Gaaaah need emergency passport

[EwwwwwwDavid]

Just need a handhold

We go away 1st April and DD passport doesn't have enough pre-expiry validity on it. Totally slipped my mind to check - it needs 6 months and only has 4.

Trying to book a fast-track renewal but can't until I have her digital photo so it'll have to wait until after school, in the meantime my anxiety is going through the roof.

Has anyone done this recently and been ok?

I washed my DSS's passport a week before we flew, trip of a lifetime too so big stakes 😬 had to go to Peterborough passport office but it was fine, and you have longer than we did!

Was that recently? How long did it take to come back?

My worry is that I can't go until Saturday, wish I could have an earlier appointment

I think you'll be fine, honestly. Had to do mine in a hurry, similar situation and even shorter timescale. Online form submitted, (with worst picture EVER) and old passport sent off same day. Old passport returned day later and new passport day after that. Fingers crossed, but the passport office can be great these days.

They sent it within a week of the appointment.

That was 2022 so feels recent but I guess a couple years ago now!

I needed a replacement passport recently and it took about a week, very speedy indeed.

Go to the passport office nearest to you. In the past I've sat at that office 2 weeks before I flew because of the same thing as you. I hear didn't check it because it was still in date (I know ) I sat there all day more or less (take a magazine) but it was okay. But do it asap.

Where are you going that needs 6 months remaining?
Hopefully you can get an appointment in time

My son went on the Saturday to Liverpool and it arrived on the weds , this was in January

Bali. Stupid of me to not check, I thought 3 months would be fine! There are appointments available for Saturday, I just can't book it until I have DD digital photo so i'm climbing the walls until I can get her from school. 4:30 can't come soon enough

I did an urgent passport using the London office about a month ago. My appointment was on the Wednesday and I received my Passport on the Saturday. I know they say it can take 8 days but it was extremely quick for me.

That gives me hope!

I did standard child renewals a couple of months ago and we had the new passports in just over a week.

It was incredibly efficient with text updates at every stage. Everything was done online, even the signature from the person confirming the ID.

I'm sure if you get a Saturday emergency appointment you'll be fine. Make sure you have the old passport to return. They need the old passport back before they start to process the application.

This was our recent timeline for a child renewal. Not done as an emergency

It arrived on the 5th before 9am

Oh fab if they are doing standards this fast hopefully a fast track will be no bother. Wish I'd checked even a fortnight ago (it's been on my list for 2 months!) and then I could've saved myself a bit of ££ and a lot of hassle

Frustrating as if I was willing to risk a standard I could do it today!

I had my passport renewed as a non emergency. Applied on line with digital photo Friday evening,sent old passport back Monday. I sent it registered delivery so passport office processed passport before actually receiving it because it was in the system. Received passport Thursday !! Good luck.

We had standard child to adult passports processed in 1 week in the height of summer last year. I'd go standard and do it today.

Yes, it's so efficient! I was amazed, given that nothing else in the country works.

Other thing to watch out for at the moment (although it probably won't apply to a child passport) is the 10 year rule.

When we got our last passports, all the advice was to apply for renewal 9 months before they expired because they'd add the remaining time on so you didn't lose it and you could time it for quiet time of year/when you weren't about to go away.

Fast forward to just before expiry and ours don't expire until September 2026, but we need to send them off for renewal by the end of next year, because they reach their 10 year anniversary early in January 2026, after which, they're useless for travel within the EU (and possibly other places, I'm not sure).

I renewed my passport about 3 weeks ago. I did the renewal online on the Monday, sent my old passport off that day on next day special delivery, and my new passport was delivered the following Tuesday. 8 days from start to finish. This was a standard renewal, not fast tracked.

You may well have enough time.

I went for a passport appointment on Thursday on 1 the week fast track and had it by Saturday, astonishingly fast turnover. They also have a 1 day fast track which costs a bit more, but I think they print it while you wait. You have plenty of time!

Have just applied online for standard, now waiting for identity check! Hope I don't live to regret this lol, I might be back having a proper panic in a week's time!

Fingers crossed you'll be fine, OP. We applied for a first child's passport the other week and had to post DD's birth certificate. They officially received that on the Wednesday and the passport was with us by the Saturday! Ridiculously quick. And I'd have thought a renewal would be even quicker than a new application.

Make sure you get the old passport off straight away. DH applied 2nd March, I sent his old one away a week later (he doesn’t need it urgently) they text to say they had received it on 11th and new passport was here on 13th.

My DH applied online and uploaded a photo. He just paid for standard service and got it in 10 days. His friend did the same and got it in a week. You should be fine. Make sure you have stamps at hand to post back her old passport as they won't start processing your application until they receive that.