Passport Processing Time

[bex12345]

Anyone have any idea on processing time of First Passports at the moment? We sent our daughters application via check and send almost 2 weeks ago and no idea on when to expect it back. Hopefully someone can shed some light?!

It's a first passport for a child. The passport applcation is in Belfast. If they won't do anything till they have had the passport for three weeks then that's about 17th July. I wish I just knew!

Will I have to go to an office? (presumably not Belfast, lol, I live in Yorkshire)

To add to the stress I have an academic presentation, then night shifts then an exam in the 10 days before I go on holiday. I didn't even want to go on this fucking holiday, we can't bloody afford it, should've gone to Cornwall.

How have I ended up in this mess? I thought only idiots left their passport application till the last minute and now look at me.

first passport is 6 weeks, and after 6 weeks is when they will start looking at upgrading it. If the child is 16 or over then they may have to attend an interview.

Kylecarey- The website said 3 weeks for a childs first passport. So if they don't even start fasttracking it until 6 weeks from when they received it, then that is over a week after we're supposed to go.

So if that's true I'm fucked. Had better email SIL and tell her we're not going on holiday. If it was true, surely the guy on the phone would have told me "ha ha no chance, love!"

On the 0300 line if defo says that first adult passports are 6 weeks and all others are 3 weeks.

I was told by the post office that a child's first is 3 weeks.

Mind they've had my sons first passport for 5 weeks and still not looked at it so who knows.

Seriously, I feel sick when I think about it. It's totally all my fault for not sorting it out earlier.

Jammy- had it 5 weeks and not looked at it?

I don't actually believe that they didn't receive my sons app until 27th May. I think they are lying, all seems too convenient given the delays in the system. But I didn't send it by recorded post so I will never know.

5 weeks today submitted via check & send, rang today it's still awaiting examination.

We are in the upgrade queue though and they promise they'll ring us back but haven't yet. We are told they are working on travel date and as we go next weekend it's prob going to be Thursday when it gets looked at!

I am stressed.

So they work on your travel date as a deadline. I appreciate that they have to have a date to work to in order to prioritise cases, so why don't they make that a week before the travel date?

I can see sort of what you are saying grit as it makes it impossible to book a holiday and prices will be higher by the time you can/ however, it must be extremely stressful if you do have a holiday booked and followed the 3 week guidance.

i have just spoken to my MP basically the passport office is prioritising by date of travel so even if you sent your forms off 8 weeks ago but dont go until next month someone who has sent theirs in 2 weeks ago and is traveling within the next 48 hours will get theirs before you... he said ours might go down to the wire and not get them until a few days before we intend to go on holiday but they are doing their "best" to get everyone off on their holidays in time i have until the 11th of july until we go so fingers crossed they have cleared the back log by then he said that the half term has been the reason for people who are not traveling yet not being looked at im in 2 minds to ring up and say we have brought our travel arrangements forward so we get them before its the last moment he also said once its been through the examination process they can have it to you within a few hours by courier

I guess prioritising for date of travel makes sense, although unfair for those organised (not me!) Has anyone heard of people having to outright cancel their hols? Think I'm go

Ring Eurocamp later & explain our situation

I tend to agree with you Lifetakesgrit although i know that wont be a poplular stance on here! I really do hope everyone gets their passports in time but it is not fair on those of us that dont book a holiday until we receive them. The 3 week guidance is exactly that 'guidance'. It does say it is not guaranteed.

When i spoke to Durham i was honest and said that i had not booked a holiday but did not want our application put to the back of the queue in favour of those who had booked without passports. Luckily she agreed with me and ours have been printed and our on thir way to us even though we do not have a travel date.

Fingers crossed you all get yours too.

Needless to say, yet again, no one got back to me, so I phoned up and got through to Bangor this time. I was told all they could do was escalate once again. I was told that the deadline for escalations was 72 hours (not 3 full days) and as they are working 7 days a week at present, this 72 hours includes Saturday and Sunday.

This is the 5th promise to get back to me.

3 months and 3 days and still waiting!!

How do they know what your travel date is?
We travel at the end of July, I sent my applications at the end of May - but I didn't put my travel date on. Are you supposed to?

I posted a child's renewal on Monday and the £46 was debited from my account this morning. I am seeing this as a very good sign (this was Peterborough).

It will only be the upgrades or ones where you've had to phone to find out what's going on that will be prioritised by travel date. You're right, there's nowhere to put date of travel on the form.

@yummymummy1, I'm in Aberdeenshire. We used check & send but I've no idea where they were sent. Never crossed my mind to look - then I discovered this thread. Fingers crossed the baby's passport arrives soon. x

seeing people waiting up to 3 months is not helping my nerves at all :(

Sorry for late reply hairbrush123 Belfast office is 0845 601 9031

Yummymummy- I am in Vietnam so my situation is not the same as most.

Mine is now getting to four months and they keep promising to get back to me. The stress of obtain a first adult passport is a nightmare

No passport today! Does anyone know how long it takes for a passport to arrive and what service they use to send it?

I had a text one day and DSs passport was here the next. Mine arrived two days later on the Monday.

But mine was a text book renewal that was done within 3 weeks.

Ordinary post BTW.