Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Has anyone managed to get a fast track passport. HELP NEEDED *title edited by MNHQ*

49 replies

HalleLouja · 12/05/2022 20:55

Please no comments about how I should have applied earlier.

To cut a long story short I applied for a replacement for my lost passport 5.5 weeks ago when the waiting times were 5 weeks on the website. We would have gone with a fast track but thought there was no need at that time. We did get one for my daughter as we realised what a mess it was all in by then.

We are trying to get it fast tracked but no response from the email address at the moment.

If you have managed to get them to fast track it, any top tips. We are trying the director general and our MP with no luck.

OP posts:
Original poster
HalleLouja · 12/05/2022 20:55

Should say anyone not annoy.

OP posts:
Original poster
HalleLouja · 12/05/2022 22:00

A hopeful bump. Hmm

OP posts:
Flockameanie · 12/05/2022 22:04

You just have to keep calling and keep calling. We had a total debacle (search for my earlier thread on this), but we managed to get our application expedited 2 days before we travelled.

easyday · 12/05/2022 22:09

I went to the passport office near Victoria to get my son's done. It took five days. You have to book an appointment.

CherryPieface · 12/05/2022 22:15

My husband got an appointment in the Glasgow office. Got his passport within 5 days. Good luck!

DaffodillSky · 12/05/2022 22:17

Flockameanie · 12/05/2022 22:04

You just have to keep calling and keep calling. We had a total debacle (search for my earlier thread on this), but we managed to get our application expedited 2 days before we travelled.

You can't search by poster any more. Sad

gingergiraffe · 12/05/2022 22:18

My son managed to get a fast tracked appointment in London, but it meant constantly trying to book starting early in the morning and constantly refreshing the page. His passport was a straightforward renewal and it came about 5 working days afterwards.

QueenOfHiraeth · 12/05/2022 22:23

My son has just had similar.

He applied in loads of time for his but the time needed then expanded.
He applied for it to be upgraded and got a message asking to go and collect it a couple of days before his travel date. Lucky as it was essential travel for work

Original poster
HalleLouja · 13/05/2022 01:12

easyday · 12/05/2022 22:09

I went to the passport office near Victoria to get my son's done. It took five days. You have to book an appointment.

Unfortunately you can’t get any appointments anymore. We did do this for my dd’s passport.

OP posts:
Original poster
HalleLouja · 13/05/2022 17:01

I have now got an appointment in Durham first thing on Tuesday. I am not sure if they will process my passport, as its already in the system…. Ffs. Durham is a long way away too.

OP posts:
SavoyCabbage · 13/05/2022 17:50

I'm sure I've read that someone got their application back because they managed to get a fast track appointment.

It might have been on the big 'let's all put our passport problems on the same thread' thread.

Do you know where your application has been sent?

SavoyCabbage · 13/05/2022 17:56

Found it! The poster was Blah1881

We travel This Sunday, I just got my child’s passport back today and I submitted on 28th Feb via check and send at the post office. I only got acknowledgment of receipt of the documents on the 8th March and I shit myself at that point. So then followed the mother of all odysseys. Having been told so many different things by their call centre I decided to follow the advice of one call handler and booked an urgent fast track appointment at Newport raking with me a letter requesting withdrawal of my current application. Woman there said I couldn’t do it as my child’s passport was in Durham. So I booked another appointment at Durham and travelled by train(13 hours round trip ) for a fast track appointment. They brought my child’s original passport down to the desk and I was able to complete it. Mission.

DurhamDurham · 13/05/2022 18:03

There's thousands of fast track applications being made every week so it's not quite as fast tracked as it once was. A family member works at a passport office and it's relentless, their main advice would be to triple check your application and make sure every thing is correct and all relevant supporting evidence/information is included. Speeds it all up enormously as there's so many queries of incorrect applications that it slows every thing down even more if you've got to correspond with the passport office to correct something you've done wrong.

Original poster
HalleLouja · 13/05/2022 19:38

Well luckily mine is a lost passport so my passport isn’t anywhere, well its in my house but that’s a whole other story……

Thanks @SavoyCabbage for that post. I think I should be ok as I don’t need my passport.

@DurhamDurham sounds like the staff are working as hard as they can. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.

