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...

I would renew it. There was a delay in passport applications being processing during April/May but it seems to be getting sorted now. I am following the passport waiting times web page and some are getting theirs back within a couple of weeks.

Travelling in a group at arrival of the ferry terminal one person’s passport was out of date.

They were sent over to an office dockside and the very helpful people did a few back office checks and stamped the passport valid for an extra 6 months.

If by any chance you were held up there are existing processes to extend the validity of the passport.

Really doubt you need to be concerned about quarantine upon return in August. Travel corridors are likely to be agreed in the next couple of weeks and France will almost certainly be part of that.

We've just booked a holiday in Portugal leaving on the 10th July and are confident the "corridors" will be in place by the time we return. If not we'll just have to stay at home for 2 weeks, much as we have been for the past 3 months.

Really doubt you need to be concerned about quarantine upon return in August.

It was on arrival that I thought would be more problematic.

However yes, you are correct it's possible that will be gone by August anyway

I know someone who flew back with an out of date passport, no problem, he said he was flying back to renew it.
You don't need to have 6 months left in EU

I believe, but I may be wrong, that you can return to your own country with an out of date passport providing you have other proof of ID.

Thanks all, I think from the responses above it would be more risky to send the passport off than to travel with the current one.

We have renewed DDs passport this week. It expires end June & we are hoping to travel mid August. We were told we would have it in the next 3 weeks. We live in Liverpool, a main processing city for passports & have friends who work for the agency who have all gone back to work full time last week so it's not improbable.

I renewed mine, as did DD2 two weeks ago.. they warned there would be a delay... and we both got them back 5 days later!

Renewed mine last week for similar reasons and had it back within a week. I did go to Timpsons to get a photo though as I didn’t want to risk the one we took at home.

Oh I'd go.

If you get stuck and have to forge a new life in France you'll probably still end up better off than you would in post-Brexit Britshambles.

I renewed mine in May using online system and got it back in 8 days