Passport renewals

[GCAcademic]

Just wondering if anyone on here has a passport renewal application going currently, or has recently had one, and can answer a question?

My documents (old passport) were received on 25 November, but there have been no updates on the tracking system since then. Things I’ve seen online suggest that the system updates to show that your application has “Joined Processing Queue” on pretty much the same day as the documents are received.

Can anyone confirm whether no update for this long after the documents are received is normal? I’m supposed to be travelling in early Jan and starting to get worried!

Not sure - I sent for a new passport for DS about 10 days ago and they acknowledged my documents a few days later (DS has slight name change - oy, what a pain that's been for passport). I'd heard a ballpark figure of 7 weeks at the moment, but I don't know if that's average or outside. No travel plans in our case, so I'm not really following it, though.

TBH, I'm not sure I rate anyone's ability to travel in early January, passport or no!

My child's didn't take long.
Message saying documents received on the 8th.
Message saying application approved on the 24th.
Later on the 24th, message to say passport sent.
It did take just over a week to receive it from that point though.

Our child renewal took about about six weeks but that was with me calling and chasing a lot, as I ended up needing it for proof of identity for something else and was in a right flap! I asked for the old one back as it had a few months left on it... I was just trying to get the renewal sorted early. Regretted that when realised we needed it urgently. In the end I think they rushed it through as both arrived six weeks later.

This was in Oct though when everyone was booking travel. I imagine travel chaos right now means less applications going in. Fingers crossed for you!

Thanks all. Just had an update today that the application is approved and passport about to be printed, which is a relief.

Now to see if travel is even possible in January . . .