What do you do when your passport expires

This might sound like a foolish question but.. we are in the process of getting ready to send out our application for the spousal visa and my passport expires in 2012. Does that really matter that I will be living in the UK when I need my passport renewed? Would I get issued a new one and then need to get something to re-validate the visa or?

Im not sure, I would guess you would have to go and renew it but im now sure, if all else fails hide and dont get caught without one

When your old passport expires, just apply for a new one via the US Embassy in London. Once your new passport arrives, you can either pay to have your visa transferred into it (cost is £160 by post or £500 by special premium service at a public enquiry office) or you can just carry both passports with you whenever you travel in and out of the UK - the new one plus the old one with your visa in it.

There is no problem at all with carrying both passports and not having your visa in the new one and there are several people here on the board who do this. Having your visa transferred to your new passport is only optional (http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukresidency/transfervisatopassport/).

Since yours doesn't expire until 2012, you may be ready to have the next visa at that time.

For instance, mine expires in 2010 and I'm due to apply for ILR in May of 2009.  My old passport with visa is in my previous name.  I intend to renew my passport prior to May of 2009 in my new name so I can have my next visa put into my new passport.

Here's a link to the US Embassy in London with some info on passports and renewal:

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/acs/passports/index.html

I have a Canadian passport that is only good for 5 years at a go so this will always be an issue for us.  We just carry two passports.  You can even staple them together if you want to.  Lots of people do.

Following on from this I have an additional Question:

I am USC living in UK with Indefinite Leave to Remain.

I would like to change the name on my passport to my married name, but how is this done in regards to changing the name in my ILR stamp? Also, will they transfer my ILR to my new passport? Is that the £160 fee transaction mentioned above?

Thanks!

Yes, it is the £160 and the process as above.  But you could save the cash and wait until you naturalise.

Vicky

thanks for all that info, it seems that maybe because I would be drawling in so close to having my ILR at that time I can squeeze in the new passport before that is issued saving me loads of work on that end. Thanks to all for being so helpful 

You should, indeed, be able to squeeze it in.  I'm renewing my passport a year before it expires for the same reason.  I believe they just add that extra time onto the new passport.  I don't know if that's true or not but don't really care - I just want to do it in plenty of time to have the passport in my new name before I apply for ILR...

You should, indeed, be able to squeeze it in.  I'm renewing my passport a year before it expires for the same reason.  I believe they just add that extra time onto the new passport.  I don't know if that's true or not but don't really care - I just want to do it in plenty of time to have the passport in my new name before I apply for ILR...

I didn't need to do a name change, but I did renew my passport sooner than I needed to in order to avoid the carry-two-passports-or-pay-£160 thing, and it worked perfectly well - I have the right visa in the right passport.  FYI, the US didn't add extra time onto my passport - I just got a new passport good for ten years.