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 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

That should say 11/12 weeks the first passport took

Submitted 2 child renewals in early April. First came back in 2 weeks. Second one they wanted birth, marriage cert etc and have been told its now ready to send.

We were supposed to be going to Cyprus on Sunday but transferred the holiday to August with a £800 supplement.

Hopefully the airports will be less chaotic by then.

@bluesky45 my marriage certificate came back about two weeks after I got my new passport

So I managed to speak to a human being. She said I will definitely get them in time if I have travel booked. But I will have to pay to upgrade to fast track.

She told me if they are not printed by next week I should phone back the general enquiries line and they will give me an email address to send my proof off travel. Then I pay the upgrade fee and someone will call me and they will be printed within a few days.

Glad you've got some movement @mayaknew

It's ridiculous that we're being expected to pay an upgrade fee when we applied in plenty of time for our travel and it's the PO's fault that they haven't met their obligations.

I've joined one of the Facebook groups with people who are waiting on applications and helping each other our by sharing email addresses for the various passport offices so I'm hoping we might start to get somewhere.

What is the Facebook group called ?

Having to pay an upgrade fee is definitely extortion.

Late to this thread, but I have a question:

I've just managed to get a fast track appointment for my child's first passport.

Has anyone noticed any delays from the 8 days getting it delivered?

@danadas I couldn't tell if you were saying yours hadn't come?

Thanks!

My OH needed to renew his passport in time for our September holiday.

He checked multiple times per day for a week, no fast track appointments were coming up.

He decided to risk the normal/standard service. The new passport took under 3 weeks to arrive (we are in SE England).

Good luck to everyone who is waiting

@mayaknew its called Passport Chaos 2022

it seems that people who applied between mid Feb and mid April are the main ones affected.

@britneyisfree it just came this morning so took 13 days from the date of the Fast Track appt.

Thank you @danadas

@goldierocks I think they were off at half term/jubilee

We got one yesterday after checking every day at multiple times over the week. We checked randomly a bit later and they had put more up again!

Oh my god! I’ve just had emails to say that the passports have been approved and are being printed!

I don’t know if it’s just coincidence or as a result of me bombarding them with emails over the weekend, but woo-feckin-hoo!

It’s been 11 weeks and 2 days since we applied, and 8 weeks and 5 days since they confirmed the application was being processed.

I won’t relax u til they’re finally in my hands, as I’ve read of people still waiting weeks after being told their application had been approved, but I might rest a bit easier now.

I’ve had two child’s passports done via fast track recently (separate applications) and they were printed the following day and delivered 2 days later via TNT.

@CaveMum I'm so pleased for you! I've been checking the thread for an update from you after you gave me so much help with your post a couple of weeks ago. Bet you will celebrate when they are finally delivered!

Thanks @MotherofPearl, very relieved though like I said I won't be happy until they are in my hands!

Good luck to anyone else that is still waiting. If you have been waiting more than 10 weeks then I would advise emailing the passport offices with your details (application number, name, address, date of birth and the date you sent the application off) to all of the passport offices as any of them can deal with your application.

The emails to use are (using Peterborough as an example):

[email protected]
[email protected]

Just replace the passport office name in each email.

You can also email a generic email which is: [email protected]

The expedited service team won't even look at your application unless you have been waiting more than 10 weeks or if you are travelling in the next 2 weeks.

Good luck!

That's brilliant cave mum

I also have an update. Managed to speak to someone on online chat yesterday morning. DC's still waiting to be processed.

They said mine had been in examination since 18th may.

Then as if by magic mine was approved last night. Funny that !

Not sure what to do with DC's whether to try camping out at the Glasgow office or wait until next week to try the upgrade

Just renewed child passport. with countersignature and photo being rejected still got the passport delivered in under 4 weeks.

Online child renewal ... 9 weeks and counting still ...

Online child renewal here as well... March 4th and still counting.
I then, in mid-May, got a paper form from Belfast (online was dealt with through Bootle), asking me to reapply using a paper form, verify ID again, and resubmit the same photo (so the size wasn't the issue, they were still using my online application for the paper one, and asked me to use the same neighbour who did our online ID verification). No explanation whatsoever for the 'hardcopy' reapplication to Belfast. We just had to do it all over again... but not really because they're still using the same online reference number as well as info/photo from the online application- just want the same shit resubmitted in hardcopy form by post.

Blue passports/Brexit = progress! It's all very much a 'Soviet breadline' standard of service.

7 days to travel still no passports. Have applied for upgrade but not heard back yet.

Apparently the applications are in examination but they can be in examination for weeks.

I genuinely don't think I've ever been so stressed in my whole life

Oh no OP, that is terrible. No wonder you're stressed.

Have you tried your MP for help? That seemed to make a difference for us. 48 hours after I emailed him the passport office rang to say DS's passport was (finally) available for collection.

That's us collected ours this morning. Had to pay £204 to get them.

Good luck to everyone still fighting. I so hope you all get them 🍀🍀🍀