UK Pensions department? Load of imbeciles.

[Dusak]

I filled in my state pension forms from on line, sent them off via registered post. Thee weeks later my friend in the UK who is my nominated troubleshooter phoned them to inquire if they had received them OK. The guy she spoke to told her he was processing my application there and then. So she asked when would my documents be posted onto her as I requested on the section of ''anything else we need to know'' section. He said ''OH,I didn't see that, we have returned them to his Egyptian address.'' So I went into the main post office to see if they were there, no international post in my name. So I went in again on Thursday as surly after seven weeks they would have them. Not there.

So yesterday I spent 100Le phoning them, the girl stated that she had no record of my papers and my application was still being processed but she would start an investigation through their sorting office in Wolverhampton, which could take up to ten days. Today my friend in the UK phoned me to say that the pensions had just called her to tell her my papers were sent back to me on the 21st of February by normal post, even though I sent them by registered post, they should of sent them back likewise. She gave them a right British bollocking, not that it made any difference, not their problem they told her.

So, my pension is now two months overdue, and I have lost all my paperwork, including my original birth certificate which I will need when I renew my passport in 18 months. She is going to get me a copy and phone the passport office to see if this will be acceptable when the time to renew arrives. I would of expected better from the pensions department considering all the security question I have to answer before they will speak to me, yet they just post them back by normal post. To say that I'm p***** off would be an understatement.

[newcastle]

Relying on some clerk to follow to the letter instructions appended to the end of a 20 + page application was wildly optimistic.

You need to be much more proactive. Lesson learned.

On the bright side, you are not required to submit your birth certificate when simply renewing a passport...just the old passport, photos and proof of address.

[Major Thom]

Nominated trouble shooter in the UK, well that's something new D. I did not have any trouble whatsoever with mine, only the fact I disagreed with the amount and sent them copies of my payment stamps to prove myself correct, I got the increase I was entitled to. They do tell you to apply a few months before your first payment is due, but I presume you saw that and did so. Because my birthday was in the middle of the month my first payment was for the two weeks and then no problem after. I personally found them efficient but then again in the EU there are no roaming charges to call them if required. (I spent the equivalent of 2 Euros in phone calls) Of course when you will get your payment and again I presume you know your weekly amount, that's what your pension will stay at, you will get no increases or Christmas bonus living in Egypt, unless of course you use your Troubleshooters address as your own. When we moved my wife got an instant increase of just over 115 GBP so a good increase. she now like myself gets annual increases, this year just over 3%, she also got her Christmas bonus. I did too, my increase worked out at 24 GBP a month so was satisfied, and with a further 2 pensions added to the 2 state pensions gives us a decent life really.
But getting back to the problem D its not the first time I have heard about new applicants having problems getting their pension applications. I think its a case of keeping cool and persevering. You will of course get all you are entitled to. A birth certificate can be replaced easily, but it's maddening when these things happen. Just look upon it being a boost to your now income and wait for it to come. Once I started getting my state pension it then became a real thing to become a Cyprus tax payer or pay the astronomical UK tax. Here you can earn almost 18,000 Euros a year before you pay tax and anything over is taxed at 5%, more suitable and agreeable for myself.

[A-Four]

To say that I'm p***** off would be an understatement.

Today I read on here that there is a shop in Little Britain called Paws & Claws, yet I remember once, years ago a woman walking her little dog in that area, that she obviously had bought in Cairo. What the dear lady had not realised was that in those days such an event in Luxor, would have been similar to walking a pig on a lead. I remember everyone she passed turned in horror or ridicule, she was quite oblivious to all this,.......how times have changed.

What I can not understand, and never have, is that the very basic means of life in Luxor, have never improved even when that new post office opened at the bottom of Station Street, the P.O. boxes that people rented were a joke.

There is however one consolation in your case Dusak, you will get all the money due to you, and also be please that you was born in the right year, had it been a year later, you would have had to wait a further six months for payment.

P.S. - those nearing state pension age should apply at least six months before, as it seems this is not automatically payed.

[Dusak]

In regards to the need of a birth certificate, It stated on the on-line form, which I checked when realizing they had lost track of my papers it stated ''yes'' in the Q&A section on ''do I need my birth certificate when applying.'' My friend in the UK has just told me that her husbands birth certificate was badly damaged so they accepted a copy. So things may be a tad better for me, but it still all a worry. My friend is going to camp out at the post office tomorrow while they strip search for a plain brown envelope, and its a long time since I received one of those through the letterbox.

With regards to increases and bonuses, I'm not bothered, quite happy with the amount I'm entitled to. My friend in the UK only does the phoning and running around for me to save the expense of phoning from here and listening to Beethoven for 30 minutes while on hold. I have no connections property wise in the UK, nor any ''I live here'' addresses. I'm one of the legit ones.

[carrie]

Dusak I got my new passport last year and didn't need my birth certificate. I had an important letter go missing from the UK some time ago and found eventually that the best place to go is the small sorting office that is amongst the bazaars behind Hammees. Hope you know where I mean by that.

