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Hi Sazzle
No problem . .
When you sent over your email to the passport office did you attach evidence of your travel (flight etc) and your accommodation? They use this as the basis to assess how urgent your passport is. They generally ask you to do this when they give you the email details.
Nick
Hi Sazzle
However worried you are, I wouldn’t panic yet! If you have contacted the office who is dealing with your application they will get back to you providing they know when you are travelling. The Belfast office got back to me three and a half days before I was travelling and I was able to arrange to pick the passport up the next day (make sure you arrange to do this and don’t leave it to chance with a courier. It is worth bearing in mind that experience on this forum suggests that if you travel to an office in person you won’t be seen at the passport office until 48 hours before your flight.
I’ve just got off the phone to the number posted above 0300 330 0901. We travel first thing next Tuesday.
I was put through to the very helpful upgrade team, who told me to do the following things (after many weeks of going round and round in circles).
1. They will tell you to email the office that is dealing with your request. The online portal might tell you this – phoning the above certainly will. This is in the form of ‘belfastupgradeteam@hmpo.org.uk.
2. Provide the following information:
SUBJECT – Date of Travel [but if you are travelling early in the morning put the previous days date]. Do not put any more information in the subject line.3. In the body write:
Full name of person applying for passport
PEX number
Your name and contact details(if it is for your child etc – this will only work if you are mentioned on the application)IMPORTANT NOTE – write a sentence to explain why you have put a different date in the subject line IF you are travelling in the early morning. I wrote – PLEASE NOTE – Date of travel is 12 July 2022 BUT travel is at 7am on that date so passport must be received by 11 July 2022 at the latest.
GOOD LUCK
I believe it was Liverpool.
If you apply for an upgrade you have to prove that you are travelling within two weeks so evidence of flight, accommodation is expected. I think if you are travelling to an office it would make sense to take any proof you think might be useful.
I think the general advice from this forum over the last few weeks is that they won’t deal with your application in person until 48 hours before. Providing there is nothing unusual in your applications it shouldn’t be a problem, but make sure you get to the office before it opens to beat the queues.
I should add that it was a basic renewal – applied for on the 10 April – and the old passport was misplaced when it was sent to the Bootle office.
The forum is a brilliant resource – thanks to everyone for contributing.
I have a long and boring story about my son’s passport, which I will update with at a later stage (we travel next Tuesday 12th)
His old passport was stolen/lost by Royal Mail/HMPO and we only found out via an enquiry from our MP over two months after they knew! It has now been cancelled.
My question, for when I inevitably have to go in person later in the week, will I need to take countersigned photos or a paper application with countersignature (though it is an online application). I don’t want to turn up without the correct documentation.
Any advice gratefully received.
Nick
