New passport, old one not expired

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I have two passports. My old passport was made in 2014 and it is to expire in July 2020. It is empty with no visas on it. I wanted to apply for a 2-year Master's program in Germany that will start in October 2018.

However someone told me my passport should be valid 6 months after my intended return date. So to stay on the safe side, I applied for a new passport a month ago and my old one has been cancelled. They put a stamp on it that a new passport had been issued.

Now the new one is the one I have to use. Will it create any problem at the German embassy? Will they ask why I got a new one while the old one was not yet expired? I will carry both passports on my interview day, but could this be a cause of visa rejection?



Best Answer

This is an absolutely normal thing to do, for exactly the reason you did it. You have nothing to worry about. Good luck with your interview and your studies.




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Whats the difference between renewing and getting a new passport?

What is the difference between passport renewal and passport re-issue? A passport is renewed to extend its validity. On the other hand, a passport is re-issued if you require a new passport.



When Renewing A Passport, Always Get The Old One Back!




More answers regarding new passport, old one not expired

Answer 2

While I haven't been able to verify your info about the validity of the passport, I don't think you have to worry. According to this site, the passport has to be valid for three months upon arrival. On the other hand, they suggest that the passport be valid for the duration of the course.

As ajd already mentioned, people frequently apply for a new passport before the old one expires, mostly to get the new passport before the old one expires (regular processing time in Germany is 4-6 weeks, just to give you some numbers), or because they changed their name, because the pages are full, because they don't resemble their picture any more, ...

I don't think you will be asked about the renewal, but if they ask, don't overexplain. A simple "I wanted the passport to be valid for the entire duration so I don't have to worry about it" sounds like a perfectly valid reason to me.

Answer 3

The old one is cancelled, so expiration date and all the data in there has no more meaning.

But if you wrote somewhere in the form the number of your old passport, it is better to have with you also the cancelled one. It will speed up things: it shows up that you control both passports (so no identity theft), and that both passport are for the same person (especially if you have a common name, this could slow down things).

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