Strange letter from Passport Agency re: British passport application

I had my citizenship ceremony in January, as many of you know.  So of course, I've been eager to get my nifty British passport as soon as I can.  So I sent off the application a couple weeks ago.  Two days ago, my colleague who countersigned my photos for me got a weird letter asking him to confirm in writing that the application was filled in completely when he signed it.  Kind of made me nervous, but I wrote it off as an over eager passport applicaiton processor. 

Then yesterday *I* got a weird letter from the passport agency as well:

Now, at first I thought it was nothing really...just them being cautious and courteous.  But the more I looked at it last night, the more worried I got.  They aren't insinuating that they won't give me my US passport back, are they? 

Has anyone else gotten anything like this?  Is it normal for them to be so meticulous?

Don't worry, it's a weird form letter.

I got exactly the same letter from the passport agency. I too was naturalized in January and I applied for a passport straight away. As with yourself, I was concerned that the letter meant that I couldn't hold two passports and I responded with a letter to the effect that it was my intention to use the US passport to travel to the States and the UK one to travel in Europe but if I couldn't hold both then to please return my application and fee (and my US passport!). A couple of days later a woman from the passport agency phoned me at work (!); basically she said that I could hold both but must confirm in writing that I wanted the application to proceed. She again suggested that I contact the US government before proceeding, implying that the US government might not be happy with this.

Instead of contacting them directly, I became engaged with user forums like this one and checked the US websites. The most relevant is http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html which states that "Use of the foreign passport does not endanger U.S. citizenship". I then posted a letter confirming that I wanted the application to proceed and received my new UK passport and my uncancelled US one about a week later.

Just incredible. The Bush regime has now even got the Home Office doing its job. Ignore the letter or send them in the information saying they can do it above. I got my passport in January and DID NOT receive that letter so it's not being uniformly sent out. Maybe someone up in Liverpool is being overzealous.

Thanks for that, sfgrl and lightbulb.  I feel much better now.    I'll send off a letter saying I'm aware of the situation and plan on traveling with both passports, thanks for their concern, etc. 

And I thought all my stress with forms and government agencies was finally over!!!   

Send the letter, wait 7 days. If you do not have your passport by that time, contact you local MP's office and explain that as her/his constituent, you are concerned about the passport agency's denial of service to a British citizen. You are now a citizen, with or without passport, and the agency cannot treat you as anything but a citizen. Whatever concerns those lovely people might have had about your endangering US citizen, they are typically too late in the day. You swore allegiance to Mrs. Windsor, if the State department has a problem it was on that day, not in the routine act of a dual national seeking the requisite documentation of her sovereign State.

And to add to the above, after re-reading sfgirls' note about the phone conversation. I would look on the IND agency's web page, there should be a link to complain. Both should do so. It is inappropriate for an IND officer to tell a British citizen what a foreign government may or may not "like." Seriously, in reflection, I consider this a breach of the agency's duty of care and one that borders on harassment. If you really want to pursue this, I would also email Polly Toynbee at the Guardian, who I am sure will be interested in hearing about the PA's ventriloquism of Condi Rice's wishes.

Surely filling in the form itself is confirmation that you want to proceed with the passport application? Something must have happened to make the Home Office suddenly start this practice.   Lightbulb got in before me with saying contact your MP if you have any more problems with this. Very bizarre if you ask me.

Seriously, in reflection, I consider this a breach of the agency's duty of care and one that borders on harassment. If you really want to pursue this, I would also email Polly Toynbee at the Guardian, who I am sure will be interested in hearing about the PA's ventriloquism of Condi Rice's wishes.

I find the whole thing disturbing also, but assumed that sometime last year there was an idiot American who had gotten himself into passport troubles and now the UKPA is taking a cautious approach.  I.e., it may have nothing to do with Condi Rice, or it might.  

It might be a worthwhile idea before lodging a complaint to get Wishstar to call the UKPA and ask them what's going on with the nanny letters.  

There's no mention that a confirmation is needed anywhere.  This one's out of the blue...

Well hopefull it won't come to all that, lightbulb, but I'm glad to hear there are options if things don't go alright.  It is a weird thing that they questioned it, considering this is the very last piece of the puzzle.  Bit late in the game really, as you said.  

It feels awful that they have my American passport as well at the moment.  I was without my passport for months and months while they processed my citizenship application, then I got it back for a couple months and now it's gone again.  If I have to choose between the two I'll take the US one, thank you very much.  

Hopefully it's just an overzealous person trying to be helpful.  I'll send off my letter tomorrow and let you all know if I hear anything.  Fingers crossed!

You don't have to choose. full stop. When you reapply for your US passport, they don't ask for a copy of your UK passport; they ask for a copy of your naturalization form. That's the key act.


Look into the mirror and say five times, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, er, sorry: I am a British citizen, I am a British citizen.

That's the fact, union jack, so don't get worried, get busy harassing the IND, who deserves it for all the s*** they put non-whites through.

Wishstar, was your letter signed by a Mrs. Broome? I'm just wondering if it's one over officious person or a more general policy...

As a gov't employee for the past umpteen years, I guess I don't see this letter as terribly alarming.  Silly and bureaucratic, yes....inconvenient and a waste of time for the recipient, yes.....but they're not actually threatening to do anything to you or with your US passport.  They haven't said they're going to keep your US passport.  They haven't refused to issue your British passport.  They HAVE pointed out that you need to enter and leave the US with your US passport, but most of us duals knew that already.  It seems silly to ask you to confirm that you want them to proceed, but hey, this is a government agency we're talking about.  If I had to hazard a guess....I'd probably agree with Garry.  I suspect an idiot American who did something stupid and got into trouble (like trying to enter the US on another passport...likely a big red flag in the airport security world we now live in) and then claimed that he didn't know he was doing anything wrong as nobody ever informed him that he was required to use his US passport.  Just my 2p...

As a gov't employee for the past umpteen years, I guess I don't see this letter as terribly alarming. 

Lol, yes, my civil servant self found the letter pretty tame as well. I don't think there's anything sinister to this; just an Government office/official saying, 'hey, are you sure? are you? 'cause trust me, if you're in any doubt, it's always best to keep things as they are. change. is. bad!'

The letter is worded badly, but our reply, of course, is a gem

'hey, are you sure? are you? 'cause trust me, if you're in any doubt, it's always best to keep things as they are. change. is. bad!'

Hey!  I think I'll make that my new motto for work!!! 

The problem is that it's not a letter that is uniformly sent out. The essence of a fair policy is that it is normative and non-discretionary.

Also that the letter is pointless, since it's not the passport that could cause problems with the State department.

And let's put the shoe on the other foot. Faceless bureaucrat scares Wishstar from getting her UK passport. She visits the States and then comes back to the UK on.....what? If the US wants its citizens travelling under US documents, then so too does the UK. The point being is that not only is the letter pointless but also self-contradictory.

Curious minds want to know if Ms. Broome is the author of both.