Passport renewal only took 1mth!!!

[MarmiteCoriander]

Not an AIBU but I've seen SO many posts recently about passports and renewals and thought others may want to know how quick passport renewals can actually be at the moment.

Applied for renewal online 17th May
28th May old passport posted off
9th Jun emailed that it has been approved
13th Jun told it has been printed
14 th Jun- today- it arrived via a woman in a high vis jacket who took a picture of my house before delivering it!

Mine is an adult renewal, so I assume this is fairly straight forward as no name changes etc.

My local Post Office was very efficient when processing my renewal application for me; I was in there for less than ten minutes, including them taking new photo, etc.
They warned me that Passport Office was saying that it could be ten weeks until I received a new one, but it arrived three weeks and three days later.
Off topic, but what do regular travellers do while waiting for a new passport, when their old one has been handed back?

Glasgow office, adult renewal - two weeks from submitting online to 'approved', happy with that.

We applied for DS's first adult one in March 11th. Came yesterday.

Fed up of seeing those who applied more recently getting theirs and those who applied earlier have just been left. I had to prod them repeatedly to get it done.

Mine, renewal with name change and daughter renewal from child to adult were both done and back within 3 weeks.

I have a child's first and child lost renewal still stuck in the system, both applied for 26th April (as was above child to adult renewal). The lost renewal I was told was with an examiner as of 6th May but nothing happening.

The child's first, they requested my marriage certificate 3 weeks after application received...but they have it for mine, and I've had my new passport around 2 weeks now and no sign of it arriving back to me! I've called and asked them to link his application to mine to see the marriage certificate and was called back and told that this would be done, that was almost 2 weeks ago now and nothing happening on that one either!!

We don't fly until the end of August so atm I'm not too worried, although I was told that we can apply to expedite them if no progress by 6th July as that will be their 10 week deadline from application date.

Straightforward child passport renewals submitted at the beginning of March - still waiting.

I applied for a renewal on 16th May and received my new passport on 8th June.

I was expecting to be waiting much longer.

@bizzey true applied for 4 received 3 waited 14 weeks had to chase involve MP, got to passport office on 3 occasions, finally received 48 hours before flight

@Mintyt just emailed my MP now .
Not sure if it will do any good ?
But am feeling so frustrated at the moment .

They keep changing the goal posts !

Ours has gone backwards!!!

Just checked now as it was a lost passport for DD submitted 10th May identity details received the same day. Then it showed "application in process" a few days later and has done until today and it's has gone back to identity details received.

Fucking hell.

@bizzey when did you apply, it's likely the other passport has not been cross referenced either the others. I phoned, I cannot remember the options but it was the last one (8) then option 3 you go to a call centre staff.
Ask if they are a civil servant who has access to the passport system, they are not, say you are entitled to be transferred. You will need to hold, so had headphones in and do other stuff. Ask them for a complaint call back. Ask them where you are. Stuck in processing is not a bad thing. It's just waiting to be passed to an examiner to be approved. Give them your flight date . Most people I know get the PP in time but goodness me it's stressful

Submitted two child passport renewals early May, DD’s arrived last week and her old passport arrived back today (DD’s photo needed countersigning as she was 18mths when we got her first passport) We are still waiting on DS’s (didn’t need his photo countersigning) last week they asked for his birth cert as proof of parental responsibility which I thought with renewals they didn’t need that 🤷🏻‍♀️. We’ve still got about 9 weeks before we go away so keeping crossed it arrives back in time.

@Mintyt applied beging of April.

But I did get a call back after my previous post.

According to his system..I am now at examiner's stage .
If I hear nothing ...ring back begining of July .
But he did say that I could nominate someone to collect it for me which helps .

A month seems long, mine was much quicker.

@sst1234 @CornyAsACornyThing @Meraas I never said that getting it back within a month was great! It would have been within 2 weeks if I'd sent off the old passport quicker. I agree, that timelines for some people is appalling. I still haven't got back my old passports I had to send off so shall see if/when they arrive!

@bizzey that's good, that means it's waiting to be approved then printed, as all the documents are there ,but still in a queue, if you go to a passport office 48 hours before flight you should get it, but hopefully things have calmed down. Either way the stress is real

Gosh reading this thread makes me wonder what to do.

Need a renewal as passport will only have 5.5 months left when we travel in mid august. Do I gamble and just do a regular application or fast track. Problem is I can't seem to get a fast track appointment however have only started trying today.

If it was me I’d fast track if possible. I’m sure I read somewhere that they are releasing new appointments at various times, not all in one go.

First adult passport for my DD took 10 days.

19 days from online application to new passport arriving.

I wasn’t expecting it to be so quick, more like the back end of the summer holidays.

Luck of the draw. Mine (and DH's) took 3 weeks. Was Feb/early March, but several people I know sent for theirs around the same time (a week or two earlier even,) and they didn't get it til mid May!!! Some people who applied mid April ish are still waiting!!!

Glad you got yours @MarmiteCoriander .

Yes this was my plan until they finally released lots of appointments all for Belfast, Glasgow and Durham. I'm in the SE, so decided to take a gamble and have just gone regular way. Everything crossed here that I'm one of the lucky ones!!

Wooptie ping - I was less than 2 weeks. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Call me cynical but it seems like they are processing newer applications quicker to improve their stats and those of us who have been waiting weeks/months just aren't a priority.

Dd2’s has been gone for 8 weeks and still waiting. Dh’s took 3 weeks. The whole thing is chaos.