is this passport still usable

AshleyC

AshleyC

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Ok i just found my passport had gone through the laundry cycle and now looks like this....
Im off to Italy ( or was off! ) on monday. The photo is faded but you can still make me out, just! also its a biometric one so that should still work if they need to scan it. Anyway, what do you think my chances of it getting through are?

 
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Worth a go, not like you have any other options.
Just hope the biometric chip hasn't been damaged in the washing machine too.

Don't think I would be that hopeful though if it were my passport
 
Are you near an airport? Could you go in and get some advice there.
 
ah well. i phoned up the london passport office and they said the quickest would be a week!
 
Passports employ all sorts of ultraviolet security features. If it's been exposed to washing powder, those will all have been ruined.
You'll never get airside with it like that.
 
Tori_T said:
Passports employ all sorts of ultraviolet security features. If it's been exposed to washing powder, those will all have been ruined.
You'll never get airside with it like that.
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Maybe take you aside for questioning.
 
Can’t you use some other form of I.d I.e a drivers licence , your going a eec country to another eec country ( for a few weeks longer ) . Check it out you could drive from Calais to Rome without showing your passport
 
the black fox said:
Can’t you use some other form of I.d I.e a drivers licence , your going a eec country to another eec country ( for a few weeks longer ) . Check it out you could drive from Calais to Rome without showing your passport
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Driving licence doesn't show your nationality or citizenship.
 
Good luck, if the wash has blown the biometric chip then you won't get beyond passport control or the gate.

If it wasn't a biometric passport then you would be at the mercy of passport control and what side of bed they got out of (or whether they had a good night before or not, fnarr, fnarr). At LHR I got away with a passport where the photo page was peeling from the cover that didn't bother passport control in the morning ('We've seen much worse Sir, have a good day!) yet when I present it to an orange uniformed little hitler (Easyjet check-in) I am denied boarding (a bit of pritt stick and I am on a later bmibaby flight.... I won't fly Easyjet unless I have to now.
 
KitsuneAndy said:
Driving licence doesn't show your nationality or citizenship.
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admirable said:
Mine does
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My UK driving licence has my "Date and place of birth". (That's not necessarily the same as my nationality or citizenship: being born in the UK does not automatically make you a UK citizen.)

Here's an image from gov.uk illustrating the rear of the licence: the red box is my addition for emphasis.
1550501893684.png
Does yours have something different?
 
StewartR said:
My UK driving licence has my "Date and place of birth". (That's not necessarily the same as my nationality or citizenship: being born in the UK does not automatically make you a UK citizen.)

Here's an image from gov.uk illustrating the rear of the licence: the red box is my addition for emphasis.
View attachment 237721
Does yours have something different?
Click to expand...

If you are born in England you are an English national, if born in Wales you are a Welsh national.
If you were born in the UK before 1st Jan 1983 you are automatically a British Citizen, although a person could change their citizenship status and I'm not sure if this would show up on a driving licence.

My licence is slightly different than above but contains the same info
 
admirable said:
If you are born in England you are an English national, if born in Wales you are a Welsh national.
If you were born in the UK before 1st Jan 1983 you are automatically a British Citizen, although a person could change their citizenship status and I'm not sure if this would show up on a driving licence.

My licence is slightly different than above but contains the same info
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It is more than likely that it matches to be fair.
 
cymruchris said:
So what happened? Did you get away with it?
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no, didnt try. I think if i was single i would of given it a punt but with the mrs and step daughter in tow it was too much of a risk. I reckon i could of got through heathrow with it but would of been stuffed trying to get out at italy. Not worth the risk.
 
AshleyC said:
no, didnt try. I think if i was single i would of given it a punt but with the mrs and step daughter in tow it was too much of a risk. I reckon i could of got through heathrow with it but would of been stuffed trying to get out at italy. Not worth the risk.
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Betting that the wash was ALL your fault!

Sorry to hear that you missed the trip - did the ladies go without you?
 
admirable said:
If you are born in England you are an English national, if born in Wales you are a Welsh national.
If you were born in the UK before 1st Jan 1983 you are automatically a British Citizen, although a person could change their citizenship status and I'm not sure if this would show up on a driving licence.

