Anyone applied for or renewed their passport recently? How long did it take?

[Nutellaoffaspoon]

Hi,

Starting to panic a bit, as we're applying online to renew my dds passport, but she's recently changed her name by deed poll, so it's made the whole process much more complicated. Have had to gather lots of information.

It says it should take a maximum of 3 weeks to receive your new passport, but we're going away in 3 weeks exactly!

I would have done the fast track service, when you go in to the passport office and get it in a week, but my DP had already started applying and paid online, so this isn't an option anymore.

Apparently you can call them once they've received all your paperwork and ask for them to speed it up, at a price obviously, but there's no guarantees you'll be accepted.

Anyone been in a similar situation or have any advice?

Thanks.

Did ours online in July. Super efficient and depite the time of year took less than 2 weeks. As your is more complicated though it might take longer.

fussy, thank you. Slightly reassuring, although as you say, mine is more complicated.

I just wish I could cancel this application and make an appointment to go in. At least then it was guaranteed. It's horrible not knowing!

We got a child renewal in under a week recently

I applied last week. Simple renewal. I posted my old passport on the Monday afternoon and had my new one back on Friday morning.

I did mine at the beginning of September and it took just over a week ( once I sent back the old passport). That was a straight forward renewal with new photos. I did it all online with a digital photo. Was impressed how easy and quick it was!

I did mine (renewal and name change) and DDs (first passport) a couple of months ago and got them both within 2 weeks.

Just did both my kids renewal. Took less than 2 weeks- that was applying online. Theirs are a little more complicated due to having different surnames to me and I had to send off extra paperwork but didn’t seem to hold it up at all.

Did my DDs on 8th September renewal of an out of date child to an adult it arrived today. So easy did it on line uploaded a new photo and done. They’ve text to tell us where it was up to st every stage. Do it ASAP should be with you

I got a first passport for my eldest in three days earlier this year. I think they’re working well within timeframes at the moment. Good luck.

Ok, this is making me slightly less panicky.

I renewed mine online in mid-August. I think it took 6 days in total. I got regular updates (via text and email) telling me what stage it was at throughout the process.

Just done mine and both kids - mine was a name change after marriage and a renewal Cos it had expired. Both kids were expired and one needed the photo certifying as her last one was as a baby and not recognisable. From posting the forms and stuff off to getting the new passports it only took a week.
We applied and paid online then printed the forms.

I just recently applied for 3 first time passports for my kids. I applied on Monday and got a letter on Friday saying they needed my marriage certificate that I posted to them on Friday afternoon. I got a text on the following Tuesday saying that I'd have my passports in a few days. I got them on Thursday. I also had a name change with a new birth certificate. It'll be fine. Honestly.

Thanks for all the reassuring messages. I hope this is the norm and you weren't all just incredibly lucky

I did mine online with deed poll change & triple checked i had included everything...took less than 10 days to get back!

Mine took less than a week about a month ago. My cousin works in the passport office and says they are often fairly quiet at this time of year.

Oh this is reassuring as I need to do similar. For those of you that have done this online, do you just take your own photo and upload it? (Sorry for hijaking OP)

You can either upload your own photo or you get a code to put in when you have your photos done in a photo shop. No matter what I did, the website was unhappy with my home photo, so I gave up and spent the £10 in Jessops. Worked first time!

We did ours fasttrack (same day as the appointment, after uploading photos online) - they were excellent, when DP's photo was rejected they emailed and called to ask us to try again, they were really on the ball with it all. (and the same day processing was most impressive too - although not nearly as great as that you can take your own pictures on the mobile now)

I read somewhere (Martin Lewis I think) that any left over time on your old passport is no longer being added on. You used to be able to renew up to 9 months before expiration and the time was added to your new passport.

Another question- If I have changed my name, but my passport still has my maiden name, do I (as person applying) put my married or maiden name?

We found out fours before we went on holiday that dcs passport had expired. Panic! Especially as he was going from a child’s adult passport. The passport took 12 days to come, and that was with them rejecting the first photo. We did it online.

I'd put my married name and enclose my marriage certificate if you want to change your name.
I also used check and send at the post office. It is more expensive but as time was of the essence, I thought it was worth it.

Renewed mine early August after realising it’d run out in July, for a trip end of August. Like you I panicked thinking it’d take weeks as I also had to alter details - panicked, ran it through... in the end it took five days! I did pay extra to make sure everything run smoothly though wrt the forms etc! Iirc I paid £100 total?