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Original poster

Amazing service - digital passport application

116 replies

Figmentofmyimagination · 14/01/2023 07:47

I’m so impressed by this new service to renew my passport. Completed in a week, start to finish. I had to go and have a digital photo taken in a shop and they gave me a code to input into my online application, so no need anymore for tiny photos of me countersigned by a neighbour with a worthy job eg solicitor etc who has known me for years and says it’s really me. Instead I just filled in the online application, inserted the code and paid online, posted off my old passport, and got the new one through my front door in under a week, with text updates at every stage. Very impressed.

OP posts:
TheWitchesAreBackInTown · 14/01/2023 12:12

Anyone reading this just be aware the price of passports is rising slightly in Feb.

Thanks for the heads up.

Seeline · 14/01/2023 12:17

We've been using this service for several years now and never had any problems.
We only discovered it when using the photo booth outside our local Sainsbury's for one of the DCs renewals and it mentioned getting the code to upload the photo and instead of having to send the actual photo.
So quick and easy

kegofcoffee · 14/01/2023 12:22

Interested that everyone is getting theirs so fast.

Tracking for my old passport said it arrived with them 9 days ago. I've not had a text yet to say they've received it, let alone printed it.

Still not a long wait but now I'm worrying that they've lost my old passport

GreenDanglyearrings · 14/01/2023 12:24

I agree. We did dh and ds recently. We used our mobiles to take the photo and it told us on the app if they would be OK or not. Super simple

dementedpixie · 14/01/2023 12:26

Flamingogirl08 · 14/01/2023 08:40

Oh great I need a new one. Can you take a photo on your phone and use that?

Yes you can. I've done several renewals using a photo from the phone

dementedpixie · 14/01/2023 12:28

LostThePot · 14/01/2023 08:52

I renewed one of my kid’s passports recently and it took less than a week to get the new one.

I didn’t need to get it countersigned either which was unexpected.

If they are over 12 then no countersignature is required unless they can't be recognised from the old photo

Muchtoomuchtodo · 14/01/2023 12:32

This is great to hear! Let’s hope they manage to stay on top of applications.

We need to renew ds’s passport but we’re not going to beat the price rise because he’s away with school next week and then he needs it for a holiday over half term. I’ll send it off straight after that trip I think as he’ll need a new one for when he goes away in the summer and I’d rather sacrifice a few months than risk a backlog building up and there being long delays again.

Mercurial123 · 14/01/2023 12:48

I'm overseas it's taken two weeks for them to receive, process and mail back through DHL. I'm impressed.

Eeiliethya · 14/01/2023 12:58

Flamingogirl08 · 14/01/2023 08:40

Oh great I need a new one. Can you take a photo on your phone and use that?

Yes I did.

Stood in front of a white wall. It puts it through a check and let's you know if it's suitable.

Mercurial123 · 14/01/2023 13:01

Eeiliethya · 14/01/2023 12:58

Yes I did.

Stood in front of a white wall. It puts it through a check and let's you know if it's suitable.

Show quote history

You don't even have to stand in front of a white wall. The app I used automatically put the white background in. They confirmed the photo should be accepted. If not they would refund you 200% of the fee.

coodawoodashooda · 14/01/2023 13:01

Thank you. I have to do this.

dementedpixie · 14/01/2023 13:04

Mercurial123 · 14/01/2023 13:01

You don't even have to stand in front of a white wall. The app I used automatically put the white background in. They confirmed the photo should be accepted. If not they would refund you 200% of the fee.

Show quote history

You dont need to use an app. Just take a photo against a light background using your phone and use that. It's free rather than paying for an app to do it for you

Mercurial123 · 14/01/2023 13:19

dementedpixie · 14/01/2023 13:04

You dont need to use an app. Just take a photo against a light background using your phone and use that. It's free rather than paying for an app to do it for you

Show quote history

I know, I decided to use the app as someone checks the photo. It worked for me.

Wombatbum · 14/01/2023 13:49

I’ve renewed all our passports over the last few months (5 of us). Had a good experience every time! I took the new pictures on my mobile phone in our bathroom which has white walls and all were accepted!

