Had to renew my passport last year. I phoned the UK embassy here for an application form, and it arrived the following day. Duly filled it all in and posted it the same day along with my expired passport. I received my new passport in 5 days. I could have gone to the embassy in Nicosia and received it the same day, but wasn't in any hurry this time. Another reason, the Nicosia traffic is absolute Madness during the day...lol!! (Not as Bad as in China i hasten to add..lol!!)
From what i can make out, The American passport system is somewhat antiquated compared to most other western countries, especially Europe
David.....