UK to stop issuing passports here in May, TA consulate confirms.
By RUTH EGLASH
As of May 3, British citizens living in Israel will no longer be able to obtain or renew their passports at the British Consulate in Tel Aviv, but will have to send their applications by courier service to Paris, a British Embassy spokesman confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.Once the change goes into effect, the consulate will only be available to issue emergency travel documents or deal with other consular issues, such as issuing British birth certificates to citizens born outside the UK.He also said that all British passports would continue to have “issued by UK, Passports Authority” stamped inside them, so that it would not be clear where the British citizen is currently residing.Reiterating that the change was nothing to do with the recent Dubai incident – in which Mossad agents are suspected of using forged British passports to assassinate Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last January – the spokesman said it was part of long-term plan to centralize the issuing of British passports.“There will six or seven main hubs around the world for issuing Britishpassports and Paris will be one of them,” he said, adding thateventually all British passports will be issued in London.“Wewill put up exact details of the new procedure on our Web site soon,”he said, adding that relevant documents and forms will be available fordownload from there.The Israeli-based British citizens whosepassports were forged and used in the Dubai hit had been contacted byBritish Embassy staff and were offered support services, he said. Somewere issued with new biometric passports, which are more difficult toforge, he said.