Help - Does anyone work at the Passport Office at Durham

[janeb204]

Im at my wits end...I need to speak to Durham Passport office, I am going on holiday Saturday and my daughters passport renewal is stuck in a backlog at Durham. I will pay for accelerated service but can't get through to ask for it. The general phone number takes hours to be answered, the call back service doesn't work, the 48hr email reply service doesn't reply. Can I drive to Durham and sit and wait. I'm frantic to resolve this...but what can I do? Has anyone got any suggestions of what I can do....apart from cry? Does anyone work there and can tell me something I can DO

Apparently they are quoting at least 3 months for a child's new or renewal passport at the minute according to our travel agent friend.

He got on the train from London to Durham and waited, he's now on his way home with his boys passport.

I ring the 0300 number there got to tel u were it is

Anne I think it may depend on area. I have mates whose have come back in 3 weeks for renewal and 4 for child forst passport.that's liverpool.

Mutton that good what did here have to do and say for them to do it and did here get it today on a satday

If I live in warrington will it be Liverpool or still Durham?

Anyone done theirs online and sent it to Belfast? Do they have the same backlog as Durham?

Whilst you can get them in person, K can categorically tell you they WILL NOT give you a passport at Durham without an appointment. I was there earlier picking my daughters up, and there was a young lady trying to get one without an appointment and she sadly got so cross she had to be thrown out by security. There were over a hundred people waiting in the office and the staff were working their fingers off to get people sorted- please don't think they aren't trying to help.

I would say once again that if you're in this position, call Durham direct on the 0845 number, they are much more efficient than the advice line and WILL call back when they say. It might also help getting your MP involved.

I am now happily in receipt of three shiny new passports and I'm off to start packing (my poor debit card isn't happy with me though!) good luck everyone

Hi everyone!
After reading every flipping post on here (and trust me theres a LOT) Ive come to the decision id ask you guys what you think my best options are.
So I sent my passport off 1st class in the post on the 12th of May, had an email saying they had received it on the 14th of May and it was 'currenlty going through examination process.'
Some important information for you... I FLY IN 9 DAYS! I fly on the 2nd of June. Ive been calling the passport office since Thursday, must of rang over 100 times and funnily enough only ever spoken to someone twice. And to my surprise (not) they could only tell me what the email said, that its going through the examination process. I am now waiting a call back which should come on either Monday (unlikey, she said) or Tuesday, AND THEN the lady on the phone told me my only options were to pay £110 for premium delivery to go and pick it up from Liverpool.
I understand I could of probably sent it off earlier but it was a surprise holiday for my birthday so sent it off when I could!
Ive just emailed my local MP,, as some messages said it helped their application process.
Can anyone confirm the direct Liverpool Passport Office Number so I can ring it next Monday?
And can anyone please suggest what else I can do!!

He got it today definitely, let me contact him and get it from the horses mouth.

Mandy

I had mine replaced as it was damaged and how they deal with it will depend on how damaged it is. Damaged passports cannot be renewed on a one day basis...the quickest method possible is a one week fast track because they have to verify your identity. In my case I booked a one week fast track appointment but as the laminate and photo were intact (so no issue of interference) they did it was a renewal. Had there been any signs of tampering (pages missing, photo dislodged etc) they can't do it that quick as they have extra checks to do to verify the identify of the person. So when you ring them, if they haven't seen it, they will need to examine it to see what state it's in.

For anyone thinking of going the liverpool office, seriously you are wasting your time. I went 3 weeks ago. Firstly you may not even get past security (it's like airport passport control, going through scanners, items placed in boxes etc) If you make it to the desk the lady just points to 3 yellow phones connecting to the 0300 number. There's literally loads of people sat there with appointment so you can't just get one. It took me a week to get an appointment, even though I turned up before. In addition, because they are not allowed to have people there without appointments (literally the security usher you to desk, then escort you out) you don't get to hang around for someone senior etc. not tying to sound negative honestly it's just a long way to go to be sent home.

Okay, this is verbatim what my friend did.......

Turned up at 8am, no appointment but they had been sitting on it for 3 weeks. They took my name and upgraded the application (at a price!) and was done by 1.30.

Finally got through on 0300 number. My application is at the Liverpool office and still not been looked at. They have emailed them and asked for it to be fast tracked and said I can expect a call back to say if it can be or not on monday/Tuesday.

Thanx guys! It has apparently been examined for the last 2 weeks, it was a mess as my dog ate it!! Can we upgrade to express do u no? Will happily pay whatever just want it here in time or we won't be going away :-( have contacted mp aswell x

Hank a lot mutton I we'll give it to Tuesday and if no joy do the same

Your friend was incredibly lucky then Mutton. My hubby waited outside and said they turning people away before they even got through security if they didn't have an appointment or were picking up. I wouldn't have wasted my time going up without one, and believe me I was desperate! Call the 0845 number, arrange an upgrade and they WILL sort you out

Seriously, don't waste time calling the 0300 number, call 08456015175 (Durham) and they will sort it out. Ignore the looped recording of "this number is only for customers in receipt of a letter....." Mine was sorted within two days of calling them

So glad I found this. Sent passport of 21st April using post office check and send and received a text on 28/4 saying they have received this and would contact should they need more info.

Heard nothing since and been trying to get through over a week:( we fly in 2 weeks and no one is calling back. I know it will be tues now as Durham number says mon -fri 9-5 excluding holidays. It was a lost passport application. I am in Scotland but have no idea which office my passport could be in.

I've not had a text or email saying its processing does this mean its still not been looked at since received on 28/4?

Lol I think your hubby wasn't keen on queuing.....

3 months!

We've got 4 passports in the system.I just can't afford fast track x 4- that's £400!!

We've already paid silly money just to get them renewed.

Arsing Tories.This just isn't good enough.Surely there is somebody we can take this to.

Sorry, tired the 0845 number told me that the office was closed and I think the passport is in Peterborough not Durham.
On the plus side, Dh's was sent off at the same time and we got that back within 10 days.

Does anyone know if Durham office will be open Monday?

What a nightmare it is. The reason is that they have closed all the passport offices overseas and all overseas applications now have to go through the UK. They have had to take on a lot of new staff (though probably not enough ), and train them up, as overseas applications are often more problematic than UK ones. It's no excuse, though, and they should warn of the lead in time being at least 6 weeks on the website.

They've also apparently closed 2 offices here on top due to cuts so everything is being funnelled through 3.

We were sold those passport renewals under false pretences.On another thread somebody was saying bosses don't want the correct time it takes listed.I suspect because it would have put thousands off booking holidays this spring.Utter crooks!

People don't want to renew passports a year in advance as you're not getting value for money on the extortionate price you pay for a 10 year one.

Why isn't this being reported in the media and why aren't the arsing Condems being held to account over this?We've saved for our holiday which our dc bloody deserve.

We've already paid a fortune for 4 passport renewals which annoyed us as it's like yet another bloody tax for something we're entitled to.We'll lose the cost of the holiday as we simply can't afford shed loads more money to fast track.

Why isn't the gov doing something about this? It's like a big cover up,there is nothing about this anywhere bar on MN,if there was we'd never have booked.Bet Dave and co will all be swanning off this summer problem free.

I hadn't heard anything back after 4 weeks when I eventually got through to someone I found out that a letter had been sent to the school that my friend who countersigned my sons application worked at because she needed to verify her maiden name!

She hadn't received her letter and no one from passport office had contacted me so if I hadn't rang we still wouldn't know. Just a heads up incase anyone else is in the same situation.