Baby's first passport delays

[Sunshinexx95]

Hi everyone, Give me some hope please 😭🙏

I applied on the 17th of feb
Had delays in confirming identity 11th of March
Sent documents on the 15th of March
System updated received on the 29th of March
It was all sent to Peterborough

I'm booked for holiday on the 29th of April which I am pretty sure it will be cancelled now.
I'm so sad ... I just want an update on the application and have been calling them mornings afternoons and evenings but it gets cut off after 10 min.

I'm glad you were able to delay the trip. I'm so hoping you get it in time 🤞

You should definitely email your MP now about this and hopefully they may be able to push it along. Give your application reference and your timeline. Make them aware that you had to change your trip etc.

I've had no word from Peterborough and they've had the old passport for 10 days now. I do still have plenty of time but reading stories like yours and similar I am on edge.

Progressing is actually the black hole

Not all passports go to processing - it basically means it’s been taken out if the digital route to needing a person to deal with it

go on passport chaos 2022 Facebook. Processing on your form is not a good sign and you may need to be more proactive complaining.

Feel really silly! We booked a holiday months ago which is supposed to be special and relaxing for our little family after all the COVID/lockdown stresses! But we had completely forgot our babies first passport! Which I thought was going to fine usually only taking weeks! Now I'm not so sure after reading all the delays!

I managed to get all the paperwork signed and sent off within a week now we are hoping the passport arrives ontime for our dream holiday on the 4th May! We sent everything special delivery and paid £16 extra for the postoffice check on the 22nd April! We've heard nothing yet! What do you think! Anyone got any fast new passport stories to give me some hope! Or what I should do next! I hope I hear something after the Bank Holiday!

We are guessing it went to Peterborough because of our location! But the post office did it all including in the extra £16 cost!

Pp not to be negative but you will not get that passport on time as it’s a first passport so needs a lot more additional checks

it’s not even two weeks?

It says allow 10 weeks for passports on the website and whilst some are coming in sooner they’re all renewals - I haven’t seen anyone posting on the passport Facebook page of having received a first passport within 8 weeks never mind 2. It takes a week for it to be delivered once printed. I’m only being so negative so you have time to explore options, 4th May is Wednesday. They likely haven’t even looked at it yet.

Have you tracked it online?

We are going to look into maybe seeing if we can push the holiday back! Cancelling means we ll loose all the money now!

So stressed! What a mess! But trying not to moan all day about it to my husband because I know he's really upset about it!

Does anyone have a 4 week turned around story to give me some hope this bank holiday and stay positive! The lady at the post office who checked it mentioned nothing about delays and said it looks totally fine and should be back quick! Thoughts that was the £16 extra was for, to speed it up a bit! So angry she didn't say anything because we would have done the one week express and drove miles to get this sorted!

We understood its 3 weeks for a babies new passport! That's what you get online when you check on NCT website etc....

It depends how busy they are

on the gov passport website up until 31/3 the wait time for even renewals was stated as 5 weeks. On 1/4 they updated it to say 10 weeks as so busy

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office/about-our-services

I was wondering what the processing was as my sons went from application received to approved and printed.

I joined the page you mentioned this morning but it's mainly doom and gloom and I found it stressful.
Funnily though, as I was reading it, I received a text saying they had received my 2nd sons old passport. Hopefully that application is approved as quickly as his brothers was.

Yes I agree it’s very negative! However it’s useful for contact numbers, hearing success stories and what they did etc

sadly there are many on there phoning everyday who only applied recently and they will likely slow process down further

Unfortunately you left it too late and it would be a miracle if you got it in time.
People can't even get through to the passport office at the moment as they're that busy.
Check and send is just paying the post office to look through your application and make sure its OK and also covers sending the application off recorded delivery. The Last passports we did (before online was available) we paid for check and send and there was a mistake on it that the cashier didn't notice 🙄 so I'm glad we can do it online now.

Your best bet would be to try and move your holiday or do the unthinkable... leave baby with your parents and the rest of you go 😬

I did my DD's passport (renewal but first adult one) - applied on 13th April, they received old passport 19th April, I received the new passport 28th April. Didn't need any ID checks or verifications or anything. It was the easiest and quickest passport I've ever done!

Sorry guys totally got my dates wrong! We are going 4th JUNE not may! I'm a stressed mess today that was a typo! So sent the 22nd April hoping to make the holiday on the 4th June with my babies first passport!

So any hope or do you think I'm dreaming!

This is terrible, I applied and sent docs of the same days as you. Had the passport middle of last week.

Thank you that gives me hope! I have heard and seen online that renewals and babies passports are generally 3 weeks! I'm going to look at pushing the holiday back but not going to make any big decisions until the 3 week mark! Cannot believe we forgot his passport! New born brain is still in mode for sure and baby not sleeping through the night! I was hoping this holiday would be relaxing and fun to look forwards tooooo with all the chaos at home!

Oh that’s a lot better as thats 6 weeks. They’re getting faster now so 🤞

Have you tracked it online? Where does it say it’s up to?

Thank you! I have two young children close in age so trying to be organised and starting to pack all the essentials now but I'm also worrying we may not go! Such a horrible feeling! But fingers crossed!

Just thought it was strange I have no text to say they have it after a week! But I have seen stories of no commication and the passport just arriving in a few weeks!

Trying to stay clear of all the negative sites and think to myself they do millions of passports surely they must be doing some fast ones and hoping 7-6weeks is enough! More positive stories welcome plz x

🙃

Mine didn’t update to ‘passport received until it had been 9/10 days. Then approved and printed almost straight away. When you track your pex number on your passport application it says there will be a delay in tracking between passport received on site and it saying received on the tracking

Thank you

@Watapalava
I have been trying to contact them since my application is on processing since Wednesday .
It stayed on document received for over 4 weeks. I have not been able to contact them at all

Oh no! Nightmare! I hope it all comes together after the Bank Holiday!

Having all these bank Holidays through May is not on our side but I did hear they work through bank Holidays! I'm thinking realistically with mine sent on the 22nd during both Bank Holidays I'm a back log anyway! Hoping to hear something on week two! I know it was sent at the post office so that's a start!

Good luck

Why didn't I just do an appointment for the fast track! I regret that now! But don't want to mess around with the application at this point and have it totally refused in someway.

Anyone done that! Decided to do the one week fast track application after already sending through one post application! I heard you can call them for a fast track note on your file/application if your holiday is a couple of weeks away! Anyone have any info on this!