Ds first passport still not arrived and we go away in one week!!! Can someone PLEASE help?!!!

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I know, you're probably thinking we should have applied in plenty of time. And we did. We started this application 3 months ago, but dh didn't include the birth certificate!!! They wrote to us 4 weeks ago and we sent it straight back! But it's still waiting for an examiner to see it.

Everytime I ring I get conflicting advice-no, there is nothing you can do apart from wait, yes we can get it speeded on, I'll get the correct dept to call you (but they don't), yes you can cancel this application and apply in person, no you can't apply in person as it will take to long to cancel this application. FFS, what is the correct advice??!!! Surely there is SOMETHING we can do???
We go away a week on Saturday, can anyone please offer some helpful advice...PLEASE?!!

Have you asked to speak to a manager????

Yes, no help either. Apparently we need to speak to the Durham office but when they transfer you they never answer and they never ca you back.

Does anyone have a direct number for Durham passport office?

I've found the Passport Office to be really helpful when I've phoned - they'll tell you whereabouts the application is. Do they know you need it in a week?

Must admit, I think going thru' the Post Office (and paying their rip-off checking fee) is worth it, as it avoids this sort of stress.

Hope it comes and you enjoy your holiday

You can't use the premium one day service for a first passport, YOu may be able to use the one week fast track but you need an appointment, and if you do only have a week before you travel, it doesn't leave you enough time. so at this stage, I'm afraid, there is not much you can do but wait and hope. Good luck.

Aj you're right they are helpful in telling you where it's up to but the people answering the calls can't do anything about the application. It's at Durham so someone there needs to deal with us. But they don't answer or return calls. So in that sense they're not helpful as they're not equipped to deal with the issues.

You are also tight the post office rip of service is worth it...and I always use it. But dippy dh thought it 'wasn't neccessay'. ....he's currently in the dig house!

Oranges, yes we are too late for the 1 week service too.

Does anyone think a trip to Durham without an appointment would be a good investment of time or a wasted journey?

It's a wasted journey. I was up there last week in a (successful) panic attempt to renew ds's passport and they were very strict about only seeing people who had appointments that were booked in. And if there were any problems, they did not deal with it directly - just pointed you to nearby payphones and asked you to call the call centre to deal with it and come back to the desk once the call centre people had put whatever the issue was in the system.

I definitely spoke to the passport office in question, and they said that it would be about a week, but it arrived 2/3 days later. I think they must have sensed the desperation and brought it forward. Might be worth putting the Durham office on redial until you get to speak to a human.

Good luck!

Dh managed to get through to Durham this morning. - I figured a trip would be a wasted effort. Once we managed to speak to them they were very helpful and dh is driving up to pick it up tomorrow. They said prob not neccessary to pick it up, but we're not taking any chances. Very happy to be sorted!

What a relief! Enjoy your holiday :)

Please could you message me the direct number - I'm absolutely desperate! Thank you in advance xxx