My passport is my everything! It’s my favorite and most important document (no doubt)!
One thing about me is that I’m not a procrastinator, I don’t like to be running and worrying about something in a short amount of time. If you see me procrastinating is because I absolutely, totally and completely forgot!
So… Even though my passport was still valid for about another 8 months, today I went to get it renewed. In many countries they allow you to renew your passport one year before expiring (check your country's requirements and recommendations about renewing documents).
I’ve been meaning to renew it for a while now mainly because someday I’ll get called to do a one year internship in the United States that got suspended (yeah, because of our bff the virus).
My experience renewing my Spanish passport during COVID-19 times!
Note: I’m writing about what I went through and this could vary depending on the city, region and country. Check your country’s requirements and recommendations about renewing documents)
An appointment is a must!
I got my appointment online and it was actually very fast! I thought I had to wait some weeks since so many people were renewing their documents too. But surprisingly I only had to wait a couple days. Before COVID-19 you were able to present yourself and try to get things done if someone missed their appointment or if it wasn’t so busy. Now, the person in the entrance will not let you in without an appointment (I saw a couple people trying to convince him).
For my appointment, I chose the first hour after lunch and it was a great time because the workers were getting there from lunch and I was practically the only one in there. So I recommend you to do this if you are able to choose a time to go!
Inside, you have to wear the latest and most popular accessory. I think you already know what it is….. YES A MASK! WOHOO! (sarcasm). You’ll also find hand sanitizer at the entrance and if you have to wait to be called, the seats are marked to respect social distance. These new protocols are veryyyy appreciated to keep us safe.
I only waited a few minutes before getting called to the desk. There were protection screens set up between the worker and I, protecting us both while the process is getting done. The service to renew the Spanish passport is amazing since you’ll get the new one right away without wait for it to get mailed to you!
Since I had a visa in the passport I was renewing, I had to request getting this old passport back and keep it with me. They only had to make some cuts on the borders as a mark that this passport is not valid but the visa will still be valid by showing both passports. I personally think you should keep your old passports cut this way to have it as proof for anything that comes up. I’ve heard a couple stories about people not able to get legal stuff done because they don’t have their old passports. So, just to be safe.
Overall, renewing my passport during COVID-19 times was pretty great. Besides the new protocols to stay safe, everything else remained normal.
Now I wonder from where will be the next stamp in my passport? Let the travels and adventures begin!
Follow related posts: #Passport #Covid19 #Experience #Travel2020
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