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?!

The 0845 6012058 for Liverpool is current as I have been lucky enough to get mine sorted this week (travel Sunday, upgraded Tuesday, delivered by special delivery this am before 0900).

Durham is 0845 6015175

Liverpool fast track team are also on 0151 4716652 - this number is no good until you have managed to upgrade though as far as I know.

By the way, I used the Durham number to bluff the Liverpool number (said the 0300 team told me to call). So if yours is stuck somewhere else try Durham if you don't have the number. Speak nicely and you may get the number for where you need!

So today was all going well I got a call from the examiner at 12.30 to take payment and told should receive it tomorrow or Monday. Great. Then went out for 1/2hr this afternoon and she had rang at 2.15 to say she must have took the card number down incorrectly as was invalid. She would ring me bak Monday as closed at weekend.
I have tried literally for 3 hrs to get threw on the 0845. With no answer. rang it just after 5 for a recorded message that office is closed. Furious now

Lynslola - try the 0151 4716652 number as we have spoke to them which is the stage your at (upgrade team) at 6.30 PM on Tuesday

When do you fly? If you can't get though till Monday you could still have it for before 0900 Tuesday if you tell them you want Royal Mail special delivery before 0900. We did that . Still a world of stress but it arrived!

Hello,

I was on the last passport problems thread too. Have been waiting a while for DS passport (first time) and it is going through the Durham office.

I spoke to them today and was told it had just been sent off for printing, but that from being sent for printing to delivery takes ten working days. This seems an exceptionally long time, in addition to the fact that the passport will arrive once we have already moved countries. Has anyone else been given a really long estimate once the application has been approved? I am in Paris, but DHL from the UK is usually very quick.

Rang Durham a few more times today and got a call back at 10.30am to process the upgrade and take payment (£61). Said it would be printed today and we could collect from there, otherwise sent out tonight with 24hr courier and we will receive it next day, but by Monday latest as it's now weekend.

Feel much better and a big relief but won't settle till I've got it in my hand!

Received passport with birth certificate this morning at 11am - 24.5hrs after paying for the upgrade. X

Glad your stresses are over Dannid!

Hi all... does anyone know how to get hold of the Glasgow passport office directly? Long story but tried to get a fastrack passport last weekend in London, but was told a no-go as had already started the online application some months ago but had not completed (had a work trip so couldn't send off all my docs). Have had to complete the online application instead and posted all my documents next day delivery last week... called this morning and they are saying it's not showing up on their system yet and could take 5 days to do so before i can upgrade for a fastrack... i fly this saturday!!!
If anyone has any thoughts or knows how to contact the Glasgow office directly i'd really appreciate any help!!
Thanks all...

Hi all...Does anyone know how to get hold of the passport office in glasgow directly?

Long story but tried to get a premium service application in London last weekend - when i got there i was told they couldn't process because i had started an online application and not completed some months ago.

I fly this saturday 24th (!) so was told the quickest course of action would be to complete the online application and call when all docs received to upgrade to fastrack. I sent everything last week but it's still not showing on their sytem when i call the useless 0300 222 1111 number!!

does anyone know how to get hold of Glasgow direct?? or if you have any other thoughts would really appreciate it...

Thanks a lot!

Hi can someone help me please!!! i sent my passport to the durham passport office which they recieved on the 25th of april i expected it to come back 3 weeks later instead they sent me a letter 3 weeks later to say my supporting document (which was a deed poll because i had changed my name) had not been dated and to send them another??? that was my original document and yet they didnt send it back for me to date!, it was murder trying to get through to them i rung the advice line numerous times and they said we can only send them an email to call you back? This was on thursday.I panicked and paid for another deed poll to be delivered to me next day which cost me another 52 and sent that by special delivery on friday morning so they should have that in the office this morning. we are now on monday im worried will they even call back? i have requested an upgrade im worried if they will deny me that and ill have to wait 3 weeks again? im due to fly out on the first of june as my only living grandparent is seriously ill and they dont think she will be here much longer as she has a number of health problems and is also in her late 80s. im so stressed i have already made arrangements for my disabled sons care for when i leave and also respite for my foster children. This is unbearable :-(

i sent my passport to the durham passport office which they recieved on the 25th of april i expected it to come back 3 weeks later instead they sent me a letter 3 weeks later to say my supporting document (which was a deed poll because i had changed my name) had not been dated and to send them another??? that was my original document and yet they didnt send it back for me to date!, it was murder trying to get through to them i rung the advice line numerous times and they said we can only send them an email to call you back? This was on thursday.I panicked and paid for another deed poll to be delivered to me next day which cost me another 52 and sent that by special delivery on friday morning so they should have that in the office this morning. we are now on monday im worried will they even call back? i have requested an upgrade im worried if they will deny me that and ill have to wait 3 weeks again? im due to fly out on the first of june as my only living grandparent is seriously ill and they dont think she will be here much longer as she has a number of health problems and is also in her late 80s. im so stressed i have already made arrangements for my disabled sons care for when i leave and also respite for my foster children. This is unbearable :-(

Hi fellow sufferers,my renewal was recieved 29th march and it hasn't changed it's status since (documents recieved etc etc)As someone who lives in France I was charged £147 straight off!!(A fee that has since been reduced considerably for applicants from 1st april!!)I've e-mailed the complaints site today as I had time before I travel I had decided to wait them out,but as a Brit in france I need my passport as proof of ID both legaly and officially now it's becoming a problem (my driving licence has its limits!)After following this forum for 3 weeks I think that I can see a very strong pattern developing,make them wait , force them to FAST TRACK and at £60 a pop it's a very good business,another case of the haves pushing the nots lower and lower down the list,BRAVO Camerons Blighty!

royapp the fees from abroad have been reduced? I applied at the end of feb and it cost over £100 for a child passport. AFAIK there is no fast track for overseas applications. I still don't get why it costs double and takes twice as long, even once postage charges are removed. I suspect it may be to do with consular services and embassies having a target of being self funding, which is why everything costs so much at UK embassies, but as the UKPA is not part of the Foreign Office, I don't know.

