Conference tallis::celt

    I believe that your old passport will be returned to you, marked
    cancelled. This has certainly been the case whenever I've renewed
    mine. If you have an open-ended B1/B2 visa in your current passport,
    the authorities will allow you to retain that passport for use in
    conjunction with the new.
    
    sl�n
    
    Pat

    .1 is correct. I got a new EC/purple one 3 weeks ago (here in Germany)
    and they return your old one. My American visa is still in the old
    one and until I go and get it transferred, then to travel to the
    States I'll need to carry both. By the way, the new ones are fine.
    Apart from the colour you can easily tell what country someone is
    from. The Irish one has a harp in the Middle and is fully bi-lingual 
    (Irish, English), with a few other EC languages just explaining
    that it is indeed a Passport.
    
    	- Robin...........

    I'll second that, mine was renewed some weeks ago, the old passport
    was sent back with the new...
    
    my brother and I travelled around Germany last year using the new
    passport the only problem he had was that no one had seen the new
    format before!, I guess that only time will fix that
    
    Jonathan

    Why oh why couldn't they let us keep our old passports. I don't mind
    being a European in spirit but I want above all to be Irish in
    nationality. My GREEN passport was important to me. I think that maybe
    we should take a page out of the French book on how to solve problems.
    Lets revolt until they return the GREEN passports.
    
    Kieran
    IRISH and Proud of It

>    Why oh why couldn't they let us keep our old passports. I don't mind
>    being a European in spirit but I want above all to be Irish in
>    nationality. My GREEN passport was important to me. I think that maybe

In Italy, passports states both European Community and Italian Republic
so you can chose to be European, Italian or both ...
I don't think that what is written is importan, rather I think it's important
how one feels ..

Mauro
Cosmopolitan and sad of it's only an utopia.

    Re -2
    
    Shades of Maggie here I think.....
    
    Its somewhat sad that we continue to uphold insular ideals when
    they obviously affect practicalities....
    
    Its MUCH EASIER to travel around EEC countries with a conforming
    passport....for those Irish who"ve had to endure coming into
    England through the "alien" channels at Passport control in the past,
    life has certainly become a lot less hassle since the intro of the
    standard passport....
    
    Lets really go for this single market approach, a European currency 
    is an excellent idea in my opinion....and leave Maggie  with her
    neck proverbially buried in the sand.
    
    By the way, I did LOVE my old green passport and will always treasure
    it .
    
    Erin go brath
    
    Sean.
    

    re.6
    
    Some years ago I travelled around Europe on an interrail card.My
    friend had the green passport and I had the "new European passport".
    I got checked leaving Britain entering
    Hungary,Romania,Italy,Switzerland and finally back to good old Britain.
    By checked I mean searched (luggage wise)and asked questions.MY
    Friend did NOT get stopped at all.
    
    Perhaps I am paranoid but I dont think so!
    what do you think
    
    regards
    brendan
    
    

    Same here ,no hassle with Irish Passport in Europe but a tour-mate
    with an British Passport was treated frostily on every occasion.
    We were on a European tour ,seven countries in two weeks,and everywhere
    the Irish passport holders were accorded every courtesy,not so the
    British passport holder.One complaint though the Irish passport
    is too big and bulky for modern pockets,I hope the new/nouveau...
    Euro passport is smaller and handier to carry around.
    I dont mind the colour as long as its not blue...:).
    

    
    Re Blake(s) .7
    
    Sorry Brendan ,but I could"nt resist that one!
    
    You are only re-iterating the point I was trying to make...that
    coming into Britain "bearing the Green" was analagous to making
    yourself a second class citizen......now that they"re all the same
    colour the old Brit Passport guys have to REALLY keep theirs eyes
    skinned for the old Harp.
    
    Also I only commented on EEC countries....I havent been to other 
    Euro countries outside the Market...I know Italy is there but just
    look at .5 as to the reason they"re getting confused!
    
    Sean (Lets make all European Passports GREEN)

>    Also I only commented on EEC countries....I havent been to other 
>    Euro countries outside the Market...I know Italy is there but just
>    look at .5 as to the reason they"re getting confused!

Sorry but I don't feel confused ...
Mauro.

P.S.: I crossed a lot of borders with my euro passport (including Ulster)
with no problem (just checked only once entering UK).

    Can someone please give me the address of the passport Office in
    Dublin, as I only have a one Year one, and I would like to get my
    full passport(Irish of course).  I would be most grateful if someone
    would pass me on the information.
    
    Regards
    
    Clare
    
    (User name Maybinc @hhl)
    

    
    
    
    	Clare:   This might work   ........
    
    	Passport Office
    	Molesworth Steet
    	Dublin 2
    	Ireland
                                   
    
    
    
    	keVin
    

    
    
    	Clare: One other piece of info ....

                
    	The cost for a 10 year passport (for us Yanks) is �35.
    
    
    
    	keVin
    

    re: .11
    
    It should be simpler and faster to wander into the Irish Embassy 
    in London.
    
    
    Liam

    Liam,
    
    Where is the Embassy?  Although I have been here nearly 1 year I
    still get lost quite often.  I would be grateful for any info.
    
    Clare
    

    It is 22 years since I was last in it so I am not sure of the address
    but it hasn't moved and I still know how to get there.  All my maps are
    at work and I am at home but I think the address is Chapel Street SW1.
    Walk from Hyde Park Corner (not the corner at Marble Arch but the one
    at the other end of Park Lane) towards Victoria with the walls of
    Buckingham Palace on your left.  The Embassy is on the second or third
    road on your right and the building itself is on the corner. 
    
    I remember I was able to walk in with all my papers and walk away
    with my first passport without any delay.    
    
    Liam
                                                                        

If memory serves, it is in grove_ner - oops, Grosvenor Place.


Irish Embassy
17 GrosvenoR Place,
london SW1

(01) 235.2171
Passport office is (01) 245.9033

(These are from my notebook, and date from 5 or 6 years ago)

regards,
Mike

    You're right, Mike.  Grovesnor Place is the name of the road going down
    from Hyde Park Corner.  It has a more imposing ring to it than Chapel
    Street and makes a much better address! The Embassy is on the corner of
    Grosvenor Place and Chapel Street but the entrance is actually on
    Chapel Street.
    
    Liam

For what its worth,

I have just returned from three weeks interrailing around Europe. I
visited five different countries and I was only asked to open my
passport once. Usually, the police/customs would only look at the cover,
or colour of the passport and wave me on. I have a purple EC passport.

Last year I visited, four countries on continental europe and was only
asked to open my passport three times, once in Switzerland, twice in
Gibraltar.

I also find that it fits your jeans pocket and is flexible enough not to
cause discomfort.

Then again I never had a green passport, what you never had you don't
miss.

As for entering the UK. I have gone to Ayr several times in the last few
months on Aer Lingus flights to Glasgow. I never carried a passport at
all. They seemed quite happy to accept my DIGITAL badge.

I bet some people were sad to see the advent of the "new pence" too.

That's all for now.


Kevin. (Passport No. K077132)

    
    
    	Kevin: Are you working in Mr. Giblin's Organization ??

                                                   
    
    
    	keVin