Passports - is there anything I can do?

[Whatamuckup]

Not sure what I’m asking really but DT’s passports haven’t been dispatched and our flight is 6.45am Wednesday.

It’s not looking good is it? Is there anything I can do?

Would be grateful for any constructive advice.

That was a very rude response to a perfectly sensible question, given that the OP hadn’t given any indication in her initial post whether she had spoken to the passport office or even when she applied for the passports.

I’m not sure if the person who suggested that there was still time for them to be received realised how early on Wednesday your flight departs. Basically, I think you’re screwed unfortunately. it’s the end of the working day now and if they haven’t been dispatched today, there is no Postal Service that is going to get them to you tomorrow which is the absolute latest that you can get them. I’d be looking at postponing your flight if at all possible.

Of course you're not going to get the passports within 48 hours now, if they haven't even been printed or despatched yet @Whatamuckup !

Someone asked further back 'when did you send for them?' From your most recent post it looks like it was 7 days ago. I have never known anyone send for a passport, and get it within 7 days. That was never going to happen. Where did you read that? That it takes just 7 days?!

Also, why on earth did you send for your son's passport just 7 days before your trip abroad?!

Also, lesson learned. NEVER book a holiday abroad unless everyone going on the trip has got a passport that is in date - (and will be in date for the holiday and 3-4 months beyond!)

I got my message last week saying they had been printed on the Wednesday and it arrived on the Thursday.

Presume the OP a has paid for the 1 week fast track option?

Thanks for your good wishes and crossed fingers everyone.

@TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams it’s a long story. Original plan was that we would be within the 3 months passport running out on our return (the old ones ran out in October’24. But someone else messed us about with dates here at home so I changed the flights, postponed them a week (not for free 😕) and this meant we would be one week out for the 3 months window.

Btw is your name a reference to the Yeats poem? It’s one of my favourites. <irrelevant>

"I have never known anyone send for a passport, and get it within 7 days. That was never going to happen. Where did you read that? That it takes just 7 days?!"

The last 4 I've applied for came in less than 7 days, not via fast track. So did my neighbour last week.

But in this case I imagine she read it on the HM passport office page where it says you will receive your passport 7 days after your fast track appointment

If they’ve been printed I suspect they’ll arrive Wednesday : if they haven’t been dispatched then there’s no way they’ll arrive Tuesday unless it’s same day courier (which IIRC is not given as an option?). The passport office has been revamped and it is a very slick operation now and children's in person applications USUALLY arrive within 7 days. But it’s not a guarantee.

I went through this last year - I feel your pain. So frustrating you can’t get same day passports for children - I would have paid any money for that!

@HungryLittleCrocodile wow did someone swerve into your parking space right in front of you?
Jesus. What difference does it make to you if I have to pay for another lot of flights?
I’m not asking you to pay for them 🙄

No it's not. It's phrased to beat OP down, given that OP hasn't said she's spoken to the passport office.

The poster could have said, "Have you called the passport office and asked them?"

But instead, the OP is being lined up for a slating.

I was thinking of just going anyway - return flight 31.7.24, old passports run out 24.10.24 but it felt like too much of a risk.

Only realised you couldn’t do the one day thing with children when I went online.
And the appointments to take passports in were 2 days later (than time of applying) which took me out of the 7 days.

My sons passport was printed last Thursday and delivered the next day on Friday morning. I had paid for the approved postage though. Good luck… hopefully they’ll arrive in the post tomorrow.

@Mumof382 Thank you. 🙂 Also @HorsesDuvets and @Its2024happynewyear

Not fast track. Daughters passport approved Tuesday, printed Wednesday, delivered Thursday. Message updates received bw9-10

@Whatamuckup

Would the passport advice line be able to advise as to whether they are going to be delivered tomorrow? They're open until 8 pm on 0300 222 0000.

Apologies if you have already spoken to them and I've missed that.

What a helpful, reassuring post.

Also- my child's passport arrived within 30 hours of being told it was being printed and 48 hours after approval. So not only unhelpful, but not wedded in accuracy.

Oh and this was last week.

Think you’re reading into it a bit much

@lateatwork Thanks for the positive encouragement 👍
@TheSquareMile it’s really kind of you to post that number for me.

I rang it earlier and it’s fully automated and just gives the same info as when you punch your reference number into the online tracking.

Oh, I didn't realise; I thought that there would be a person to speak to.

I do hope that they come tomorrow.

Where are you travelling to?

@HorsesDuvets - yes that’s the way it goes on here.

The super efficient people can feel terribly smug about the fact that this could never happen to them.

Sometimes people will post something along the lines of “my house is a tip” then describe it or “I have no idea how to dress” or “I’m not creative” or <insert things that come naturally to me> but I don’t look for the nearest keyboard so that I can jump on it and tell them how stupid they are.

Definitely call them! Now if still open. I've had this problem before and I was able to pick up from the passport office. They asked me to send proof of flights over first and I had to bring kid with me to collect.

Because that's the common sense approach unfortunately. Not coming on to mumsnet middle of the day when the flight is Wednesday early hours 🙄 what on earth is anyone here going to do to help...you ring and contact the ppl with the passport.

There is a way to talk to someone on the passport office number - try and few combinations and see if you can find it. I feel for you - someone stole my son’s passport to be renewed out of the envelope on the way to the passport office and the rigmarole that followed meant many times speaking to them over the phone. Have you been told which passport office they are processing? I got the direct number from the passport office from the general number (or maybe after some googling 🤔) and I was able to always talk to someone direct that was much closer to the actual passport and could have arranged collection if I had needed it.

Op no one is smug. Not at all. I don't judge your position at all and I'm the kind of person I try to learn from others because any of us could easily be in the same position but why on earth would you come to mumsnet asking for advice , you're just wasting time. You should be contacting the passport office and seeing if you can even get down there.. not wasting time here. With only hours to go there's nothing that anyone here can tell you that you wouldn't get from the passport office . That aside . I really am hoping you get the passport one way or another and you make your flight but have a back up plan in case.

Silly question but isn't it that they have to have 3 months left when you fly OUT? Rather than when you come back. In which case the passports you have would be valid? Not sure if that helps or not, as I can't remember if you have to give them in when you apply for a new one.

OP wouldn't have the original passports if they had been sent off to be renewed as part of the application.
The status of ours was fairly inaccurate, one day it said printing the next day they arrived. No tracking, no other updates, just shunted through the letterbox so there is still hope they will arrive in time.