Adult Simplified Renewal Passport: Fill & Download for Free

I’d probably argue (i) no, and (ii) is “bureaucratized” really a word?Two main reasons for my opinion:Firstly, in the US you usually have two different sources of bureaucracy - the Federal government, and the state you live in. That just creates a lot of paperwork any time you want to, claim, file or generally do anything.Secondly, culturally, Britain tends to try and simplify things in terms of interaction between the state and the individual. They don’t always succeed, but there is a real culture of trying to make things easy if they can.If you compare taxes: the UK has a very simple tax form, and a telephone line where you can call up, talk to a real human being and discuss any issue, and they try to make it easy as possible for you to get it right. We even get nice cartoon figures like “Hector the inspector” as part of the general push to put a friendly face on things and make life easy. The US, by contrast, take the “cattle prod” approach to taxation. They produce leviathan forms that make no sense, give you little or no guidance, and penalties for any minor errors can be severe.Take passport applications. In the UK you fill out your first one on paper and thereafter (even for kids) you just renew your passport online and get it sent to you. So simple, so easy. In the US - oh my goodness. To get a US child’s passport issued or renewed both parents have to attend in person and be interviewed. Even as an adult you have to attend in person - there is no ‘just renew it online’.My overall sense is that there is just more hostility and mistrust between state and citizen in the US, and the way that they interact reacts that relative level of friendliness or lack thereof.That’s my opinion having had broad experience of both countries. YMMV.

I believe that, generally, it is quite normal (and certainly not illegal) to mail passports across international borders. In fact, if you are in the USA or the Bermuda, and your Canadian approaches expiration, you cannot renew it at a local Canadian consulate; you must send it (by a secure carrier, such as Express Mail / FedEx etc) to the Canadian Passport Office in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. (Or, of course, you can drive/fly to Canada personally if you have the time). The Canadian Passport Office will then send your new passport by mail to your US (or Bermudan, if you are so lucky) address: How to renew your passportWhen in other foreign countries, Canadian citizens usually can renew their passports at the Canadian consular offices in those regions, and, depending on the local condition, those offices may suggest that you send the passport to them by mail. (E.g. the Canadian High Commission in London, UK: Instructions for an Adult Abroad Simplified Renewal Passport Application). Since in some smaller countries there are no Canadian consular offices, it appears likely that Canadian citizens in those countries would also need to mail their passport across the border to the Canadian consular office in some nearby country.Similarly, when one applies for a visa, one often can choose to mail one’s passport to the appropriate country’s consulate (or to some approved agent that works with the consulate), and then have it send back to him. So for example if there is no Chinese or Russian consulate in the country where you are, you most likely will need to send your passport to another country, the one where the consulate serving your current location is. This is considered quite normal in most parts of the world.Of course, with 200+ independent states in the world, some countries may prohibit mailing passports; you need to inquire locally. Presumably, the agency you want to send your passport to (a consulate, a travel agent, etc) should now what the rules in that region are, if they want to stay in business and to avoid conflicts with the local authorities.