New emergency passports for Britons on way
Manama, June 19, 2014
Emergency passport procedures are being introduced for Britons in Bahrain, after it emerged there was a massive backlog of overseas applications that was taking months to clear.
From June 23, UK citizens can apply for one-year passport extensions at the British Embassy, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
An emergency travel document for children who have not previously held a passport can also be obtained. However, people are being advised to contact the embassy's consular section to make an appointment on 17574199.
The aim is to clear a backlog of about 30,000 passport applications that have clogged up the UK's Passport Office and threatened the travel plans of British holidaymakers and travellers around the globe, many of whom face having to cancel journeys because of delays.
"We have been waiting for our daughter's passport for almost two months now, like most people we are planning to travel soon, and worried it will not get back in time," Bushra Winter Powell posted on the British Embassy's "UK in Bahrain" Facebook page.
In another post Lindsay Mackay said she was waiting for over six weeks for her son's passport to be renewed, adding it could affect their travel plans.
Britons living abroad who want to renew their passports have to send their documents in the post and are told to allow up to six weeks for delivery. - TradeArabia News Service
