Help - Passport renewal timescales - Liverpool

[dancingbutterflies04]

Just wondering if anybody has any helpful advice for us.

We have just booked to travel to Spain for one week departing on 13th July and coming back on 20th July. Our passports have an expiry date of 22nd and 23rd July 2013 respectively!! They are straight forward renewals with no counter signatories needed.

The foreign office website says they don't need to be valid beyond when you intend to stay but I would be worried about anything going wrong with the flights and us being left stuck with ood passports!

We have got the photos and filled in the forms and we were planning on using check and send tomorrow. Has anybody got a passport recently If so how long did your take. I am trying to weigh up whether we should try and get appointments for the one week one.

Any thoughts??

Mine took about 2 weeks - I used check and send and it was no problem. Arrived last Friday. They said it might take up to 3 weeks at the post office.

timescales depend on time of year and it is now summer. No guarantees, if the passport doesn't come back in time, no holiday.

In your position I'd wait and renew on return, your airline isn't going to have a 2 day delay. I also think that you can always get back IN to the UK under these circumstances. I suppose the only other risk (hope not) is that you get injured and are hospitalised for a while.

otherwise pay up for the one week turnround.

I have just done mine check and send. Sent them on 29th May and got mine and DD1's renewal back on fri and received DD2's first time passport today but that was Belfast.

I would check with airline or travel agent and see what they say.

the airline or travel agent will simply point you at the small print which says 'it is your responsibility to sort a passport'.

the reason I say there won't be a two-day delay (well-travelled ex-rep) is because the costs to the airline skyrocket once the delay gets too long. At this point it is cheaper for them to rent another aircraft to go to Spain and pick up the passengers than to continue to feed and house them.

Thanks for all the input and confirmations from those of you who have just used check and send :)

We did use check and send at the post office on Monday. I rang the passport office first and they confirmed they were currently getting them out within the three weeks (for simple renewals). She told me to ring up after two weeks and if there was any problem we could pay for the upgrade to ensure we got them in time. We decided on this as it meant we didn't have to actually go to Liverpool. I don't mind paying for the upgrade if it is needed. Will let you know how we go on!

Well, the passports have just arrived! I am made up and very impressed by the efficiency of the Liverpool Passport Office!

Got mine done 3 weeks ago, took 8 days! I didn't use check and send as its so easy to do a renewal... Just sent recorded delivery.

Wow just read its arrived.. I thought mine was quick... That's amazing!