New UK 48 Page Passport only has 42 Pages

[Familyonthemove]

I travel from Thailand a lot for business, so a 48 Page passport tends to get filled by visas and stamps in around 18 months.

 

Just renewed my UK passport (again!), and paid the extra for the 48 Page one.  

 

But looking at it, I see there's 4 pages of useless 'Notes',  which means that with the other pages needed for the photo page and contact details etc,  we're left with just 42 Pages for stamps.

 

I think the Westminster Trading Standards Department needs to have a 'difficult conversation' with the Foreign Office?

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by Familyonthemove

[jacko45k]

It is still 48 pages is it not?

 

 

[Estrada]

48 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

It is still 48 pages is it not?

 

 

It says 50 pages if you read page 4 of the notes section. Anyway perhaps we will all have to pay for a new non-EU passport in 2 years time!

[Mattd]

Never known it to be any different since it's introduction! The old 90 page one didn't have 90 usable pages.

[Jonmarleesco]

The same scam is practiced with the standard 32-page one. You still get an extra 16 pages with the 48.

 

All, of course, is exacerbated by immigration officers, such as in Thailand, ignoring perfectly useable pages that contain just a couple of stamps - though I find the partially-used pages, and present them for stamping.

 

Also exacerbated by such as Thailand deciding in its infinite wisdom that a full-page stick-on visa was preferable to a half-page stamp. 

[Sooo Upto Me]

Why a Difficult conversation?

 

[smotherb]

When you use-up the pages in your passport; you either get extra pages, or you get a new passport. Is it that difficult to understand?

[topt]

2 hours ago, Sooo Upto Me said:

Why a Difficult conversation?

 

I think he was being a tad sarcastic.........

12 minutes ago, smotherb said:

When you use-up the pages in your passport; you either get extra pages, or you get a new passport. Is it that difficult to understand?

You cannot add extra pages to a UK passport

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, Jonmarleesco said:

The same scam is practiced with the standard 32-page one. You still get an extra 16 pages with the 48.

 

All, of course, is exacerbated by immigration officers, such as in Thailand, ignoring perfectly useable pages that contain just a couple of stamps - though I find the partially-used pages, and present them for stamping.

 

Also exacerbated by such as Thailand deciding in its infinite wisdom that a full-page stick-on visa was preferable to a half-page stamp. 

If there are any spaces in pages further back on the passport big enough for a stamp you can insist on the officer using it.

I have that on good authority.

[ubonjoe]

5 hours ago, smotherb said:

When you use-up the pages in your passport; you either get extra pages,

I am not aware of any country that adds pages to their passports now. The US was the last one I was aware of and that ended on December 31st, 2015.

[ubonjoe]

This topic has just gotten a lot shorter after I removed several baiting and bickering posts that completely derailed the topic. Time to end it and get back on topic.

[jojothai]

3 hours ago, smotherb said:

I know the US does not add pages anymore; however, I am not up on all other countries and never claimed I was. The OP does not say the UK does not add other pages. How does that effect my statement? Either you add pages or get a new passport. Obviously, if you cannot add new pages you have one course of action.

Could be something else to try.

Depending on where you travel and if very regularly, and you are not going to be able to wait three weeks for a new passport.

Then you should look at what is needed to get a second passport.

I looked at it myself last year when i was very  tight on getting a renewal.

I cant remember the requirements now, but I remember that it would have been possible with some appropriate documentation, eg Letter from company for travel requirements (I could have got this)

I think that I had to get parents birth or marriage certificates, or something like that, which was going to be extremely difficult since they are both dead and i don't have records.

In the event I simply applied for a new passport and got it in about two weeks, just in time before I would have to cancel a trip planned. 

 

Suggest you have a look at the second passport requirements. 

Figure out what is required and try, maybe when you are near to filling the current passport.

[Familyonthemove]

2 hours ago, jojothai said:

Could be something else to try.

Depending on where you travel and if very regularly, and you are not going to be able to wait three weeks for a new passport.

Then you should look at what is needed to get a second passport.

I looked at it myself last year when i was very  tight on getting a renewal.

I cant remember the requirements now, but I remember that it would have been possible with some appropriate documentation, eg Letter from company for travel requirements (I could have got this)

I think that I had to get parents birth or marriage certificates, or something like that, which was going to be extremely difficult since they are both dead and i don't have records.

In the event I simply applied for a new passport and got it in about two weeks, just in time before I would have to cancel a trip planned. 

 

Suggest you have a look at the second passport requirements. 

Figure out what is required and try, maybe when you are near to filling the current passport.

