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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

24th September 2014

Applying for British Passports overseas

British_passportDuring the last few months, our consular teams in Australia have been doing several things to help British nationals who need to travel urgently, but have been affected by longer processing times at HM Passport Office (HMPO) following a surge in demand for British passports:

We have been issuing Emergency Travel Documents, which enable travellers to make specified journeys in the absence of their normal passport. They are widely accepted, but not in every country, so do check before you apply for one.

Since 23 June we have been extending the validity of existing passports for 12 months with an official stamp (subject to eligibility, and free of charge).

If you want to know the status of passport applications currently in the system, you can contact the Passport Adviceline on +44 (0)300 222 000. It is open Monday to Friday, 7am to 10pm (UK time, 9 hours behind Sydney); Weekends and public holidays, 8am to 6pm (UK time)).

Many people who hold British passports here are dual nationals, also holding Australian or other citizenships. A number of them have commented that it is inconvenient when applying for a new British passport to have to send their Australian or other passport to the UK with their application. HMPO have clarified that, as an alternative, it is possible to submit a colour photocopy of the Australian passport (every page, including blank pages). However HMPO reserve the right, in some cases, to subsequently ask to see the actual passport.

Detailed guidance on passport applications can be found on the passport pages of the GOV.UK website.

Editor’s note: Comments have been disabled for this post because we cannot respond to passport queries raised here. Please contact the Passport Adviceline (details above) or use the online enquiries form.

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.

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