Bermudians renewing their British passports are being told to hang on to them during hurricane season.
The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued the advice on its website for the British Embassy in Washington, DC, where islanders apply.
Instead, Bermudians should send in a photocopy of their passport and the new one will then be issued.
Evacuation
This will enable them to keep hold of important personal documentation in the event of a disaster or major hurricane.
The FCO states: “To avoid applicants being without travel documents during Hurricane Season only (June 1-November 30), applicants from Bermuda will not need to send their current passports with the renewal application.
“They will however need to provide a photocopy. (The application should also include a covering letter explaining why the current passport is not included.)
“The old passport must only be used in the event of an evacuation and for ID purposes only.
“This is because the passport issuing system will automatically cancel the old passport from the UK passport database as the new passport is being processed.
“Applicants should not attempt to travel on an invalid travel document. When the new passport is received, applicants should call into, or send their old passport, to their nearest British Embassy, High Commission or Governor’s Office to complete the cancellation process.”
For more information go to http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/