[hjiki]

first when you sent your application did you receive an automatic email confirming that the team has received the email?

if you haven’t had that automatic email it means they haven’t received so i would resent if i haven’t received that

lmk if you have an questions regarding this

[hjiki]

was in the same boat as you but i’m flying the 3rd Sunday, my urgent application was processing in belfast but i turned up 48hours before my flight (friday,today) without an appointment at the London passport office since i genuinely wasn’t going to travel to belfast as it is too far

1. go early to passport office i mean really early passport office openned at 7:45 today ppl started queuing at 6-6:30 ish, i arrived at the area at 7:15 and it took around 4-5 hours to be seen –> therefore being early is crucial as it increases chances of you being seen

keep in mind ppl with appointments are given priority (essentially a fastrack in the que) so i can’t emphasis enough how being early is important

2. come with valid ID, evidence of travelling everything (lmk if you want me to elaborate)

i did my passport application by post so make sure you know your application reference number or alternatively your PEX number if you applied online since they give you a form to fill out once you reach the office
they also ask for the reason you are here so write something like:
URGENT TRAVEL, travelling in less than 48hours and need passport urgently

3. since i did an application by post they sorted me to the ground floor instead of above (idk how this is relevant but the lady told me since i am a person who applied by post is harder to upgrade than online application

4. the lady doesn’t do much (my convo with her was less than 7MINS) but she basically send a small email from london HMPO to belfast HMPO since i am with the belfast upgrade team

this email according to me is crucial (so if someone sends something that in itself boosts your chances) as it kind of brings you up the belfast upgrade team radar

5. she then tells me to wait for a call either today or tommorow but she also told me if they don’t call within ur travelling time frame it’s not gonna happen

6. i had a gut intuition that i had to constantly keep my phone on me making sure i had service and was ready to pick up any call especially a no caller ID call

7. after like 3hours i was loosing hope when i got a call from the upgrades team

regarding your case;

first mistake you should have gone today, this is because you would have been classed as 48hours since sunday the HMPO is closed so you only get friday and sat meaning you would of been given priority

but we can’t change the past so let’s focus on solving the problem tommrow is your last shot, you have to go early to the nearest HMPO (ideally if you are like me upgrade team in belfast i would go to belfast office but if you can’t do that go to your nearest HMPO EARLY — trust me it makes a difference

keep in mind it’s saturday so a bigger rush some people are estimated to be queuing extremely early
saturday HMPO also opens later but also closes earlier –. meaning tommorow earliness is KEY

rather be early and at the front of the queue than sorry

i can provide more details if you want and answer any queries let me know ASAP

also lmk ;
did you apply by post or online?
what time are you travelling on monday?
.

[hjiki]

when did you applu for an upgrade?

ideally go to the same place where your passport is being processed in this case durham

[hjiki]

I’m actually at the London passport office rn i waited over 3hours got seen by someone and they said that since my passport is done by post instead of online, it is harder. (idk what that means)

did you apply for your passport online or by post?

the London team apparently contacted the Belfast team and is waiting for a response, so they said i have to just wait for a call that may or may not arrive either today or tomorrow

I’m just hoping something works out…….

[hjiki]

guys it’s approaching 48hours till i fly i have no choice but to approach the passport office do i go to the london victoria Passport office (closer to me) or the peterborough passport office (less likely to have ppl + queued according to priority order

the kick is that my upgrade service is being processed by the belfast team :/ and there is no way i can go to belfast so have to gamble and settle for alternatives such as peterborough and london victoria

[hjiki]

which upgrade team did you go through? peterborough , belfast, durham etc

[hjiki]

my upgrade hasn’t been approved yet but i live less than 30mins away from london so my closest passport office is victoria PO in london however my upgrade is being processed in the belfast upgrade team which is northern ireland

[hjiki]

hey i’m just really overwhelmed and stressed i’m flying on the 3rd Sunday July

1. when did you first contact the upgrades team? (was it 2 weeks before, 3 days before etc) ? please be specific ?
2. when did you first submit a passport application ?
3. other than the upgrades team contacting you to show your passport was approved when else did they contact you?
4. did you receive an automatic reply email when you first sent ur details off ?

do you know any way to speed up the process

btw i really happy your passport was approved this is so stressful

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