How long are new passports taking at the moment?

[itsjuly]

Posting in AIBU for traffic.

I need to apply for a first passport for my toddler. It's saying there's a wait of five weeks on the gov.uk website - is this accurate or can it often be quicker? I need it within 4 weeks ideally.

Thanks!

I think mine took 3 weeks but that was just a name change and a renewal not a brand new application.

Thanks. Has anyone else applied for a brand new passport recently?

recent renewal took under 3 weeks.

Start the application online right away as you will need someone who can 'countersign' the application for you and that can often be the bit that takes longest. Think that bit is done online too

@dementedpixie thanks! How do I get someone to countersign - I assume it can't be DH? Will whoever it is need to come to my house to do it? I'm just thinking about who I can ask!

Also dreading the photo - I don't think I have any plain backgrounds in my house and my toddler doesn't keep still for a second!

You’ll need to ask a friend who is an teacher/police officer/doctor or other qualified professional to do it for you
In my experience new passports do take longer than renewals but the government estimates are on the pessimistic side. I’ve had renewals come back in less than a week (not recently)

Countersigning is done online by email I think. It can't be a relative. A neighbour? A friend? A colleague? It needs to be someone who has known you for 2 years. My neighbour is a nurse and did it for me.

Do you have any light coloured walls in your house or you could drape a white sheet over a door to give a pale background

I used one of the Photo Me booths that are in supermarkets, it gives you a code to use with the online application. Mine took a week. Could your GP countersign? Mine took a week to renew back in January. I work near a passport office and there's big queues outside all day every day atm.

I think you're pushing it, DS is 12 weeks old, applied online for his on the 6th August it was countersigned by a police officer friend the same day (all I needed was his email add) I sent his birth certificate off the next day and I only got a text this week to say it had been approved and dispatched.

You’ll need to ask a friend who is an teacher/police officer/doctor or other qualified professional to do it for you

Oh dear, I don't actually know any teachers, police officers or doctors! My next door neighbour works in administration in an office - does that count?

@torquewench was that for a brand new passport or a renewal?

Straight forward renewal took 4 weeks. Got it back yesterday.

There’s a list of accepted professions for countersignatories here: www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applications/accepted-occupations-for-countersignatories

Your countersignatory cannot:

work for HM Passport Office
be a doctor, unless they state that they know you well (for example they’re a good friend) and that they recognise you easily from your photo

It actually says your signatory can't be a doctor - I wonder why?

Also, it's really sodding dark in my house today! Will the passport office know if I've used a filter on my phone to lighten the image?

And if the image passes the basic technical check on the website does that mean it definitely won't get rejected further down the line?

I wonder if they can’t be a doctor because even more people would just be pointlessly schlepping down to their GP and clogging up the system making it even harder to get an appointment?

It can only be a doctor if they know you as a friend.

Small business owner?

Pub landlord?
It doesn't have to just be a professional person as you could also have someone who is of good standing in the community which the above would come under

It can be a doctor if you know them as a friend.

No, it says you can’t use any filters on the photo.

OP I know it's not recent but I applied for DD when she was 3 months old last year and it came back within 3 weeks - I ddi it all online, the person who countersign receives an email and they also do it online. DD obviosuly couldn't stand at the time so I took a photo of her lying down on a white towel! I cropped it up to her shoulders and it was fine. There's a part online where you upload the photo and tells you if it's acceptable or not - they're more lenient with young kids.

I submitted an application for a child's first passport late July and it took exactly four weeks from application to delivery of passport. That included no delay in terms of countersigning and posting documents which were all done within the first two days of applying.

I had to send in the original birth certificate but the address for where the document needed to be sent to was only confirmed after countersigning was complete.