or can you not bother renewing and get a job that doesn’t require it?
I think you were lucky that they paid for your medical, not many employers do that.
If someone without a passport saw a job advertised where a requirement was to have one, do you think they could go to the interview and demand the employer pays for it so they can get the job?
Passport renewal is £51 and it lasts for 10 years. An investment, by you, of less than 10p a week in your chosen career seems like a good deal to me.
Mind you if you need the fast track service or the same day service it costs more, £77.50 and £96.50 respectively. I used the same day service last time and got the new passport in a couple of hours. If you do need to use the same day service you must phone 0870 521 0410 and book an appointment at your nearest passport office, they won’t do it if you just turn up.
Son is in electric wheelchair and so holidays abroad are moot.
You said it’s £51 to renew, a lot more than I thought. The same day service? I presume you had to go in person to the passport office? I have to send my renewal to Liverpool, a bit too far for me.
The job I’ve got is the best I’ve had so I guess I’ll have to pay to keep it. However, I begrudge having to pay for something that the employer is going to benefit from especially as they’ve only offered 1.5% pay increase that we’ve been arguing about since last April with no back-dating. Then again, things could be worse - I could be working up the road at Kwiksave and looking for a job!
penfold:
You said it’s £51 to renew, a lot more than I thought. The same day service? I presume you had to go in person to the passport office?
Yes, you have to visit the passport office although I think you can get someone to do it on your behalf, conditions apply.
penfold:
The job I’ve got is the best I’ve had so I guess I’ll have to pay to keep it.
If it is a good job then it is worth it surely?
penfold:
However, I begrudge having to pay for something that the employer is going to benefit from
Not only the employer benefits though, someone else also benefits by being able to still do the best job they’ve had. 
You could argue that the employer benefits from you having an LGV licence, or from your knowledge and expertise in the job. If you think about it an employer is only ever going to employ somebody who they can benefit from, be a recipe for disaster business wise if they only hired people who brought nothing to the company.
Coffeeholic:
Passport renewal is £51 and it lasts for 10 years. An investment, by you, of less than 10p a week in your chosen career seems like a good deal to me.
You lucky people, once again the exiles are discriminated against. My renewal, only available by post from the Embassy in Paris, cost €113 (about £80). Come to think of it, I’ve only once had one from Peterboro’ or anywhere else in the UK, my first was issued in Canberra when I was a ‘DBS’ (Distressed British Seaman). 
That Peterboro’ one was issued on the same day by arrangement. I started a new job at Cheverall’s of Luton and he loaded me straight away for Ireland. I took the truck, load, and the letter from Ian Cheverall to P’boro’ and waited 'till they sorted it out and off I went to the Emerald Isle!
My next one will be French, or who knows by then, European 
Salut, David.
Spardo:
I took the truck, load, and the letter from Ian Cheverall to P’boro’ and waited 'till they sorted it out …
The renewal before last I had to have letter from my customer explaining why I needed it quickly but for the last one I just called for an appointment and they never queried why I needed it the same day.
Oh yeah, you got of lightly in Paris as it cost me more than €113/£80 for the same day service at Peterborough. Actually it cost me a serious amount more because while we were waiting for it my wife took the credit cards for a jaunt round Peterborough shopping centre. 
or who knows by then, European
If you notice they’re all european anyway, have been since they switched to the Red ones from the old Blue hard back ones. They now all have “European Union” emblazoned across the top of the front cover
You dont need to leave the house to apply for a passport, you can renew online and it is delivered within 2 days by courier
Spardo:
[That Peterboro’ one was issued on the same day by arrangement. I started a new job at Cheverall’s of Luton and he loaded me straight away for Ireland. I took the truck, load, and the letter from Ian Cheverall to P’boro’ and waited 'till they sorted it out and off I went to the Emerald Isle!
Salut, David.
I thought that a passport was not necessary for Eire? I travelled there 3 years ago, on ferry and plane, no passport
I think you will find that David is going back a… erm…number of years.
Wheel Nut:
You dont need to leave the house to apply for a passport, you can renew online and it is delivered within 2 days by courier
Malc it takes a bit longer than two days. You can complete the form online, they then post it to you and you sign it and post it back to them along with your photos. They don’t count it as having officially received your application until they get the form back from you and unless you have paid extra for the fast track service it will be treated as any other application, taking up to three weeks to receive your new passport.
I must have just been very lucky then, I organised with Brittany Ferries to ship out on a certified copy of an expired passport and they posted it for me from Poole.
3 days later I arrived home and it had been delivered to my landlady downstairs 
They say three weeks to cover there arse, if it isn’t one of the busy periods you can get it back quicker, last time my wife renewed hers it was back in under a week. You can’t count on it coming back that quick though so when it is vital the fast track or same day option is safer.
When renewing don’t you have to send in your old passport? If so, how can you go abroad with no passport?
Yes, you have to return the old passport, otherwise it becomes more complicated to renew. If you need to continue working and shipping out that’s when you need to use the fasttrack or same day service. I had to use the same day service the last two times I renewed, otherwise I would have had to stop work until I recieved the new passport.
penfold:
When renewing don’t you have to send in your old passport? If so, how can you go abroad with no passport?
I organised with Brittany Ferries to ship out on a certified copy of an expired passport and they posted it for me from Poole.
Thats how I did it
Could depend on where you are going, it’s not just the ferry companies you need to worry about. I used to take my boy with me just on his birth certificate as he was on my wife’s passport at the time. That was OK as long as I didn’t take him outside the EU, Switzerland for instance.
penfold and all you other euro drivers
have you ever thought of claiming the cost of your passport from the Tax Man?
after all it is a nessesary expense and
“each and every holder of the office must have one”
which is or was the terminoligy used. there would of course be an element of personal use but you could argue only 2 weeks out of 52 were personal
just a thought
Coffeeholic:
I think you will find that David is going back a… erm…number of years.
David must have been going when i was just a wee nipper 
andy187:
Coffeeholic:
I think you will find that David is going back a… erm…number of years.David must have been going when i was just a wee nipper
Stirring the little grey cells 
…about 1975…I think 
Salut, David.