How long do online passport renewals take?

[Loveliveexplore]

I'm living abroad currently but need to fly over to renew my 2 dds passports. They are 5 and their passports expire in September. I don't live far just a couple hours flight and it's an exusce to see family, my girls have a 2 week school holiday the end of March. However I'm at a loss whether I should just do the standard online application when I arrive as I've heard they say up to 3 weeks but most come back within a week? Or shell out an extra £200 and go into London to do the fast track one week service? But if the online service is just as fast maybe a few days slower, I would rather save money as I'll be spending on flights and money while I'm there.
Anyone applied for one recently and have any experience on turn around with the online service?

Thanks

Would you like me to google.that for you?

I did Google it, however was just wondering if there was any personal experiences. As it says 13 days online but then In forums I've read people get them back much sooner.

OH has just renewed his online he applied and sent old passport on the 28th nov and had new one on the 3rd December hth

I did both of my sister's last year in march. We had them back within a week.

Mine came back within a week (last month, before Xmas) - but honestly that doesn't mean yours would; I wouldn't risk it and I'd pay extra for the certainly, but that's just me!

Do you have to actually be in the UK to do an online passport application? Can't you just do it from wherever you are? (genuine question)

I renewed my son’s a couple of weeks ago. Did the online application on sunday 5/1, posted the old passport the next day and received the new one on 16/1.

My dad has just got his new passport- he renewed it online 7 days ago & received it today!

Mine took 10 days.

Does it matter where in the world you are if you’re doing the application online anyway?

I’ve just renewed my 3 girls’ passports, the quickest was 10 days, the longest was 19 days as her photos were rejected twice.

The passport office from where I am is a 4 hour drive away, plus I'm waiting on my residency spousal visa to come in for this country, so all round its easier to do it in the UK. Also you have to get all your documents translated into English and pay quite a high fee to have them done plus it then takes up to 8 weeks to recieve them and you have to travel 4 hours back to that same office. So UK just seems easier can fly in stay with my mum wait for the passport and fly back.

You have to send in the old passports with the application. So if I did it online I would have to courier my passports to my mum then get her to send off do application then send everything back. Wouldn't they see via the passports that the girls weren't in the country?

Surely it would be unwise to assume that the length of time it has taken for already completed applications will be the same as the length of time at some future date?

I'm sure there are many different things that might make one take a longer or shorter than another.

It simply depends on how many applications they receive at any one time as to how long it takes to process and get them back to you.

Traditionally nov / dec / jan / Feb quiet and then people start to think about holidays and requiring new passports which then means they get busier.

I did my son's on-line last year, on sept 18th and I had it back on the 4th Oct (just checked the texts they sent me).

Received my dc’s Passport 2 days ago. Renewal process took 13 days from submission of online application to receiving new passport. I wouldn’t risk it though.

Did mine the other week, applied on the Wednesday, had the application accepted via email on the Thursday, and would have had the new passport by Monday had I not missed the courier whilst out doing school run. It was amazingly quick

I just did mine online, mine was delivered 1 week exactly after I sent my passport off. It should be fine

I live abroad and renewed my passport from abroad last year, so can’t tell you about the UK times, but in case you’re interested, it took about 4 weeks from the online application (I posted my documents the day after) to receiving it back. I changed my name, so a more straightforward renewal will probably take less time.

Mine took ten days and I applied in September

I applied for my daughters first passport from outside of the U.K. online. I didn’t need to have anything translated, they accepted her Spanish birth certificate as it was. It only took a couple of weeks to come back.

My son's has taken over 2 weeks.

The husband did his online this time last year, it came inside a week.
I would apply now and have them sent to your mum's address so they're ready for you to collect when you visit.
That's what the husband does.

Do you think I could courier post their passports to my mum and get her to send them to passport office, once she's recieved them I can do the online application, then when she recieves new passports and old passports she could courier them back to me? Do you think that would be fine? Might be a lot cheaper? Is that legal though?

It's a passport renewal not first passports so they would require these passports we have currently sent with application