Entry Requirements
All U.S. citizens, Canadians, Australians,
New Zealanders, and South Africans must
have a passport with a minimum of 2 months
validity but no visa is required. You will
need proof of your intention to return home
eg. a round-trip ticket and means of support
while you are in Britain eg. bank account
balance. If you are flying from the United
Kingdom and then on to a country that requires
a visa (eg. India), you should secure that
visa before you arrive in Britain.
Your valid driver's license and at least
1 year of driving experience is required
to drive personal or rented cars.
Getting a Passport
Plan ahead if you need a passport. It can
take 3 weeks and sometimes longer in busy
periods. And if you need it in a hurry you
will pay a higher processing fee. When traveling,
safeguard your passport in an inconspicuous,
inaccessible place such as a money belt
and keep a copy of the critical pages with
your passport number in a separate place.
You may also like to leave a copy with someone
at home. If you lose your passport, promptly
call the nearest embassy or consulate and
the local police.
Here are the procedures and contacts for
obtaining passports for the following nationalities:
Canada
Required: two current photos; proof of Canadian
citizenship; any previous Canadian passport,
certificate of identity or refugee travel
document issued to you in the last five
(5) years; a completed application form
and the application fee. Cost: $60-$62 plus
an additional $25 consular fee Time: Usually
issued within 8 working days (allow additional
time) Where to apply: In person at your
local passport office or send your application
to:The Passport Office, Place du Centre
Commercial Level 2, 200 Promenade du Portage,
Hull, Quebec J8X 4B7. Tel: (819) 994 3500
or 1800 567 6868. For more details:
www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Ireland
Required: two passport photos (which have
been signed and certified) as well as proof
of citizenship and the application fee.
Valid: for 10 years Cost: IE£45 for a 32-page
passport and IE£55 for a 48-page passport.
Time: Usually issued within 10 days (allow
additional time) Where to apply: Passport
application forms are available from all
Garda stations and from Post Offices which
provide the Passport Express service. Completed
application forms should be sent to the
passport office in Cork (if you live in
the counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick,
Tipperary or Waterford) or Dublin (if you
live elsewhere in Ireland, including Northern
Ireland). Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street,
Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 671 1633 1a South Mall,
Cork Tel: (021) 272 525.
For more details: www.irlgov.ie
New Zealand
Required: proof of identity, proof of citizenship,
two passport photos and the application
fee Cost: NS$80 Valid: 10 years Time: Usually
processed within 10 working days (allow
additional time) Where to apply: You can
download application forms from the passport
office website or get them from most travel
agencies. Completed aplication forms should
be sent to the passport office in Wellington:
The Department of Internal Affairs, Passport
Office, PO Box 10-526, Wellington Tel: 0800
22 50 50 .
For more details: www.passports.govt.nz
South Africa
Required: Cost: 80 rand. Valid: for 10 years
Time: Can take 3-6 months. Where to apply:
Passport application forms are available
at all Department of Home Affairs offices
in South Africa and South African consulates
and embassies abroad.
For more information:
http://www.dfa.gov.za the Department
of Home Affairs in Pretoria ph (012) 3148911.
United Kingdom
Required: Cost: £28 for a 32-page passport
and £38 for a 48-page passport; additional
fees ranging from £4-£12 apply when lodging
your application at an agency. Valid: for
10 years. Time: Passport applications lodged
at post offices and travel agents are normally
issued in around a month, while applications
lodged at UK Passport Agency branches are
processed in less than two weeks. Where
to apply: British citizens can apply for
a passport at offices of the UK Passport
Agency in Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool,
London, Newport and Peterborough or at one
of 2000 High Street partners throughout
the UK including post offices and Worldchoice
travel agents.
The UK Passport Agency is currently trialing
an online application process. You can apply
online at www.passport-application.gov.uk.
However online applications are not recommended
if you need your application processed quickly.
For more details:
www.ukpa.gov.uk or phone the passport
agency on 0870 521 0410 .
United States
Required: Cost: US$60 Valid: Time: 6 week
processing. However if you lodge an application
at a passport office it takes about two
weeks. Passport Express www.passportexpress.com
can process applications in one week however
it costs substantially more to do this.
Where to apply: Courthouses and post offices.
For more details: www.travel.state.gov
or phone the US passport office at
(202) 647 0518 Australia.
For more details: www.dfat.gov.au
