Renewing passport - have to send off old one?

[RetrainRetrain]

Does anyone know if you have to send off your current passport when you apply for a new one if it has not expired yet (5 months left)?
We're trying to work out the best time to renew for DC as apparently the wait times are crazy at the moment.

Of course you do. They dont process the new application until they receive the old one

I've just sent one away today

Yes, I've just renewed dd's. Once they received the application i had to send hers then it was processed. They wont process before they get the supporting documents...

Mine was horribly out of date when I wanted to renew it (think nearly 25 years old) so I stated it was lost on my renewal. Didn't need to send it away, just sent new pics and updated info. Was renewed in 3 weeks.

If you say its lost it will get cancelled and be unable to be used anyway

Yes, you need to send the old passport.
They will send it back after the new o e has been processed, but the corner will have been cut off.

Damn, was optimistically hoping it was like a driving licence as they don't actually specify sending it off

You do need ro return your old driving licence

If it helps, I sent off DD's a week ago and it has already been processed. I had an email yesterday to say it's approved and will be printed and despatched next. So pretty fast service so far.

I hope I haven't just jinxed DD's application by saying that 😂

I have no memory of doing that either

Ohh thanks Gazelda!

@Gazelda

If it helps, I sent off DD's a week ago and it has already been processed. I had an email yesterday to say it's approved and will be printed and despatched next. So pretty fast service so far.

I hope I haven't just jinxed DD's application by saying that 😂

I've picked a bad weekend to send ds's in with it being Easter. Hoping for a quick turnaround too

Although there have been some horror stories on here of it taking 10 weeks to get renewed

Ours arrived last week, only took a month from start to finish! Also, did application online then sent three old passports off in one envelope.

Sent off my sons old one two weeks ago. They've received it as I sent it via recorded delivery and I checked the status.

Then had a text last night to say I needed to send it as it's not been received. 🙄🙄So going to contact the passport office again next week.

DD1's first adult passport has just been delivered today. It took 3 weeks and 2 days start to finish (with 2 Bank Holidays in there). We took our own photo, applied online and sent her (expired last August) child one off 2 weeks before her 16th birthday. The tracking was very efficient - I had both texts and emails.

The longest part was waiting for the update saying they (Corby) had received her previous passport - I tracked it on Royal Mail so knew it had actually been delivered the next day.

My ds's old passport has been delivered to the passport office today so I wonder how long the rest of the process will take. The application was done online with a photo taken on my phone

dementedpixie This is our timeline if it helps:

Application submitted 11:21am on 27 March 2022
Application received 11:21am on 27 March 2022
Documents received 9:07am on 5 April 2022 (actually 28 March according to Royal Mail tracking!)
Application approved 1:00am on 10 April 2022
Passport printed 9:36am on 14 April 2022

Tracking then switched to TNT and they delivered today, 19 April.