HM Passport Office says children's foreign passports are missing

[InfrequentFlyer2026]

I am a British citizen living overseas. My children were born in the country I now live in, but are British citizens by birth. I have applied for their British passports and as part of the application had to send their foreign passports and birth certificates as well as my birth certificate to the UK passport office.

The office sent a generic email a couple of weeks ago to say they had received the documents, then a couple of days ago I received another generic email asking me to send DD1's foreign passport. I got in touch and let them know the passports were sent already. The system is only showing the birth certificates, no passport for either child.

DD2's British passport has been issued and posted today (even though they apparently have no record of receiving her foreign passport which is required to issue her British one???).

I have used the webchat three times now (tried phoning the first time but seemed to be totally automated) and all I am told is that they need time to check the documents and the examiner will be in touch by email. I can't get them to explain what kind of checks are taking so long and why I'm not being informed of anything. Either they have found the two passports or they haven't. Even if they got in touch to say they had found two passports and now needed time to verify that they are ours (which would surely just be name and date of birth matching the application), at least I would feel a bit better. Or if they haven't found them by now, what the next steps are.

I am so angry, no one is showing any kind of sympathy for the fact that having your children's passports go missing is distressing.

Has anyone had a similar experience who can give me hope that it will all work out? Or who can give me a better understanding of what is taking so long?

HMPO lost one of my documents recently when I applied for a passport. I spoke with them via the webchat and they told me they were confident I had not sent it. I used chatgpt to help me write my messages to them and also contacted my MP. After the guidance from chatgpt I requested they check the other applications that were sent in at the same time. I was facing another delay of several weeks and over a hundred pounds to post a replacement by courier from overseas.

Overnight I received an email saying my new passport had been issued. And I received the document back when they returned everything else so their confidence was misplaced.

It was very stressful and upsetting. The HMPO has been a shitshow this year so keep at it and make a complaint if you need to. I believe there is a compensation scheme but I didn't persue it.

That sounds incredibly frustrating and stressful. My guess is that they have found at least one, hence dd2s passport has been issued. So it will be on its way back to you, but the people doing the customer contact are not the people doing the legwork, so don't necessarily know what's happening.

Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry you went through that but glad it worked out in the end. Great advice about contacting the MP and requesting they check everything received the same day, thank you!

Really hoping the passports are both in with the documents they are sending back for DD2, even though it means I'll have to post DD1's back again which is ridiculously expensive from my country.

I should add that they didn't contact me to say they had found my missing document, or that it was being sent back. Fingers crossed them issuing one of the passports means the same has happened for you.

Hope so! Thanks

I had a message saying they needed my child's adoption certificate - I knew I birthed her. Then for the other it kept saying they were reviewing it, and then I received it in the post.

Just hold fire until the passports are returned

Do you have proof of delivery on the documents ?

How did you send them ?

Thanks for sharing. How ridiculous to ask for an adoption certificate!!

I have proof that the package I sent was received and they have stated they have the birth certificates that were sent in the same package. It was sent through my country's post office following their official guidelines for sending documents to the UK passport office, and the tracking form I completed stated I sent two passports.

I know this is no help to you now but maybe next time; they allow you to send a photocopy of your foreign passport (it's a bit of a faff as you have to copy every page).

I have done this in the past as elderly parents in another country and don't want to be unable to travel in an emergency but having read your op I think I will continue.

In the meantime, good luck and hope you get all the passports back.

Thank you. I'll definitely take that option next time!