Passport help - please! WWYD?

[NotPennysBoat]

We are due to go to France from 10th to 20th August this year. DS's passport expires on 25th August.
The Passport Office are warning
"It is taking longer than the usual 3 weeks to process applications because of coronavirus (COVID-19). Do not apply unless you need a passport urgently for compassionate reasons, for example if a family member has died, or for government business."

To renew his passport I'd need to post the old one off - WWYD?

Keep current passport because it's valid for the current trip (but what if he falls ill or can't travel home for another reason - unlikely?)?
Renew passport and hope it comes in time?

I'm not looking for comments on COVID or whether we'll even be able to travel by that point - just don't know what's the least risky option WRT his passport...

You need six months beyond the date of travel so his current passport wouldn't be any good anyway.

@Freeekedout no you don't, not in the EU (until the end of 2020).

Are they doing in person appointments still? If not it's 6 weeks out, I would replace now. Call them for advice and put the date of travel as 2 weeks before you actually travel!

You’ll be fine travelling on the old passport. The 6 month validity doesn’t kick in until the end of the year, when we’ll have a no deal Brexit.

apply now for a new one.
iin case one of you gets ill and you need to stay there longer or in case there is a local lockdown.

I recently renewed my passport and it took a good while longer than normal, about a month I’d say.

I'm only hearing details on renewals from abroad, but passports are taking a LING time.
I wouldn't renew. Travel on the existing passport (which as you've already pointed out is fine for France as it is still valid for the duration of your trip).
I'm fairly sure you will be let back into the UK if the passport has expired due to some freak event. Might be worth taking something else that shows you are resident in the UK- library cards etc. My boss got back from Europe, through an intermediate country, on a police report his hire car had been broken into, and a very strong regional accent!

Anyone know if you can ask for documents back if they are in the process?
I sent mine off for renewal a month ago along with my German passport (they ask for all of them) and stupidly I just assumed it would be back by August. I'm less and less confident! But if I could get the German one back I could travel on that at least

I've just renewed my sons passport, it took 3 months from sending off his old one so I would risk it and not renew now.

I applied two weeks ago. It’s taken over a week from them receiving the passport to confirm receipt. I see your dilemma. I think it’s a bigger risk to have a passport that would expire if for some reason you’ve picked up Covid on holiday and weren’t able to travel back. Personally if I were you I would do the application this weekend and send it off on Monday special delivery and anticipate it taking say six weeks so you should be okay. There was a thread about a month ago whereby passports were taken around a month. You have nearly 2 months

It will be fine. I have travelled on emergency documents more than once (I don’t learn seemingly) but even that is not a massive deal.

Actually just saying the X post above with someone saying their Childs passport took three months I I personally wouldn’t risk it. I’m sure there would be a way of getting back if you ended up stuck longer than intended.

We sent ours off immediately before lockdown and they arrived last week.

I've just renewed my son's passport and it took 5 weeks from online application to email confirming approval (haven't received the new one yet but the email confirmed it's on its way). In your situation I probably wouldn't chance it. Particularly now that travel corridors are being negotiated and there may well be a surge of applications in advance of the summer holidays.

@Freeekedout that’s what I thought that you needed 6 months on your passport too.

@Freeekedout

You need six months beyond the date of travel so his current passport wouldn't be any good anyway.

Not true.

Dh went to the USA a couple of years ago with only 3 months left on his.

I know you said you didn't want a discussion about whether or not the trip will go ahead but personally I'd work on the assumption that it won't, we'll be the pariahs of the European tourist industry, so don't stress about the passport, and just plan what else you might do (in the UK) with those 10days of holiday.

Just checking you are aware there is currently a 14 day quarantine period for travelling to France from the UK (and obviously the UK imposed 14 days when you return)?

I renewed mine online last month and got it within two weeks.

Travel on the current one. The chance of him needing to extend his stay for some reason is unlikely. The chance of you not getting the passport it time is likely. If there were a problem you're in France not Outer Mongolia and you'll be able to obtain emergency documents. The 6 month rule doesn't apply within the EU it just has to in date.

I applied for my son's on 23rd May. I had a text the other day to say it is done and now in the post on its way back to us. Also needed for mid August (fingers crossed)

I applied online. It was really quick and easy- could you not do that?

Go with the one you have now. It’s valid and should an emergency occur that prevents you returning before the 25th you’ll still be fine, they won’t hold your ds in France. The likelihood of you having to overstay is way lower than the likelihood of you not getting your passport back from the passport office.

Travel on the old passport. Highly unlikely that you will be stuck in France. If you are you can get an emergency passport then.

I would be more concerned about the need to quarantine for 14 days then the passport tbh.

I have recently applied for two renewals (no changes which I think is important). One took three weeks, the other less than two. @passportwaiting on Twitter has up to date times passports are taking.