Governor’s office offers UK stop-gap passports

| 20/06/2014

(CNS): As the UK passport office struggles with a mounting backlog of applicants and renewals, the governor’s office said temporary measures for British passport applications have been put in place to deal with the highest demand for passports for 12 years. From Monday 23 June, British nationals living in the Cayman Islands can apply to the governor’s office for their passports to be extended for 12 months, giving time for the backlog to be cleared so they can then apply for the usual ten year travel document.  Details of how to get a passport extension can be found at www.gov.uk

In the face of allegations that the backlog was caused by staff cuts, officials from the UK stated that they have issued over three million passports in 2014 and it is the extra demand not staffing problems that caused the delays. Since January, the Passport Office says it has put steps in place to deal with that increase in applications.

To make an appointment contact the Governor’s Office on 244 2431 or staffoff@candw.ky

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I Just called the governors office and this extension is possible but with the following caviats.

    1. You cannot enter the US with an exended passport on he ESTA pogram. You need a US Visa in the passport. You cannot get a US Visa in an expired passport

    2. You can get it extended for one year.

    3. You can enter the UK with an extended passport

    4 You need an appointent with he governors office

     

  2. Anonymous says:

    Despite our grumbling it's clear that the UK does not care about Cayman. 

    • Anonymous says:

      ??? How did you work that out? All Brits and Brit Territories suffering the same issue in your pea brained view of the world turns into UK not caring about Cayman?? Clearly we are in the presence of other world genius that we fail to understand.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes, and all face an imminent threat of hurricanes requiring the potential evacuation of young children, and international travel for anthing more than relatively basic healthcare, right?

        • Anonymous says:

          Not all, but others face risk of eruptions, risk of invasion, does Cayman suffer these. All Brtish citizens are suffering this and all need to travel, or are you claiming those in Cayman are more important than those in Monserrat?

    • MEM says:

      CAYMAN does not care about Cayman, why should anyone else clean a mess that we created for ourselves!? There we go, entitlement attitude again, "I make a mess, let's hire Hews to clean it". I highly doubt anyone these days stops at each of their friends houses every weekend to wash there clothesand dishes, why should UK stop in to wash ours? UK told us what to do, it is up to our brainless officials to get it done and up to our lazy Caymanian people to push them to do it!

    • Anonymous says:

      Well grow a pair, go independent and stop moaning.

  3. Anonymous says:

    i have read in the uk papers that even with these extensions there are 50 countries that will not allow you to enter with them, this includes the USA

    • Anonymous says:

      Which just goes to show the incredible arrogance of the FCO in it’s dealings with us. I think they have just said the modern equivalent of ” let them eat cake.”

  4. Anonymous says:

    This is a farce.  Travel is not optional for most Brits in Cayman, it is a necessity.  I am having to spend 5 days and $1,200 traveling to the UK to renew my passport in person.  Ridiculous in this day and age.  

    If the Governor is not able to convince the British government to make the system work for Brits in Cayman, she stands to lose a lot of goodwill and credibility.  

    • T Rankine says:

      I think it's more the case that your British government doesn't care about you than our governor having to convince them to provide a basic service to their overseas citizens…. just saying

    • Anonymous says:

      I just got my "new" passport after nearly 11 weeks of it being "processed", and low and behold I was born in the "Caymen Islands". FML.

  5. Anonymous says:

    What about 1st passports for infants? We are at the start of hurricane seanson, what if we need to evacuate?

    • Pit Bull says:

      Surely you would travel home to ensure you offspring are born on English soil?  Lovely, lovely English soil.

    • Anonymous says:

      The UK does not care about that! This is the UK we are talking  about here.

  6. pmilburn says:

    Not sure how this willwork as I had to send my old passport back as part of applying for the new one.Maybe I can get a Cayman Islands passport just in case?

  7. Anonymous says:

    Ummmm…how does that help if my passport is full and I cannot travel because I have no blank pages? The UK plainly has little clue or concern for the predicament these delays are placing Cayman residents in. We do not use our passports for a simple jaunt to the Costa Del.  We need them for business, education and healthcare – and to escape hurricanes.  

    • Anonymous says:

      You can pay a little extra and get it expedited with no problems. 

      • Anonymous says:

        Only if you are physically in the UK.

      • Anonymous says:

        No, you can't.  At least that's what they told me when I tried to do it.  You can expedite if you are in the UK (applying by mail or in person) but not from overseas.

    • Anonymous says:

      I do not see why concern should be shown to someone who ends sentences with a preposition.

      • Churchill says:

        This is the sort of British up with which I will not put!

        • Anonymous says:

          Now you could end a sentence with "put up with" because it is being used in a verbal clause.  So you are making a rod for your own back.