Cost of passports is a disgrace
If Embassy cannot make the passports for less than €140 they should send them by to London to be made at half the price
I HAVE been following the details of both visas and passports for expats and in general the service level we receive from the authorities.
The comment from the British Embassy about the cost of passports shows an incredible lack of knowledge about the concerns of ex-pats and no knowledge of the processes available to reduce costs to customers.
Passports and visas are a great money making scheme invented by governments to get money.
The time taken to create the majority of passports is minutes if you take the checking process and the stamping of a premade blank.
That this should cost €140 is truly a scam.
If they cannot make the passports for less they should send them by DHL to London where they will make them for half the price. Ex-pats would then pay a standard price plus postage.
To stop ex-pats getting their passports from London direct at half the price just because some bureaucrat thinks up a rule is not acceptable.
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Why are passports valid for 10 years? Why not 12 or 15 years, or perhaps the same passport can be revalidated if the photo is in fact not out of date? Whose photo is a good likeness anyway?
As for visas, the general price by various governments worldwide does not relate to the cost of production and again is a scandalous markup designed to extract money by extortion.
I suggest that all ex-pats ensure that they are registered to vote in UK elections and let it be known that they are a force to contend with.
MICHAEL MILES
Maguy