My licence is slightly different than above but contains the same info
Click to expand...

What about a UK citizen who was born elsewhere, say in Germany or India? What does the licence indicate then?

The official guidance also says:

If you are an EU national , you do not need to show your national ID card or passport when you are travelling from one border-free Schengen EU country to another.
Even if you don't need a passport for border checks within the Schengen area, it is still always highly recommended to take a passport or ID card with you, so you can prove your identity if needed (if stopped by police, boarding a plane, etc.). Schengen EU countries have the possibility of adopting national rules obliging you to hold or carry papers and documents when you are present on their territory.
Driving licences, post, bank or tax cards are not accepted as valid travel documents or proof of identity.
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https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/eu-citizen/index_en.htm
 
viv1969 said:
The UK isn't in the Schengen zone.
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Which has very little to do with why I posted the link and quote which was to show that a Drivers Licence is not considered a valid proof of identity for travel.

You did notice the link is “Travel documents for EU nationals” and not just “Travel documents for the Schengen zone”?

If you’d read the whole article you’d notice it also makes reference to non-Schengen travel.

When travelling to or from a non-Schengen country you must show a valid ID or passport. Before travelling, check what documents you must have to travel outside your home country and to enter the non-Schengen country you plan to visit.
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Dave1 said:
What about a UK citizen who was born elsewhere, say in Germany or India? What does the licence indicate then?
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I haven't a clue.

I don't think anyone on this thread has stated a driving licence can be used in lieu of a passport?
 
A licence will say where you are born, so if you are born in India, Australia, Syria etc your UK drivers licence will say your country of birth. If you become a British Citizen it will still say your country of birth.

Deal with them every day so see it a lot.
 
admirable said:
I haven't a clue.

I don't think anyone on this thread has stated a driving licence can be used in lieu of a passport?
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Is that for travelling internally in the UK only? I have flown UK Only using my licence as identification. Don’t some other countries have ID cards as well as passports?
 
mj4456 said:
Is that for travelling internally in the UK only? I have flown UK Only using my licence as identification. Don’t some other countries have ID cards as well as passports?
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I believe a Driving License is valid for travel in the UK and Ireland (via the Common Travel Area).
I read something recently that stated that only 9 nations don’t have any kind of National ID Card (Including us) but that many countries had non-compulsory card schemes.
 
mj4456 said:
Is that for travelling internally in the UK only? I have flown UK Only using my licence as identification. Don’t some other countries have ID cards as well as passports?
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Yes, I've travelled internally within the UK using my driving licence (photo version) as ID but the OP referred to a trip to Italy.
 
admirable said:
If you are born in England you are an English national, if born in Wales you are a Welsh national.
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Well, "English national" and "Welsh national" don't mean anything on the international stage. But (since 1983) it is not the case that being born in Britain automatically makes you a British citizen, which is the point I was trying to make. Your driving licence says where you were born but is silent regarding your citizenship status.
 
.
 
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admirable said:
I haven't a clue.

I don't think anyone on this thread has stated a driving licence can be used in lieu of a passport?
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Except in the conversation you replied to that led to the discussion around driving licences, you mean?


the black fox said:
Can’t you use some other form of I.d I.e a drivers licence , your going a eec country to another eec country ( for a few weeks longer ) . Check it out you could drive from Calais to Rome without showing your passport
Click to expand...
KitsuneAndy said:
Driving licence doesn't show your nationality or citizenship.
Click to expand...
admirable said:
Mine does
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I think we have also ascertained that your driving licence doesn’t prove nationality or citizenship as well.
 
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Nod said:
Post #19.
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Yes - he said he didn't try - but wondered if that was relating to the passport - or the whole trip - and whether he'd gotten an emergency passport - or just called the whole thing off...
 
Dave1 said:
Except in the conversation you replied to that led to the discussion around driving licences, you mean?







I think we have also ascertained that your driving licence doesn’t prove nationality or citizenship as well.
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I think 'the black fox' was asking a question not stating fact.
 
Dave1 said:
I think we have also ascertained that your driving licence doesn’t prove nationality or citizenship as well.
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You'll need to explain that one to me, my driving licence states my nationality
 
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