UK passport awareness campaign kicks-off in Cyprus
British High Commission representatives have paid a visit to the Silverline Private School in Limassol to launch a new passport awareness campaign targeted at British expat and dual national children.
The #PassportHero campaign aims to raise awareness of passport renewal and passport safety, targeting children specifically to better understand what a passport is, how important it is for passports to be kept safe, and to pass on these messages to their parents.
After colouring in their Passport Hero, children are encouraged to ask their parents to share their drawing on social media with the hashtag #PassportHero to spread the message.
The British High Commission regularly runs consular campaigns, given the large numbers of British visitors to and residents on the island, but #Passport Hero is the first one specifically targeted at children.
Vice Consul Christina Smith said: "We’re grateful to Silverline School for their help in launching #PassportHero. Raising awareness about passports with children is a great way of also influencing behaviour in adults. You never know when you may need to travel so having a valid passport is important. Many people do not realise that if they let their passports lapse for more than 10 years, they will be considered as first time applicants if they then seek to renew - which can be a far more complicated procedure. It is therefore best to keep your passport valid”.
Each year, the consular service of the British High Commission issues over 250 Emergency Travel Documents where British nationals, or Cypriots with dual nationality, have lost, had stolen, or most commonly have let their passports expire.
British Embassy staff presented prizes to Silverline pupils for the best coloured in Passport Heros, as selected by High Commissioner Matthew Kidd.
The winning designs will be featured on the High Commission’s social media channels at:
www.facebook.com/ukincyprus and www. twitter.com/ukincyprus.
British nationals can now renew your British passport online at:
www.gov.uk/overseas-passports in a quick and simple procedure. The turnaround time is currently 4-6 weeks and the passports can be delivered directly to your home address in Cyprus.
More information on other consular services provided by the British High Commission is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/world/cyprus
Commenting on recent Cypriot concerns about possible changes to entry requirements to the UK because of Brexit, a High Commission spokesperson said: "For the time being, the UK remains a full member of the European Union. This means that there are no visa requirements for EU nationals wanting to visit the UK. Cypriots are currently able to visit the UK using their Cypriot ID cards only, provided that this mentions your nationality as "Cypriot” or Cypriot/British on the reverse side. But we recommend also, in line with the messages of the Passport Hero campaign, that UK passport holders keep their UK passports valid”
— © FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE CYPRUS