If you are living in Gran Canaria you might wonder how to renew your UK passport without having to return to the UK. Well I’ve done it by mail from Gran Canaria and it’s pretty easy.
Where to Get the Passport Photos
You can get the photos done at Maspacolor, which is the photography shop near the tulip roundabout in San Fernando, or the photo place in Arguineguin.
The passport photos must not have any lines on the back (which is why it matters where you get them done). There is a real shortage of passport photo machines. There used to be one in the Yumbo Centre but I’m not sure it’s still there. I don’t know where any others are.
Photo by Nathan17
How to Submit Your Application
You can find more information here:
http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/how-to-apply/spain
including prices, where you have to send the documents, and requirements for the photos. Some friends of mine have had their passport photos returned for being on the wrong kind of paper or another breach of the rules, but I found the Madrid office pretty lax. In my passport photo, I have my sunglasses perched on my head and nobody’s ever batted an eyelid! 🙂