I am also in France and emailed a complaint twice. Don't bother, it took them a week to reply and ask me for the applicant's name. Just call the office directly using the numbers posted here. My online status still says docs received etc, but I was able to get more information from the office directly.

You're right. Prices have been reduced by £45 for adults and £27.50 for children.

Yes alteredimages they lowered the price less than a week after I sent off my application (such is life!)There was little (almost zero) info about the price change I found one post on an obscure ex pat american site,on UKGOVT nothing at all (of course)
I find it all very amusing the mealie-mouthed ways that they weedle money out of our pockets!Same in France I suppose although le passport et carte d'identité are rapid and cheaper,done through the town hall,no elitist FAST TRACK

Yes. I especially appreciate being able to order copies of birth certificates online for free!

Hi all, I am desperate!!! Can anyone help?

Passports sent via PO Check and Send on the 3rd May.
Called the IPS 0300 number several times in last 7 days, got through 4 times and only take messages and advise a call back. No one calls back.
Cant escalate - can't get transferred to Glasgow where passport was sent. Cant talk to anyone apart from call centre 0300 number. I'm going around in circles and just need passport back for holiday booked for half term.
I am feeling sick and very frustrated. Can someone help or know someone from the Glasgow office help us!? We prepare to drive up from London this week if needed to pick it up.

I'm same as you, trying to find direct numbers for passport offices! I found this one this morning on google and was told off for using it but try yourself - 0141 342 1315 Glasgow Passport office. I now need Belfast number as have discovered they have transferred my daughters application to Belfast, hence more delays!!

Can anyone help me. I called Durham today to check on the status of my passport (I received a call back from them last Thursday saying it should be processed next week i.e. either yesterday or today). Anyway...when I called today to check...it was still at they same stage and had not moved! I'm flying on the 2nd June but need to fly from London, so we're going up on Saturday morning...ideally need the passport by Friday 30th at the very latest! The lady said not to panic and that she'll put a request into the fast track team but she said she didn't know when they'd call back!!!!! I then called the helpline 0300 number and the lady there said they should phone back within 48hours. Has anyone else been through this and how long generally do they take to come back to you?! I'm a wreck and am constantly close to tears all the time. Do you think I should call them back and ask it I could come to Durham to pick it up?! It's 5 and a half hours away from me and a £300 train...I'm just desperate! Xxxx

Not 100% sure when they were sent, but one adult and one child's renewal arrived this morning. They have been about a month.

Done online, by my anal DH (he's far fussier than any post office check and send assistant), who also took the photos.

Mine was sent in the 17th of April by post office and advised they would be back in time. Have since been told the lady should never have told me that!!!!!!

Stayed in the post office for aWEEK before they sent itttttt!

Oh my goodness. Also having Passport woes. I think I'm not going to get mine in time now though since I fly a week tomorrow. My story:

-Applied online, application cashed on April 21st by Glasgow
-Tried to upgrade after declaration forms were sent out late (3 requests)
-Glasgow then lost application
-Booked urgent Appointment in Durham
-Application turned up in Belfast on sunday, said no way they'd get it in time
-Withdrew application from Belfast, assured me it would be done before appointment (confirmed by 3 people no less).
-went to Durham today, turns out it hadn't been withdrawn and Durham are unable to withdraw it due to system error!!!
It's too late to cancel my trip, and I had a giant panic attack in the offices and had to be taken off to the side room.

Still it may be too late for me but if anyone is after phone numbers, these are what I've got:

Newport 0845 601 5403
Belfast 0845 601 9031 (they are terrible at answering)
Durham 0845 604 4385

Very interesting reading this makes as someone who works for the adviceline, we are paid £6 an hour to do the job of civil servants and have to be highly vetted, work for a company called teleperformance. We do have 1 weeks training but honestly it does cover everything that is needed to take a call it is pretty simple.

So many questions to answer. The private numbers for the office being given out here have actually led to the offices closing there phonelines to the 0300 number a few months ago and call backs having to be set up because they are flooded with calls from the public which they are not supposed to receive, if everyone went through the adviceline there would be no problem. People contacting the office directly is partly the problem in the slow turnaround of applications.

If everyone waited until they had their passport in their hand before booking their holidays their would be no problem although I do appreciate on some occasions in unplanned travel this is not possible.

The amount of death threats, suicide threats, swear words, racist remarks I hear for £6 an hour it is basically not fair and the british public need to catch a grip of themselves as almost all the time it is the fault of the caller and it is the agent getting the abuse.

I tell it how it is in my calls so as not to mislead the customer, I find although it angers the occasional customer that it doesn't give false hope and generally the customers prefer the truth.

It takes around 3-4 weeks at the moment coming up to summer for applications, first child ones can take longer because almost all the time a letter is sent to the countersignatures work address for more information and this holds up the application. People who book for 5-6 weeks away when their child has never had a passport it is pure silliness, book a fast track 1 week service, wait until the passport is in your hand and then book, simples.

MP's can't have any influence so previous remarks explaining the passport magically turned up after that is purely coincidental as MP's do not have data protection to discuss someone else's application...

I'll be happy to answer any further questions regarding applications with a no nonsense approach, I've probably already spoke to most of you.

Don't do applications online as they are incredibly slow, best picking up a pack from the post office, filling it out and sending it off!