Superheroes to keep passports safe in UAE

Abu Dhabi - Enter Superhero Consular Carol, who is on a mission to 'protect all British passports around the world.

The British Embassy has taken a leaf out of superhero comics to encourage expats to look after their passports and ensure renewal on time.
The embassy is running a short campaign using comic strips on their social media sites to convey the message.

Enter Superhero Consular Carol, who is on a mission to 'protect all British passports around the world' and also save expats from paying for emergency travel documents.
The concern is not without a reason as the British embassies in the Gulf region have issued more than 200 Emergency Travel Documents (ETD) last year.
At Dh480, getting an ETD is costly, time consuming and inconvenient. Most requests for ETDs could have been avoided if people had checked the validity of their and their family's passports, the embassy said.
British Ambassador to the UAE Philip Parham noted the campaign as a fun way to raise awareness.

"Our passports are one of the most important documents that we possess. But so many of us fail to renew them in time or misplace them and don't notice until it's too late. This campaign is to flag, in a fun way, some of the passport related issues that our consular section witnesses in the hope that we can help prevent people from making the same mistakes. Having to apply for an ETD can add further stress to what is already a difficult situation and you will still need to get a new passport before you can re-enter the UAE."
Superhero Consular Carol tells expats how Brits should avoid carrying passport to beaches, check pockets before pushing clothes into washing machine and how the document shouldn't end up being munched by pets.
The embassy urges expats to check when their passports are due to expire and make a diary note to renew them up to nine months before they expire.
Contrary to perception, if a passport is renewed before it expires, the remaining validity of up to nine months will be added to the new one. Thus none will lose out on validity one has paid for, the embassy said.
There is another comic strip which warns about the effects of not noticing the expiry date of passport, thus, missing out on dream holidays, family gathering and job opportunity.
As Sam and family found out in one of the comic strips: "It can take up to six weeks to get a new passport during peak times," Sam's wife finds out and thus ruining their planned holiday for next week.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com  
 

• UAE