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May 24, 2016
Brits living in Spain can only renew their passports online these days. You fill in some details on the government site, then if that is correct you are allowed to a page to pay by MasterCard or Visa Card, then you are able to obtain a photocopy application form which you have send off in normal post with your old passport.
After a week involving several time-consuming completions of the first pages, the computer has allowed me to the payment page. but repeatedly when my card details are filled in the government site doesn’t process the payment and you have to start again.
My bank branch of course checked and confirmed the card and card details were all in order, but still repeated times the government site would not accept payment. Helpfully, a manager at my bank tried every way to get the government site to accept a perfectly valid Visa credit card, but the government site always rejected.
The bank had thoroughly checked that their side of things as regards the credit card were all correct and in working order, and have come to the conclusion that the government site simply is not working.
I’d be grateful if any other readers have made an application recently and have had any difficulties. The British government has a lamentable record with its computerised systems, but optimistically did ask for any comments after each failure to process…. My opinion of the system thus far is unprintable, so I made no comment.
Name and address withheld
I had the same problem renewing my passport.I ended up having to get a new credit card from my bank(which I will probably never use again) that was May last year.I was worried that I would be without a passport if I didn`t do something quickly.It was the only solution after trying so many times,even with the bank helping me throughout.It was easier when we had to renew via the Embassy ,even though we all felt that “the admin.cost” which was to explain the inflated cost,was a bit steep.Naturally,the price hasn`t dropped.It`s just a different system…..and a lot harder.Perhaps that`s why it lasts for 10 years!Hope you have your new passport by now. Alice.