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Given the delays in the system I suspect there is a very little chance of you getting your sons passport in time, you say the documents were received on the 20th April is this via the post tracking or has the application updated for documents received? When did you make the application?
All applications for a 1st adult passport have to have an interview, so there is a chance your son will have to be interviewed – it’s not a light in the face style interview, more an informal chat, just to make sure they are who they say they are.
Given the time until you travel I would contact the passport office to see what your options are, but be prepared for some bad news or to pay a lot more money to speed things up – but reading posts elsewhere even this route no longer seems to be a guarantee your passport will arrive in time.
Good luck!Whats this interview thing about ?
First time applications now have an interview – basically to verify you are who you say you are.
Questions include spell your name, how would you get to your local Tesco for example, how would you walk to a location from your house, describe your house, questions about family, where are you going with the passport – nothing really difficult and easy to answer basically simple things you would know but someone trying to steal your identity probably won’tdjbdane – were there interviews available soon after you called them then? 4 weeks is pretty fast including one.
I received an email on Thursday 10th March inviting me to book an interview had an video interview on Sun 13th the earliest date available at the time – my application was approved just over an hour later.
I think however they may have now gone back to in person interviews – so no idea on the availability of interviews and timescales on those.
Can anyone help on timescale. I applied for my passport 22nd March, old passport was lost years ago
Same here – I did a bit of research before applying and was told to cancel the old one, even though it was issued in the mid 80’s! After about 5 days I got a call from HMPO asking me to describe the passport and few other questions only to be told that because of when this was issued, before their systems were computerised they had no record of it and I had to apply as if it was a first passport, putting a covering letter in when I sent in my docs, which I did and this didn’t seem to cause any delays – passport applied for 21st Feb, in my hand 22nd March. So if your passport is from a similar era they may not have a record of it and if they are taking time getting back to you this may be the reason why.
Stp – it’s a mystery why some applications are processed quickly and others take such a long tim
This may help explain it – there are two routes through the application process – digital and manual -if all the checks etc can be completed on the digital route the application is processed faster, you don’t have a processing stage you go from docs received to approved in one step.
If however the digital checks can’t be completed or some other issue arises you drop out of the digital route into the manual route – you then get the processing stage update. Requesting a call back can be enough to drop your application out of the digital route.
Of course everyone’s application is individual to them so other factors may come into play.
I was lucky I applied on the 21st Feb and had the passport in my hand on 22nd March – with no processing update. I gathered this information from staff guides which are available online if you google them.
Djbdane – thanks for the info. How did they get in contact with you to arrange the interview, was it letter, text or post?
I had an email to arrange an interview, when I applied Feb/Mar this year they were still doing virtual interviews and mine was done on MS Teams with the application approved an hour later. I think they have moved back to in person interviews now though.
mine is actually a first adult passport as someone born in England, never having held one before.
Yup interview for you – it’s been policy for a few years. While mine wasn’t technically a first passport as my actual first passport was issued back in the 1980’s and long lost and they no longer have records of those passports I had to apply as if it was my first – I too was born here. Mine was done online and it’s really nothing to worry about – unless of course you’re trying to steal someone’s identity!!
What type of questions did they ask you during your interview?
Mine was done online in March – basically spell your name, then basically a sort of conversation where you are asked various things, where do you live, describe your house how far away is so and so, how would you get to your local shop from your house (describe route) why do you need a passport, where are you planning to go – just general stuff really things you’ll know easily – if you’re really you that is!!
My application submitted 21st Feb, passport in hand 22nd March – but 9 days of that was stuck at approved, which I believe was down to TNT as you don’t get the Printed update until TNT scan it when they collect it.
I just got off the phone from that number, the guy told me that it’s not even being checked by the examiner yet as the application has been moved to a different system. He didn’t sound very positive about it even arriving within the 10 week time frame, all I can say is that this has made me feel worse.
There are two routes through the system, digital and manual – if your application can stay on the digital track it’s by far the quickest, but as soon as something is flagged up or can’t be verified digitally it will drop out of the digital route.
Applications that stay digital go from docs received to approved with no processing stage, a processing update means you’ve been dropped into the manual system. It sounds like you’re now in the manual processing route so it’s anyone’s guess – good luckI wonder why yours was never “processing” like mine has been for 2 and a half weeks 🙃
Mine never had a processing update it went straight from docs received to approved – the processing update is if you fall out of the digital route because of some issue or query on the application or all the digital processes couldn’t be completed OK.
It’s not luck – it’s staying in the digital processing route, all the necessary checks were done and completed digitally – as soon as something flags up on the application it drops out of the digital route into the manual route – then once humans are involved the delays start.
I’ve not been given any tnt tracking info 😬
Has you online tracking changed to printed? From my own experience the passport is printed within a day or two of approval, but it’s when TNT actually pick it up that ‘scan’ triggers the printed update – it’s then down to how efficient TNT are at getting it through their system – Mine went to printed on the Monday and was delivered on the Tuesday.
So if your update is still on approved TNT don’t have it yet – as far as I can make out. Don’t forget you can always track on TNT using your PEX number and postcode – I never got sent any tracking info from TNT – just google TNT passport delivery for the link. Good luck
I’ve just had my passport application approved – do you know how long it should now take to arrive? I’ve booked an emergency appointment in Liverpool (I live near Brighton) for Thursday as passport service were giving me the runaround on when I should get my passport. I don’t know whether to wait for the other passport to arrive or drive up to Liverpool for my appointment on Thursday. Any guidance? Thanks
It took 10 days from my application being approved until I had the passport in ny hand – if yours has been approved it’s probably gone for printing and unless someone has twigged you’ve got an appointment on Thursday it’s probably gone to ‘central print’ which is in Durham. So you really need to try and speak to them before travelling up there as I suspect there is a real possibility it could well be a wasted journey.
Maryy93 and Frustrated_1 was 3-4 weeks when we applied and our holiday was transferred from year before due to Covid but no compensation as we booked travel apparently without a passport. 🤷♀️😡
I suppose this is their get out of jail free card – you shouldn’t book unless your documents are valid and in place – but in the real world people look at the timescales on their site and work to those.
