There is a bit of a panic with lots of people finding they cannot travel because their passports will be beyond the 10 year limit and the passport office is inundated with applications.
All very different from when I urgently needed a new passport urgently, in the late 1970's. Completely out of blue, I was asked on the Tuesday morning if I could fly to Italy urgently on a contract. An hour later I rang the nearest passport office, Liverpool, explained the situation, got an appointment to go there next morning accompanied by a suitable letter from my company.
I walked in next morning, completed the forms and told I could collect it later the same day. Whilst at a loose end in Liverpool, I opened a separate bank account with a £100 deposit, for just the funds for my contract to be sent to. On the Thursday I was on the aircraft.
There was some mix up over the account, which meant my employer was unable to pay into it, so for the entire year I was in Italy, my employer had to hold onto my contracted salary until my return. I never did regain access to that account and the bank must be still sitting on my £100. I wonder what it might be worth now?
All very different from when I urgently needed a new passport urgently, in the late 1970's. Completely out of blue, I was asked on the Tuesday morning if I could fly to Italy urgently on a contract. An hour later I rang the nearest passport office, Liverpool, explained the situation, got an appointment to go there next morning accompanied by a suitable letter from my company.
I walked in next morning, completed the forms and told I could collect it later the same day. Whilst at a loose end in Liverpool, I opened a separate bank account with a £100 deposit, for just the funds for my contract to be sent to. On the Thursday I was on the aircraft.
There was some mix up over the account, which meant my employer was unable to pay into it, so for the entire year I was in Italy, my employer had to hold onto my contracted salary until my return. I never did regain access to that account and the bank must be still sitting on my £100. I wonder what it might be worth now?