Hi all,
Wanted to update you on our application – feel free to click on my responses to see our specific situation.
Timeline:
Passport Recieved: 13 April 2022
Passport printed: 12 April 2022
Application approved: 12 April 2022
Application being processed: 11 March 2022
Documents internally sent to Durham: 05 March 2022
Documents received (to peterbourgh): 28 February 2022
Old Passport recorded as being delivered: 18 February 2022
Application received: 17 February 2022
Application submitted: 17 February 2022
Incredibly stressfull process. Multiple calls to HMPO to be told different things. We even contacted our MP.
Finally got told after calling on 6th April to write a letter explaning damage to the passport, as all replacement applications require a description of how the damaged occured regardless of doing it on the online application. When I asked why I was not previously told he said no-one had actually looked at the passport application by that point. We got told about the new upgrade process on that day to get passport fast tracked as we were traveling within two weeks.
We got a call from an examiner on the 11th April, he gave us a choice as he was about to approve the application normally. He could approve it to go to central print (with all the delays about two weeks) or pay for the ‘upgrade’ and the would print locally like all fast tracked appointments. We paid the extra amount (around £70).
My advice would be to keep trying to call HMPO we ended up getting in touch with a VERY helpful chap from the customer service management team who told us about the letter and what exactly to write. I think our application was always going to get ‘looked at’ on the 11th, so was really lucky we had sent the additional letter stating the damage and we intend to upgrade the application.