Good suggestion. 

 

I'm not sure how this works with my Thai Non Imm 'visa' stamp?  If this is in one passport, but I use the other passport for a trip,  what happens when I re-enter Thailand? 

 

I'd like this solution to work, as some countries need 2-4 free pages in the passport before adding their visa, so I end up flying to UK to get a new passport before it's full.  (I travel for work every week, so the posting to Hong Kong renewal option is no good for me) 

[steve187]

4 hours ago, Familyonthemove said:

Good suggestion. 

 

I'm not sure how this works with my Thai Non Imm 'visa' stamp?  If this is in one passport, but I use the other passport for a trip,  what happens when I re-enter Thailand? 

 

I'd like this solution to work, as some countries need 2-4 free pages in the passport before adding their visa, so I end up flying to UK to get a new passport before it's full.  (I travel for work every week, so the posting to Hong Kong renewal option is no good for me) 

there is no posting to Hong Kong renewal option

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, Estrada said:

It says 50 pages if you read page 4 of the notes section. Anyway perhaps we will all have to pay for a new non-EU passport in 2 years time!

Counting the front and back outer covers perhaps.

 

[smotherb]

11 hours ago, jojothai said:

Could be something else to try.

Depending on where you travel and if very regularly, and you are not going to be able to wait three weeks for a new passport.

Then you should look at what is needed to get a second passport.

I looked at it myself last year when i was very  tight on getting a renewal.

I cant remember the requirements now, but I remember that it would have been possible with some appropriate documentation, eg Letter from company for travel requirements (I could have got this)

I think that I had to get parents birth or marriage certificates, or something like that, which was going to be extremely difficult since they are both dead and i don't have records.

In the event I simply applied for a new passport and got it in about two weeks, just in time before I would have to cancel a trip planned. 

 

Suggest you have a look at the second passport requirements. 

Figure out what is required and try, maybe when you are near to filling the current passport.

Yes, there are special considerations, like a temporary or travel passport and other irregular, but legal, documents. I spent several years in Saudi Arabia with two US passports each for myself, my wife, and my son. The US State Department had to agree, but did based upon the visa turn-around time of the KSA Embassy in Wash., D.C.

[richard_smith237]

For my Second UK Passport I required a letter from my employer stating that I required it for 'work related visa purposes' when traveling and working in different countries. 

 

HM Passport Office also needs to see this letter updated upon renewal of each passport if you are holding multiple passports.

 

There isn't much information regarding obtaining a second passport on the IPS website because; to quote "IPS does not like to advertise that it will issue a second passport" (the response I was given when I asked why there was no online information on their IPS site regarding a second passport when renewing my passports). 

[sandyf]

23 hours ago, possum1931 said:

If there are any spaces in pages further back on the passport big enough for a stamp you can insist on the officer using it.

I have that on good authority.

As your passport fills up they will just look for available space. When I renewed my last passport, there wasn't a space big enough for a 7 Eleven stamp far less immigration.

[NoshowJones]

9 minutes ago, sandyf said:

As your passport fills up they will just look for available space. When I renewed my last passport, there wasn't a space big enough for a 7 Eleven stamp far less immigration.

Yes, but suppose their was a space big enough a few pages back?

[Get Real]

If that was something that concerned me, I would rather call it a 42 page passport and get a new one when it´s full. Sounds like it just saves a lot of hassle.

[sandyf]

39 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Yes, but suppose their was a space big enough a few pages back?

Should have been a bit clearer, I meant anywhere in the passport. The last stamp to go in the passport was an under consideration and I thought they were going to refuse as they couldn't find a space big enough. Fortunately common sense prevailed and the boss said it would be ok if some of the stamp went over an adjacent stamp.

[NoshowJones]

14 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Should have been a bit clearer, I meant anywhere in the passport. The last stamp to go in the passport was an under consideration and I thought they were going to refuse as they couldn't find a space big enough. Fortunately common sense prevailed and the boss said it would be ok if some of the stamp went over an adjacent stamp.

I have a space in a page quite near the front of my passport which takes up nearly half of it.

[jojothai]

18 hours ago, steve187 said:

there is no posting to Hong Kong renewal option

Very True.

First stopped doing renewal in Thailand then had to send to Hong Kong, Now the only option is the UK.

[Nong Khai Man]

On 6/6/2017 at 0:56 PM, possum1931 said:

If there are any spaces in pages further back on the passport big enough for a stamp you can insist on the officer using it.

I have that on good authority.

I DOUBT you can INSIST Any IO To do something he/She Don't want to do !!!