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We received approval on Monday 21st Narch, printing notification on 28th March, passport arrived 29th March and supporting docs 30th March (today). However ours were sent direct to an examiner due to a request for extra docs.
We applied 13th January for a passport renewal with a change of name as my husband added 2 middle names to his name via Deed Poll.
We sent the required documents:
-Deed Poll Certificate
-Driving LicenceA week later we received a generic email that said send us your documents even though they had already been received.
I made lots of calls and complaints over the following 7 weeks and we had to cancel a trip. I got sent around the system, spent 90 mins at a time waiting for processing teams to answer (it often takes this long for someone to pick up)
No one could ever give me a definitive answer about why it was taking so long, some promised me it was being processed, others told me it was awaiting printing but none of it was correct. Someone told me the generic email was sent to request extra documents but then agreed we had sent the correct ones. Another advisor put us into an urgent system but this didn’t improve matters. I requested that if the examiner did want extra documents he needed to ring or write to me and explain why.
9th February it was moved to application processing and stayed there until now.
I called on the 10th March to finally be told that the examiner had sent us a letter to say that the Deed Poll Certificate was not valid as it only had a signature in husband’s old name and it needed old and new and that driving licence was not valid as his name was so long it had cut off half of one of his middle names.
We finally received the letter which fortunately contained an address label for sending new docs direct to the examiner.
We had to pay a solicitor £180 for a new deed poll certificate with 2 signatures and sent 8 other pieces of evidence (us being pedantic to make sure it was approved) posted these on 17th March and today on 21st it has finally been approved at almost 10 weeks processing.
If the examiner had explained in the first place what the issue was rather than sending generic emails then I’m sure it would be processed sooner.
The guidance given at application does not state that the certificate needs 2 signatures. My advice is to check the document guidance handbook for examiners that you can find on the government assets website prior to sending your documents to make sure you tick their boxes.
Application approved9:03am on 21 March 2022
Application being processed7:02pm on 9 February 2022
Documents received1:38pm on 21 January 2022
Application received11:06am on 13 January 2022
Application submitted11:05am on 13 January 2022The examiner requested extra documents from us. He sent an address label with the letter, we posted the documents last Thursday using the label and the passport was approved this morning.
However it did take 8 weeks for them to request these documents and numerous complaints and phone calls requesting that the examiner explain what he wanted as we were sure we had submitted the correct documents.
Passport approved today 9 weeks after application date.
We are 8 weeks in, already cancelled one trip and they’ve only just got around to telling us my husband’s deed poll certificate is not acceptable because it hasn’t been signed in his old name and new name. On top of the £500 we lost on last holiday we now have to pay £180 for a new deed poll certificate.
They should of told us this when the first examiner looked at it 2 weeks in instead of just sending generic emails.
We are the same, applied on 13th January, whole load of issues with ID docs until it finally moved to processing on the 9th Feb and hasn’t moved since. It’s almost 8 weeks, every complaint gets us no further.
A few things I have learnt from the 13 calls I have made to the Passport office:
-if they say I’ll put you through to the progress team they will give it 4 rings then say they aren’t there can I arrange a call back instead.
-my last callback took 5 days for them to contact me
-I was told that if you have requested a call back and they haven’t rung you, then you request another call back it will cancel out the first request so often best to just hang in there.
-Ask to be put through to the complaints team, a team leader or the HMPO itself but hang in there on hold to these ones as someone will eventually pick up even if it takes 1 hour 45 mins (yes I hung on that long).
-if they say they will put you on the urgent list it means nothing. Unless should have a medical emergency/death then it gives you very little priority over others, it just sits in a different queue waiting for an examiner. A HMPO complaints manager told me yesterday that sometimes being in this queue can actually slow it down if there has been an issue raised about your documents etc.
-the complaints team and central HMPO itself don’t work on a Sunday.
-if anyone says that it has been marked as urgent and should arrive within the next week it’s a false promise. Don’t believe any timesce they tell you as it just gives false hope.
Sorry to be so negative but this is everything I have experienced during the past 5 weeks since submitting our application.
If anyone is reading this and you are considering applying for a name change and have less than 10 weeks before departure then please pay for a Fast track appointment, I wish we’d had that that foresight.
I spoke to a very helpful gentleman this morning who went through our application to identify at what point our issue started and whether the initial examiner was at fault so he could report it. He them added notes to our file to ask the next examiner to call me directly if any further issues identified and not to send generic emails as previously. He showed more compassion than any of the 10 people I’ve spoken to previously.
He recommended emailing feedback@hmpo.gov.uk as the best way to report problems.
I also discovered this complaints process online with info about claiming compensation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office/about/complaints-procedure
Indeed,they are currently sat on my husband’s actual driving licence and original Deed Poll certificate with no hurry to process his passport and return them.
We’ve had to rearrange our trip at a cost of £300 and miss out on an exhibition that my husband needed to see for research, all because our incompetent idiot didn’t read their handbook properly, then stalling our application because they thought we hadn’t sent the correct documents.
I considered writing to my MP but will it actually achieve anything? 🤔
It seems like there are some serious issues going on at Peterborough. There’s a catalogue of incompetence building and we’re all stuck on the receiving end. I’ve perused other office’s forums and I’m sure they don’t have as many problems as PB.does.
I’m afraid I can’t give you any positive news. We submitted my husband’s for a name change on the 13th January, I have called at least 10 times, had it moved to urgent, put in numerous official complaints and still no progress.
Sadly we have had to rearrange our trip to the Easter holidays and lost £300 in the process.
So sad about it all. I just wished I hadn’t put my trust in the stated processing times and should have paid for Fast track instead. It’s caused no end of stress and disappointment these past few weeks. 😪
We are in the same situation. I called again today and was told that the complaints department weren’t in today. The call agent said he would out me through to ‘the passport office’ but they weren’t working and the progress team weren’t picking up.
I’m calling again in the morning and asking yo be put through to the complaints team to make a formal complaint to see if that gets me anywhere. Maybe we should have gone to a Fast track appointment at Durham and paid the extra but when we applied it was 6 weeks prior to travel and the processing time was averaging 3 weeks. My daughter’s came back within 3 weeks too.
Sorry I can’t be more help, keep me updated on your progress.
Sorry it’s a long one but we’ve had terrible service.
Applied for change of name to add 2 middle names to my husband’s name.
Sent correct documents in: Deed Poll certificate and Driving licence.Application submitted 13 January
Documents sent on 13 Jan and received on 14 Jan (Royal Mail tracking)
Passport office acknowledged documents received 21 January
Email sent to me 27/1 and 28/1 to say ‘send us your documents’ when I already sent them.Numerous calls and complaints made to passport office. Passport was stuck not progressing in the system for 2 weeks because a processor thought we had not sent the correct documents when we had. They sent the ‘send us your dcouments’ emails without any explanation why.
Application moved to urgent system on the 5th Feb
Application updated to processing on 9th Feb.Still waiting (12 Feb) and we fly in 9 days on the 21st February!
Passport office assures me it will be fine, I will ring again tomorrow for an update as I only have until Monday to change my flights for free.
I daren’t buy LFT tests, book museums, car parking etc yet.
My advice is don’t be afraid to call them and don’t take no for an answer if you think they are wrong. I was fobbed off for 2 weeks when it was a processor at fault. Ask to be put through to the progress team although one day I was waiting on hold for 2 hours before they answered. Some customer service people are better than others and more willing to help than others.