OP posts:
Original poster
HalleLouja · 13/05/2022 19:40

My MP is trying to chase it up. Apparently they have special powers. Not worked so far though. 😂

OP posts:
Titsflyingsouth · 14/05/2022 08:33

My son's renewal had been in the system 8 weeks with no progress at all. Couldn't get a Fasttrack appointment and couldn't get through on the phone. We are flying next week and I was starting to panic.

On Tuesday I bit the bullet and went to Peterborough passport office (with no appointment) and waited for 2 days. Finally walked out Wednesday afternoon, passport in hand.

If you applied mid-March or earlier and need to travel in the next 14 days, recommend just going to a passport office. The frontline staff recognise that the March and Feb applications have been stuck in the system and are sympathetic.

Someone in the civil service does need to be held accountable for this chaos this. It doesn't take a genius to work out that there would be a rush on passports once Covid restrictions lifted - senior managers should have been preparing for this.

Onesipmore · 14/05/2022 08:40

My daughter lost her passport so has applied for a new one. This was mid April. When we log on to check progress it just keeps saying the same thing which is 'Application being processed' Is there any way of actually speeding up this process once the original application is in the system? She travels July 7th. Thanks

Original poster
HalleLouja · 14/05/2022 10:41

Onesipmore · 14/05/2022 08:40

My daughter lost her passport so has applied for a new one. This was mid April. When we log on to check progress it just keeps saying the same thing which is 'Application being processed' Is there any way of actually speeding up this process once the original application is in the system? She travels July 7th. Thanks

I have ended up paying for a fast track appointment at the other end of the country to get mine sorted.

OP posts:
Original poster
HalleLouja · 14/05/2022 10:45

Titsflyingsouth · 14/05/2022 08:33

My son's renewal had been in the system 8 weeks with no progress at all. Couldn't get a Fasttrack appointment and couldn't get through on the phone. We are flying next week and I was starting to panic.

On Tuesday I bit the bullet and went to Peterborough passport office (with no appointment) and waited for 2 days. Finally walked out Wednesday afternoon, passport in hand.

If you applied mid-March or earlier and need to travel in the next 14 days, recommend just going to a passport office. The frontline staff recognise that the March and Feb applications have been stuck in the system and are sympathetic.

Someone in the civil service does need to be held accountable for this chaos this. It doesn't take a genius to work out that there would be a rush on passports once Covid restrictions lifted - senior managers should have been preparing for this.

How do you get into speak to them when you can’t get an appointment ? When my husband went to get my daughter’s passport in London they were turning people away without appointments.

OP posts:
Svara · 14/05/2022 10:51

My DS's renewal (child to adult) took three weeks (arrived yesterday). I don't get why they are having such huge differences in times!

Original poster
HalleLouja · 14/05/2022 12:04

Svara · 14/05/2022 10:51

My DS's renewal (child to adult) took three weeks (arrived yesterday). I don't get why they are having such huge differences in times!

It really makes no sense. My mother in law’s came in 2 weeks…

OP posts:
Original poster
HalleLouja · 14/05/2022 12:07

I get the attached screen shot when waiting on the passport office webchat. Does this mean I am in a queue? Its not clear…

Has anyone managed to get a fast track passport. HELP NEEDED *title edited by MNHQ*
OP posts:
Original poster
HalleLouja · 14/05/2022 13:15

Got through to the webchat. They have told me the lost reference isn’t on my application and that would have been blocking my application. They have now updated it with the reference and a note to say the upgrade team haven’t got back to me.

No one on the phone has mentioned this on the phone calls we have had with them.

OP posts:
Onesipmore · 14/05/2022 15:23

@HalleLouja so how did you know which passport office to go to and when you booked a fast track did you then have to cancel the existing application.
Sorry couldn't read what the message was on the photo above. My daughters is replacing a lost one, so wondering if this is similar situation? Sorry for all the questions !

Original poster
HalleLouja · 14/05/2022 16:19

I know which passport office its with as we had to email them to try and get that application fast tracked. But at the moment they aren’t replying.

When we booked the fast track there is no way of linking it to prior application so have left the other one going to see what we can do before Tuesday. Apparently they work weekends…

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread