Has anyone renewed /applied for a passport lately?...how long are they taking?

[youknowitsnotthesame]

I've just renewed last Wednesday.
I'm hoping it doesn't take too long as I have a holiday booked.
Has anyone else renewed etc lately ?

It is indeed frustrating

We're not prepared to potentially lose the money even on a cheap flight and the angst that goes with it, so we'll just have to wait it out. Plus Sod's law would be that he'd get a Jobsworth who'd ask to see when the flight was booked!

I have told dh to take screenshots of the stage that his application is at, so that they can't then claim that they'd not got his documents or that they'd asked for extra info (what extra info - it's a renewal FFS ). Photograph that was taken got a better score on the online system than ds' got, whose renewal went through in just 2 weeks, so it can't shouldn't be that

Hi all , need a little advise . Spoke to passport office this morning as I havnt received sons passport and asked to do the 1 week fast track was advised that I only pay £35 because I’ve got an open application is this correct ?

How long is it since you applied? If it's more than 10 weeks, you shouldn't need to pay anything to expedite it. Although as far as I can make out, the only reliable way of doing so is to get along to your local passport (doesn't need to be where the old passport/application was sent to), ideally within 48 hours before you travel.

Can't help what with the additional cost for an "upgrade" is though as I've not looked into it.

Dh's new passport was approved yesterday No news yet on it being printed though

No further communication between it being applied for (2nd May), them receiving the documents (4 May), them acknowledging receipt (8 May) and it finally being approved . So there was obviously nothing wrong with the application itself and everything to do with the chaos at HMPO (in dh's applications case: the Belfast office) and the fact that they weren't processing applications in date order

Still not going to count any chickens until dh actually has the passport in his hands

My daughter's passport was received yesterday. I am so relieved! Applied 3rd May. Basic child renewal. Old passport sent 7th May, logged received at Belfast on 16 May. Then nothing. Chased, just got told wait, could be 10 weeks or longer. Got to 10 weeks. Told it was 10 weeks counted from date old passport logged. When I got to 2 weeks before travel (19 July) I applied to upgrade. Just got an automated response. MP's office chased and got fobbed off. Last weekend (almost 12 weeks) got a call to say it had been transferred from Belfast to London. It was approved same day, printed 25 July. Told I would receive next day. Nothing! Rang several times. Kept being told it has been sent as that was what it stated on the record but there was no tracking info which made me think it didn't add up. On Friday I went nuts and threatened to go to Central London County Court and issue an application for an injunction. My MP also called and demanded they open an investigation. They then found it an hour later sitting in the Collections Department. It arrived special delivery yesterday.

This has been one of the most stressful experiences of my life and its taken up hours on the phone. If it wasn't for persistence and my MP office (who would not let it drop) I don't think I would have it.
I actually cancelled the mum and daughter mini-trip to Paris booked for this Tuesday as I was not at all confident the passport would arrive. And if it had I would have been too nervous to let it out of the house before our big family hol 10 days later.

I did mine and my daughters in March when everyone was starting to apply. Ours came back in 15&16 days

So I applied for both kids passports (previously posted). The one who was going from child to adult passport was to Lymington (v. fast and efficient)...turnaround time minimal. The other going up north. I was send a link to track it on TNT (Didn't work as it didnt recognise the tracking number). A text comes thru late morning 'Sorry we were unable to deliver your passport). TNT is mostly run by automated systems so to get to the bottom of this requires a degree in patience. Eventually ... we discover the passport office has put my name and their dads postal address (their mistake) in a far off town. What a mess. Neither me or dad can collect it as collection requires proof of 1) name 'mine' and 2) address (dad). So neither of us would be able to produce both.
Dad is barely home or has time to even take a call so we are in GODS hands with this.

Passport office and TNT can change delivery address which means a delay of 30 days!! We declined. We will wait until it's delivered to me at dads address - where no idea required.

Recieved mine today, about a week after they said they would expedite it. They were happy to do so after a 10 week wait, I was given an email address to send my information to and it was all handled from there. Worrying and crap waiting for 10 weeks but can't fault the expedite team.