Is anyone else playing passport roulette?

[mayaknew]

Couldn't get a fast track appointment so took a gamble and applied normally.

We leave 8 weeks tomorrow for a wedding in Spain 😷😷😷😷😷

Is anyone else at risk of not getting their holiday? Or are the stories in the papers the exception and most people are getting them within a few weeks 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I applied for 2 child renewals online last week. We have a holiday booked for 1st August.
I feel like I have really messed up and not sent the old passports back signed for. The post office just weighed them and didn't mention recorded delivery etc and it just slipped my mind- I'm kicking myself now as I have no way of knowing if they have received it as it seems the tracking system takes forever to up take- I'm so stressed already. We have saved for a year for this holiday and now might lose all the money and not be able to go because I didn't renew the passports in time. I could cry.

Can I join the crew? Sent 2 child renewals a month ago, one had an error on it and ironically once corrected online was processed and got the new passport days later.

The other is lost at sea, docs received 17/04 then madam.

We are going away 5th June and I'm beginning to get doubtful. Need to pay £1200 balance soon too.

Absolutely shambolic.

Peterborough still hasn’t marked ours as received even though RM says they received/signed for it on 25th. This really worries me

Applied 19 April using standard online method. Posted passport to them on the same day. It was showing as ‘please send us your passport’ for ages and then suddenly said passport received, printed and posted within 24 hrs. Arrived yesterday 6 May.

Good luck!

I really think the government needs to do something to deal with the issue and to reassure applicants. This is just not good enough.

Oh no, I sent my DC's renewals to Durham. We aren't travelling until end of July but am still worrying

@GRW did the passports arrive?

Renewed 2 recently - both took under 3 weeks.

I'm holding on to hope with hearing the 3 week stories! I still can't believe I didn't send the old passports back signed for delivery though- why why why!?

Dh got notification today () that his old passport had been received. They actually got it on Wednesday, so that's not too much of a gap.

It's so upsetting hearing these stories that people are getting them back within 3 weeks. We are almost at 8 weeks. We fly in 14 days. The status of our application hasn't budged in weeks and I'm now facing the real possibility that we will lose our dream holiday.

Why are these things not being done in order?

It took about 10 days for our online portal to update to say they had received our old passports, despite us knowing they had been delivered by Royal Mail.

it is hugely frustrating!

Online renewal sent 2nd April but old passport not sent until 24th April as I needed it for my mortgage application.

Old passport wasn't showing as received, I then had text messages three days in a row saying old passport received / application approved / passport printed.

We travel at the end of June so hopefully no issues, but have not booked yet just in case!

Dealt with at Newport.

Well we applied for a first one for DS at the end of feb... we are still waiting as they then wanted our marriage certificate which we had already sent them along with his birth certificate and they returned!

Why did you need the marriage certificate?

We got married recently so I put my married name on the application as was instructed and then sent his but the certificate and marriage certificate off. They returned both and then asked for the marriage certificate again because they hadn't scanned it last time as they didn't realise it was required!

If your passport was still in your maiden name then it probably would have been easier/faster to do the application in that name too.

You should be able to upgrade your application to fast track if you travel in 2 weeks. Provide proof of travel and they should sort it

online application for my 16 yo renewal on 22 April, they didn’t like 1st photo and did it again Thursday. It’s gone for printing apparently today. So hopeful it will be with me in next couple of weeks. Sent to bootle. I think postal and 1st applications are taking longer.

Well, they signed for ours on the 25th too and have just updated now saying it’s been received and please not to contact them ‘so they can help people who need them the most’

They say to wait up to 10 weeks. Funny… bet they’ll use today when they’ve logged it and not 2 weeks ago when they actually got it!!

Surely not! Surely it must be 10 weeks from date of application ! 😵‍💫

Online application on 27th April, sent to Liverpool, passport received on 4th May, I was amazed!

Does anyone know how you get to speak to a human to tell them when you're travelling? I've seen if you're travelling in less than 2 weeks you get priority. But how do you tell them when you can't speak to anyone?

My dad's came less than a week later. He was shocked, sent me a picture and everything.