Passport application or renewal timelines in one place at a glance -add yours!

[EveSix]

In the light of the hefty current backlog of processing passport applications, I thought it might be informative to start a thread for keeping an eye on other people's timelines for the applications for and renewal of UK passports. Personally, I'm hoping for reassurance at best, or a grim-faced reality check at worst.
I'll start. How about this format:
Type of passport requested: 2x DC UK renewals
Date of application: 18th of April
Method: Check and Send at local post office
Anyone want to add their stats?

Update passport arrived today 😀 so a straightforward online renewal and sending old passport straight away by first class recorded took just over 3 weeks from start to finish

Further update: passport arrived today, 8 weeks and 1 day after we applied.

X1 child renewal
Online application 23/04
Countersigned 24/4
Old passport received 27/4 via RM tracking

^No update or text to say they’ve received it yet
Getting a bit freaked out as holiday on 06/06^

Its being done in Peterborough. It did say 5 weeks when I made the application.

Going to be a close call!

UPDATE- message that photo has been rejected received yesterday. Uploaded another one at 10am this morning. Text at 5pm saying approved and passport being printed!

Holiday in just over 3 weeks so can now unclench!

Last update: passport received today.

Timeline in reverse: this was an online application and the office was Peterborough.

Passport received: 12 May.
Passport printed 9:46am on 11 May 2022
Application approved 5:35pm on 9 May 2022
Documents received 5:07pm on 5 May 2022
Application received 10:34am on 19 April 2022
Identity details received 10:34am on 19 April 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 1:08pm on 17 April 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 12:51pm on 17 April 2022
Application submitted 12:51pm on 17 April 2022

Total was 3/12 weeks from submission of the application.

Good luck everyone!

DD1 applied online 18th April new passport was delivered by TNT 29/04 , old passport sent back to Bootle.

DD2 applied online 18th April new passport delivered by DHL 11/05, old passport was sent to Peterborough.

Has anyone had any luck getting a fast track passport once theirs is being processed? If so can you message me. We haven’t had any luck. The people on the phone can’t help. We have escalated it to the fast track team but that relies on email.

I have tried my MP and the Director General but literally no movement. Any tips appreciated.

Mariel, General, Choco, Bumble and Runner, that is such good news! A bit of a range in the respective time frames, but all under 10 weeks, which must perhaps at this time be considered a bonus!
I distracted myself by booking a short UK break as a sort of pre-emptive consolation prize, in case my applications fail to go through in time for our trip abroad. But perhaps that means I've jinxed it...
Halle, I can't quite bring myself to try to engage with them as is seems such a head-against-brickwall mission. Well done for escalating your case, and the very best of luck. Fingers crossed for you!

Sent mine and DD’s off on 3rd May for renewal and got them back yesterday

. Sent DS 3 days later and they’re saying still not received his old passport (which I sent on 6th May) and it just seems to have stalled. Sent the old passport registered Mail but I can’t find the tracking info anywhere so no now just hoping for some updates. Don’t travel until August but still making me feel a bit sick. His is at Belfast - anyone else had any experience with this office?

Update:

DC2 old passport received at Bootle office 4 May
New passport received by us yesterday (12 May)
So that was a pretty impressive 8 day turnaround.

DC1 - old passport still not acknowledged as returned (was delivered to them on 4 May). Grr.

I did the application for my son's renewal about 4 days before going on holiday for 12 days. Just back today and it came yesterday so I reckon about just short of 3 weeks here. To be honest every renewal I've done over the past couple of years (large family) has been around the 2-3 week mark. Normally do them this time of year.

We’ve just postponed our hol so we go end of July now instead of May h/t, cost an extra £500 but at least we haven’t lost it like some people have. Until now every passport I’ve done has been turned around in a couple of weeks but they really seem to be in chaos at the moment. There’s people with been waiting since Feb (and earlier) losing holidays and flights while later applications just breeze through. So glad we had the option to change and not have to stress about upgrading to fast track today as it would have been within the last 2 weeks (still no guarantee) or turning up at the passport office 48 hours before the flight and queuing (still no guarantee). Bojo is apparently talking about privatising the pp office to sort it out - as if that would help?!

Not waiting for a passport but DS who is a student responded to an advert for temp staff to work in the Glasgow passport office 6pm to 10pm every night to clear the backlog over the summer.

That was 3 weeks ago and he's heard nothing back. So their recruitment appears to be very slow too.

Child to adult renewal-application 26th April, approved 11th May and text last night saying printed and being sent to courier!

Child first passport-application 26th April, birth cert received 10th may, nothing more

Child lost passport renewal-application 26th April, last update is its being processed 6th May. Was given lost reference over the phone last week and did webchat to check that it was on the application as I was told it would be and the person I chatted with said it was so 🤞

Mine, adult renewal with name change-application 5th May and still on send marriage certificate which was sent next day and signed for on the Monday as the office wasn't taking post over the weekend according to royal mail tracking.

All done online and pictures taken with my phone!

That's very interesting, KnitPurl. Hm...

2 x adult renewals.
All done online with digital photos uploaded.
Old passports sent by recorded delivery at the Post Office, one going to Durham, one going to Peterborough.
All done 12.5.22
Tracking says application received / submitted 12.5.22.
Going away mid August.
Fingers crossed 🤞…..

@HalleLouja I had a fast track appointment at London this week. If you have an appointment they won't print the passport but you get it posted in a week (I went on Thursday so am waiting for it). Mine was a renewal and I hadn't previously applied.

There were 2 queues - 1 for people with appointments and then another for people with queries about where their passports were that they had applied for. Some of those people were able to get their passports on the same day. There was a man at the counter next to me who had made some screw up with his application and it was with Durham (he was going on about his MP being involved but tbh I don't think telling the staff made any difference!) and the woman behind the counter was looking something up at Durham to see if they could find where it was. I left before I got the conclusion!

@OrangeBall which office did you go to? My husband said that in London they turned people away when he went to the FT appointment for my daughter.

I know my application is in Peterborough but there is no passport. My appointment is in Durham…

@HalleLouja I was at the Victoria office on Thursday. They were 2 queues - 1 for those with FT appointments and 1 for those with enquiries about their passports that had already been put in but not come back. I spoke to someone whose passport was still stuck in Durham and he had turned up to find out what had gone wrong but not sure if he had pre booked. He was in the enquiries queue

Btw it took me 2 days to get the appointment and I got up at 2am to do it as it seemed to be when the appointments were released!

Type of passport: child renewal
Date of application: 20th March
Method digital application

Took 3 weeks for HMPO to acknowledge receipt of old passport despite me posting it the same day.

Application was mysteriously switched from digital approval to manual approval (a slower process that occurs when there the application is deemed 'non-standard') without any explanation why. Nothing happened for 7 weeks. Application didn't move forward at all but got bumped around several passport offices for reasons only known to HMPO.

This week, went to the passport office in person and spent two days trying to understand why my application had stalled. Staff confirmed that the application was sound and started trying to process it - at which point it disappeared off their system as the automatic system bumped it, again, it a different office. At this point the staff suggested I submit a paper application and they would expedite it. Submitted paper application and got passport the following day. (12th May)

If I'd waited for the passport to work it's way through the system I'd have likely lost our holiday.

It's insane...

I postponed my holiday too, from early June to August
Will cost more to go then but it's actually worked out for the better as due to unforeseen work commitments June would have not been best time to go anyway.

Surely this shitshow will have resolved by August... 2 child renewals one came back in 2 weeks one is stuck at documents received.

I hear they are recruiting 1200 new staff.

Passport 1
Child's 1st passport
Applied 23rd March
Countersigned 23rd March
Sent documents to Durham 24th March
Received documents 9th April
Application approved 26th April
Passport printed 28th April
Passport delivered 29th April
Total of 5 weeks 2 days

Passport 2
Child to adult renewal
Applied 29th April
Sent old passport to Bootle on 29th April
Old passport received 5th May
Application approved 7th May
Passport printed 9th May
Passport delivered 11th May
Total of 12 days

Passport 3
Child to adult renewal
Applied 29th April
Sent old passport to Newport 29th April
Old passport received 6th May
Application approved 9th May
Passport printed 10th May
Passport delivered 12th May
Total of 13 days

Passport 2 & 3 have amazed me with the quick turnaround!!

It'll be 7 weeks tomorrow. 9 weeks if you count having to wait for the VFS appointment to just be able to submit the documents. Definitely no prioritization of overseas applications.
3 straightforward renewals (2 x child, 1 x adult), all documents already checked by VFS.
I've heard nothing other than confirmation that the application was sent on 30/3. We have just over 6 weeks until we need to travel....
I'm just so relieved kids are dual nationals and visas for our current country are in the other passport otherwise we'd be royally screwed if the passports didn't come on time.

@OrangeBall I am about to go to my FT appointment today. Come all the way to Durham and think they will turn me away. But feel like I have to try. Have a cancellation letter for my existing passport. Feel sick with the stress.