[newcastle]

Dusak I got my new passport last year and didn't need my birth certificate. I had an important letter go missing from the UK some time ago and found eventually that the best place to go is the small sorting office that is amongst the bazaars behind Hammees. Hope you know where I mean by that.

You don't need to send your birth certificate for a renewal.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ts-group-3

You need your birth certificate when applying for your pension, but presumably, having seen it once, and lost it, the pensions department don't need to see it again.

[Dusak]

We went into the small sorting office, as well as the main one. Hopefully she will track it down today. If not, I've decided to just forget it, not worth loosing sleep over. There seems to be conflicting advice on the need of one for the passport, maybe its only if you are applying from abroad. Either way my friend in the UK has tracked my place of exit down and ordered a copy, £13 with P&P. Tuesday she will issue another bollocking in relation to my long waiting time for it to be paid, three and a half months from posting the application.

[Major Thom]

I know its expensive, but any mail to official offices in the UK I always sent by DHL so I had a tracking number to see where my post is at any time. I also used to pay for the return courier to make sure, but I always think at the end of the day its worth it. I had to apply for a new drivers license and personal documents to get my resident visa here, and they had to be accompanied by an Apostile certificate, but once Apostilled the certificates lasts a lifetime, unless you use the Egyptian Post Services. How many times have you seen people going round the back of the PO Boxes and fiddling. When we had ours, we would often find mail for others in it.

[newcastle]

We went into the small sorting office, as well as the main one. Hopefully she will track it down today. If not, I've decided to just forget it, not worth loosing sleep over. There seems to be conflicting advice on the need of one for the passport, maybe its only if you are applying from abroad. Either way my friend in the UK has tracked my place of exit down and ordered a copy, £13 with P&P. Tuesday she will issue another bollocking in relation to my long waiting time for it to be paid, three and a half months from posting the application.

Conflicting advice? From whom?

The forms are quite clear. The passport office website is quite clear. Carrie has told you.

As you will have had to submit your birth certificate when applying for your current passport, or one of its predecessors, what would be the point of asking for it again?

[carrie]

I applied for my passport from here Dusak and believe me would never do the same again, I didn't need a birth certificate but my first application was rejected because I didn't include my postcode. I rang and explained that we hardly have addresses here let alone post codes. In the end I had to have my rental agreement translated by an authorized translation company with the appropriate stamps etc. I sent all my papers off via DHL but for some unknown reason they told me that they could only be returned to the consul office in Cairo so that entailed me making a flying visit up there to collect that. Nightmare If you can go to the UK you can book an appointment at the passport office in London and have the whole thing done in a day. A few days in the city then a flight home make it part of the visa run if you can. Good luck.

[Yildez]

I live in Turkey and last Friday I applied to renew my passport. I had to complete an on-line application (paper applications are NOT accepted from applicants living overseas) then print off a Declaration. The signed Declaration, along with my current passport, 2 photos, a colour copy of my Residence Visa and a receipt from my electricity supplier to confirm my address, have been sent 'signed for' to the passport office in Liverpool. NO requirement for my birth certificate.

The cost includes the return of the new passport and my documents by courier.

Carries problem - an error on the application form - can't happen with the online system as you just couldn't proceed. Not sure how you'd get over that, maybe you would need to contact the passport office well beforehand to sort it out?

[Yildez]

Sorry, posted twice. Need more coffee!

[newcastle]

Good advice Carrie.

Applying for a passport renewal from Egypt is a nightmare. It's via a very dodgy postal system or the embassy in Cairo.

On the couple of occasions I've done it, I did so whilst visiting UK. Much less stressful!

[Who2]

Dodgy is the correct term, our be-knighted ex Honorary Consul managed to lose mine, prat that he was...

[Major Thom]

I had the same Carrie, but to save me flights etc I gave a hand written letter to DHL to pick up my passport and deliver it to the Luxor Office, I also responded to the Office in Cairo to tell them what I was doing. Total cost 50LE. Picked up me new passport from Luxor DHL 2 days later. There are ways around having to fly back and forth to Cairo. I was given this info. by my Lawyer who stamped my letter to make it official.

[Dusak]

Well the post office here had no letter for me, nor did both the sorting offices, one still insisting on a tracking number even though she kept telling them it was just an airmail stamp. The post office in karnak could not find anything, but told her to leave my name and number with the woman in the office. When she did so the woman stated ''Oh we know this English man, we have delivered many letters to his address.'' Load of gollocks, I've never received a letter in Egypt since I came here, always used friends coming over or Fed-Ex. So there must be another living here with my name. Not. Those working in these offices are just as imbecilic as those in the UK.

[Major Thom]

Does all this mean you have to start from the beginning again D, or can you speed up the progress in anyway?

[Dusak]

No, just waiting for them to find a biro that works to sign it off.