CorporateBull · 14/01/2023 18:33

kegofcoffee · 14/01/2023 12:22

Interested that everyone is getting theirs so fast.

Tracking for my old passport said it arrived with them 9 days ago. I've not had a text yet to say they've received it, let alone printed it.

Still not a long wait but now I'm worrying that they've lost my old passport

Everyone isn’t. Applied in November but as they lost our passport still nothing, and no sign of a passport. Our half term holiday is in jeopardy.

PollyPut · 14/01/2023 18:50

kegofcoffee · 14/01/2023 12:22

Interested that everyone is getting theirs so fast.

Tracking for my old passport said it arrived with them 9 days ago. I've not had a text yet to say they've received it, let alone printed it.

Still not a long wait but now I'm worrying that they've lost my old passport

@kegofcoffee I think speed might depend on which office you're using. We got one very quickly recently. Now I am waiting about 9 days too to hear anything on a seperate application - this time it is a different office - Hemel Hempstead office. Which office are you waiting on?

kegofcoffee · 14/01/2023 19:57

@PollyPut it was the Corby office, maybe that's why.

@CorporateBull wow, that is a long wait. When did they last update you? Fingers crossed it arrives soon.

RampantIvy · 14/01/2023 20:39

Mine is being done at the Durham office.

CorporateBull · 14/01/2023 20:42

It won’t arrive until we’ve got the old one cancelled, which we now have to do by post. Two days later the form hasn’t arrived. So who knows? We applied on 18 November and posted the passport to them on 28 November once our countersignatory had done their bit. They then sent us reminders to send our documents which stopped after a fortnight - the time they tell you it takes to register the arrival of your docs - but it turned out out that the old passport is lost in their system and we got no reminders to alert us to a problem for a whole month because ‘Christmas’. We are now almost 8 weeks in with no sign of a new passport and a half term holiday booked in under four weeks from now.

Smout · 14/01/2023 21:17

My nephew applied for a new passport in October. The form had to be countersigned as he had mislaid his old passport. Weeks, months passed and no passport. Three times the countersignatory was asked for the same information which they duly sent each time. Attempts to phone were frustrated by menus which would not let him proceed until ten weeks had passed.

On Monday he got to speak to a person who said they would investigate and to phone back if he had not been contacted by the end of the week. On Tuesday they phoned back to say they had found the information and the passport was being processed. On Wednesday an email arrived to say it had been printed and was ready to dispatch. On Thursday it arrived!
Tremendous service in the end but the ten week delay was really frustrating as we are going on holiday to the US on the 6th of February. No passport, no holiday. We looked into fast track but it cannot be used if an application has been started.

SagelyNodding · 14/01/2023 21:23

It's a great service in my experience! Ordered mine from abroad, sent old passport and translated marriage certificate to the Durham office expecting a delay of about a month. It was received, approved 15 minutes later according to the tracking system, and printed that same night!

DHL to my door about 7 days later and all my documents plus old passport sent in a separate DHL delivery about 10 days after that!

Shampern · 14/01/2023 21:24

I renewed mine before Christmas and was pleased with the turn round time. I had to send a different photo because they said the first one was too smiley. The new passport then arrived a couple of days later so they must have had all the details checked and ready go.

BashfulClam · 16/01/2023 22:23

Did mine online last Monday, sent old passport off the same day. Got it back on Friday.

DillDanding · 16/01/2023 22:27

This is making me tempted to renew mine.

I’m going away in February and the rules for the destination are only that you have a valid passport for the duration of your stay. Mine expires in April so I’m feeling a bit paranoid that they might change the rules!

Travellingraspberry · 16/01/2023 22:34

I filled in the renewal form online new years day and added photo taken on my phone, sent old passport off 3rd Jan, received my new passport 10th Jan. Was very impressed after all the horror stories last year about them taking months.

Also clocked the price rise coming in soon so if you need to do it definitely do it ASAP as going up £5 I think.