Desperate help - passport expired, travel on Wednesday

[Nowanextraone]

I feel sick. I don't understand how we have overlooked this as we renewed 2 of our other children's passports, but we've just seen our daughter's passport expired in January.

We are fucked aren't we? It says a child's passport can only be renewed urgently in a week.
I feel sick

Insurance won't even pay will it as it's our fault.

Might be worth calling the passport advice line, there is leeway for people who need to travel urgently as a family member is ill… maybe they will take pity on you

Passport Adviceline
Telephone: 222 0000 0300 222 0000

£6k down the drain

So sorry you got Covid and could not travel.

That's interesting. Could you point me to the part of the passport website that says that?

Why? No one is ill

Def says can only use the 24 hour service for adults. I would still book an appointment and see what happens, has to be quicker anyway.

So sorry you got Covid and could not travel.

Presumably the insurance company would need proof?

That won’t do anything. They’d need a not fit to fly letter from the GP to be able to claim on insurance. You can legally fly with Covid, most countries don’t even have Covid questionnaires now.

I’m appalled at the number of people just saying leave her behind with someone to look after her.

WTF is wrong with people?? There is no way I’d leave my daughter on her own. I’d rather miss the holiday and stay with her

I hope you get it sorted and can join if even a couple of days later

One parent can stay with her while the other goes out with the other children with the hope that you can get her passport sorted in time to have some holiday.

Otherwise, yeah, 6k wasted.

Going on holiday isn't an emergency

www.mumsnet.com/talk/holidays/4861008-help-child-passport-expired-and-we-travel-on-saturday?page=1

This poster had the same problem - got an appointment for Tuesday, passport for 10 year old arrived Thursday.

Fingers crossed- happened to us and I still occasionally wake up in a cold sweat thinking about it.

In London there are express passport places that speed you through the process.

The passport office doesn't has to flip around all its safeguarding policies just because you forgot to check the validity of a passport. An hour isn't much time to to ensure everything is above board when it comes to potential abductions is it? They don't know who you are.

Go see if they'll do it, but if they can't, ultimately, you're responsible for this and it's not the end of the world.

Liverpool one week are very quick at the moment. We had it delivered 2 days after appointment recently

Both parents go with her to the passport office if you get an appointment and both of you bring your passports also.

At the passport office?

No, private company providers.

i hope you get it sorted OP. How stressful.

I'm in Australia so not really helpful, but I once managed to get my mum a passport renewed in under 12 hours. The information on the website basically said this wouldn’t be possible but by going to the passport office, talking to them we were able to get it. We did the interview at the passport office in the afternoon and then collected the passport from the office the next day - it wasn’t sent out. I don’t think they advertise that this is possible. Maybe you could ask? If you were able to collect rather then getting it sent out it may be quicker? Otherwise you could try what one PP said and go to Ireland and apply for an emergency passport there?

If I've understood it correctly, one-week fast track service is used for first-time children's applications. Your daughter needs to have her passport renewed, so one-day service might be available.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dont-forget-the-kids-passports#:~:text=The%20one%2Dweek%20Fast%20Track,renewed%20passport%2C%20go%20to%20Directgov.

Probably to stop abusive parents from taking their kids abroad without the agreement of the other parent, for starters.

@Maia77 that is an old page from 2012 that still talks about adding extra months to the passport which is no longer done

Nothing new to add really, only two options as already stated.

Ring the passport office and explain the situation to see what they suggest. They may possibly be able to help.

If the passport cannot be renewed, you’d have to see about changing the flight and holiday dates and suffer the costs. Obviously this is inconvenient, but probably a lot cheaper than losing the holiday altogether.

Forget the Covid idea, I don’t think insurance would cover that being so close to your holiday date.

"This news article was withdrawn on 16 September 2016
The services available for urgent passport applications have changed. Read the latest information on getting a passport urgently."

@Nowanextraone I once put a minors passport through the washing machine with five days to go. The passport office were unhelpful. I contacted my MP's parliamentary office and their assistance got things moving very swiftly. A passport arrived within 48 hours. You may have to drive - I'd have done a round trip to Durham from London but it wasn't necessary.

Passport offices are open on Sundays
I really hope you can go on your much needed holiday