Anyone recently applied for a passport ?

[Liveinthepresent]

My passport has expired and I went online to start an application - there is a message advising they are under pressure and to wait unless urgent.
I don't have travel booked at present but things may change and I don't like not having my main ID valid.
So would it be wrong of me to apply regardless and has anyone done so recently to give me an,idea of timescales ?
Thanks

My DH has just had his renewed - it took around 2 weeks I think

I applied a few weeks ago. It took a couple of weeks. The biggest delay seemed to be waiting on my old passport to be received, according to the online tracking, even though I sent it special delivery. I expected it to take much longer so I was pleasantly surprised.

We filled in the online form 2 weeks ago even though it said not to. Got an email yesterday saying the new passport is on its way.

I just renewed one for my son- took 3 weeks. I’m sure that’s quicker than normal!

I applied 2 months ago and still waiting - it is being processed but keep getting emails saying "sorry for the delay due to lockdown". I think it depends where your passport application is being dealt with.

How did you all get your passport photographs taken?

You can just take you own on your phone and upload it digitally if you're doing an online form. Or passport photo booth if they're still open at the moment.

We’ve just sent ours and are waiting. Travel booked for 7 weeks time, it’s been booked since Christmas but I’ve been waiting to apply because the page said not to, the message changed last week to say you could if you had travel booked before September. @eyeoresancerre which office did yours go to? Ours have gone to two different places....It’ll be annoying if everything works out that we can go then we can’t because we don’t have passports! Kicking myself for not ignoring the message and applying anyway now.

@taybert - I'm in Oxfordshire but I don't know where the passport is coming from as I uploaded everything online and I just have text and email updates. I know I had to send my old passport off to Belfast and they received it quickly. My application now says it's all processed and fine so I'm just waiting for my new passport to come through the post. Sorry not much help. When it arrives - I'll check & see which office it came from and let you know.

I did mine 2 weeks ago online and had text to say it's all been approved. Agree with pp that the longest part was getting them to confirm they'd received the old passport via rec. delivery.

OP, you mention the message that 'discourages' people from applying unless they really need to. Mine expires next month, as does my driving licence. I can only update my photo driving licence online with a valid passport (they use the same pic and use passport as acceptable ID). Therefore, I am mainly getting passport done for driving licence, otherwise I'd face a fine. This is one reason so many are having to update passports, not for travel, but ID and saving risk of a fine. This is their urgency.

We recently did ours and they came back very quickly. We have the old style paper driving licences so our passports are our only form of photo ID and they were about to run out.
So many things require photo ID nowadays.

Thanks @eyeoresancerre, I assumed the office where the old one was sent was where it would be processed but don’t actually know! It seems a bit random now, I’m sure they used to be done by the “local” office but I’m in North Yorks and one has gone to Glasgow and the other Peterborough. I would also feel twitchy not having a valid passport- I use two names and my passport is the official way of linking the two, I can’t predict when I’ll need to prove that, even if we’re not going away.

@taybert - you might actually be my luck charm! Look what just arrived in the post. It's come from the Peterborough office. Looking at the dates it's been 9 weeks since I sent uploaded the forms. Looks like others are getting them much quicker though so fingers crossed!

Oo look! REALLY hoping ours don’t take 9 weeks but glad yours is back.

I just came to ask exactly the same question.

In that case I'll get on with it. Its a child application so more of a faff but it expired the day before yesterday. We've got no holiday booked but like others I like to have these things up to date just in case.

I keep checking if they’ve received the old ones yet. I am not a patient person.

I'm also wondering about this. Every time I check the website, the message softens somewhat from "not unless it's life or death" to "we'd really rather you waited". It's hard to know what to do.

I applied online on 02 June, it still says it’s being processed.

2 weeks from start to finish here, done in May in order to renew driving licence as DVLA are doing almost nothing.

You can take your own photo, if the checker says 'fair' or above it should go through. Worth some effort with correct background and expression. Just ignore the 'we'd rather you waited' thing, if you need it, you need it.

anything other than simple adult renewal is chancy.

oh yes - photocard licences have FINALLY been extended.

Oh god I don't know whether to be relieved or more twitchy! We have a holiday booked on 1st Aug. Sent child renewal on 22nd June, old passport should've been received 24th June but it hasn't been updated as received yet.
We did our own photo as all booths not working, which was deemed fair. I was expecting a rejection as our other DC passport they rejected so many photos we took ourselves that we got it down in booth. Hopefully the photo has passed, but I'm worried that it just hasn't been reviewed.
🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

So do digital photos that you upload yourself not need countersigning by someone who knows you?

Photos don’t need countersigning for a renewal if they can tell it is you and you haven’t changed too much, this is both with uploaded photos and booth photos, not sure about children though.

OP I would definitely apply now or you may need it countersigning if you leave it too long

Countersignature not needed if you still look like your photo.

I did mine online by uploading a code from a photo booth and it didn’t ask for a counter signature but for DS who is 5 (a renewal too) they asked for an email address for someone who could verify his identity.

How long did it take between sending the old passports and then saying they’d been received? I’m getting twitchy!