Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How long does the passport office take to acknowledge documents

37 replies

Bells3032 · 09/03/2022 15:19

Sorry posting here for traffic.

Has anyone sent off for a first passport lately. We applied two weeks ago and sent off her birth certificate by track and trace which said it was delivered to the passport office on the 28th Feb. But no update on status by passport office yet.

How long did it take them to acknowledge receipt for others?

OP posts:
Doodar · 09/03/2022 15:21

I sent DS's off on 01/02 and had a text saying they had received the old one one on 10/02 even though tracking by Royal Mail said they'd got it on 3/2

Doodar · 09/03/2022 15:22

Took 4.5 weeks in total

AmyDudley · 09/03/2022 15:23

I just got an acknowledgement today exactly 2 weeks after I sent documents off.

BlingLoving · 09/03/2022 15:27

Yes, it's definitely slower at the moment. I did DD's last year and I seem to recall that I had something like 10 days from when they would have physically received it until I got the actual notification. I assume it's because from being dropped off physically to when someone processes it takes some time. They were generally operating slowly for a while - Brexit and covid - and might have backlog.

Also, a technical point - make sure you used correct phone number. I had to fill in my number in different places for doctor's surgery and turned out the text message one was wrong so I wasn't getting their texts.

Original poster
Bells3032 · 09/03/2022 15:31

Thanks the number is right as got the notification about my witness etc and have also signed in to check.

OK if its being slow that's fine. I still have another 7 weeks til my holiday. Was just worried it had gotten lost

OP posts:
user1471457354 · 09/03/2022 15:34

I recently sent my old passport back to them for a renewal. I posted it on 19 Feb and checked the tracking which said it was received 21 Feb but the passport office didn't acknowledge it until 6 March. Hope this helps!

SpanishPapers · 09/03/2022 15:34

Ours took a few weeks to be marked received then they sent the new passport in a couple of days.

Allthesefolks · 09/03/2022 15:41

I’ve just done this for both kids (1 renewal and 1 first):

Applied 7-Feb
Witness signed 11-Feb
Sent docs 14-Feb
Received confirmation of receipt 23-Feb for renewal, 25-Feb for new passport
Approved 3-Mar for renewal and 4-Mar for new one
Renewed passport was dispatched Saturday and received yesterday
New passport was dispatched Monday
Still awaiting docs back

Original poster
Bells3032 · 10/03/2022 19:07

Just had an email saying they haven't received the documents... Although they received them ten days ago. Says if sent them within the last two weeks ignore the email. Very helpful

OP posts:
Scbchl · 10/03/2022 19:09

Posted on Monday and got an update today.

Original poster
Bells3032 · 14/03/2022 09:52

It's now been two weeks since it got signed for and still nothing. Rung them up and asked and they said oh it's still listed as not received but don't worry if its signed for we have it. Said I'm worried its been lost on the floor or something. So now been waiting for the processing team to arrange a call back. I've been on hold for 20 mins waiting to arrange a call back.

OP posts:
HappeeInParis · 14/03/2022 10:00

Try not to worry too much- it took them about 2 weeks for ours to be registered as received, after it had been actually received. Once it's registered then it's pretty quick- just a few days.

superram · 14/03/2022 10:07

It took about 2.5 weeks to register they had received the old passport but then just over a week for it to come.

Original poster
Bells3032 · 14/03/2022 10:22

50 minutes on hold. Apparently someone will call me back within 48 hours. Their intro spiel said should be 8 working days for acknowledgement.

OP posts:
wurlycurlywurly · 14/03/2022 22:00

@Bells3032 Mine was also received 28th Feb according to Royal Mail but still the tracker says to send in the documents in. I'm getting slightly worried now

Toottooot · 14/03/2022 22:12

@Bells3032

It's now been two weeks since it got signed for and still nothing. Rung them up and asked and they said oh it's still listed as not received but don't worry if its signed for we have it. Said I'm worried its been lost on the floor or something. So now been waiting for the processing team to arrange a call back. I've been on hold for 20 mins waiting to arrange a call back.
This happened to me - exactly 2 weeks after the application was made I got a reminder from them to send the documents. Document sent on Monday and signed for on the Tuesday. 2 days later confirmation it had been received. Within a week of the confirmation the application was approved and passport dispatched. Just waiting for it to arrive any day now…
kitcat15 · 14/03/2022 22:14

Sent my DPs old passport off 5 days ago....had a text this morning to say its been received... just sent with proof of postage....hoping passport won't be too long now

feeona123 · 14/03/2022 22:26

Ours took a while to update as received, after that they were processed pretty quickly.

Jayjay26 · 14/03/2022 22:31

I renewed my sons last month, sent his old passport 18th, they have only just updated that they have received it today.

FlippityFlippityFlop · 14/03/2022 22:35

DS's took just under 5 weeks. I called the passport agency as it had been over a week since the track and trace said his birth certificate had been delivered with no update. I was told that it was taking 10 days from receipt to scan the documents in.

MurmuratingStarling · 14/03/2022 23:06

@Bells3032

Sent our online application off on 5th Jan this year, got an email 24 hours later saying 'now send your old passports.' Sent them next day.

12th Jan, DH got a text saying 'we have received your old passport.' I got a text saying mine has been received - but not til 19th Jan.

DH's passport was sent 26th Jan, mine was sent 31st Jan. Oddly, they came on the same day. (3rd Feb.) Our old passports came a week after the new ones. Took around 26 days (almost 4 weeks) from start to finish, for our new passports to arrive, and almost 5 weeks for the old passport(s) to come back.

Two FULL WEEKS after you sent your DD's birth certificate, it really should have been acknowledged by now. Does tend to vary though. Some passport applications from start to finish take up to 8 weeks. So I wouldn't worry yet. Chase it up in say, 10 to 14 days.

Katkincake · 15/03/2022 07:10

Just been through process of renewing DS and changing mine to my married name. Applied end of Jan. Both went to separate offices. Mine went through fairly swiftly, though docs took about 2wks to be acknowledged as received after being signed for their end.

Got asked for marriage certificate to verify why my name had changed since applying for DS 1st passport. Rung them to say it’s still at other office, so they told me to send a letter to refer to my own passport application for ID. Sent it recorded. No response after 2.5wks after sending it, so sent marriage cert back off as soon as it had come back. They finally confirmed DS passport yesterday. Now I don’t know if it was the letter or the certificate that helped, hopefully I’ll get my marriage certificate back sometime this year!

It’s a woeful process once you’ve done your bit. You have to hope that your docs aren’t on the floor of their sorting depot and hang on waiting for confirmation for several weeks. Hopefully you’ll hear back soon.

Deliaskis · 15/03/2022 07:24

Our experience was that the acknowledging documents took a while, but after that, the passport itself was really quick.

Original poster
Bells3032 · 15/03/2022 10:32

Phoning clearly worked. Got notification this morning that the birth certificate has been received. Finally. Fingers crossed it comes back before the end of April so we can go on holiday.

OP posts:
allthatglimmers · 15/03/2022 10:45

Which office did you send it to? I’ve just done one with Bootle and it took almost two weeks to acknowledge the documents then a further 2-3 weeks to process. I know a few people have been having issues with slow passports with the Bootle and Liverpool offices in particular.