Feedback, experiences, timelines, tips and useful information from people that have recently been through the UK passport application process.
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1st Adult Passport
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Belfast
Submission Date:
2022-05-03
Date Received:
2022-08-02
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
No updates for about 2 months after the documents were received and while the staff on the helpline were friendly, they weren’t able to tell me anything.
Adult Renewal Passport
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Glasgow
Submission Date:
2022-07-26
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Applied online.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2022-07-27
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Passport arrived 2hrs after they notified me it had been printed! Normal service, not fast tracked
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool
Submission Date:
2022-07-25
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Receipt may have been even quicker as we didn’t send our old passports back until 28/07/2022
They arrived the following day. Receipt was confirmed the next working day passports were printed and sent that day, arriving with us before 11am the following day.
Old passports not returned yet.
Fully updated at all stages. Very good service.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Peterborough
Submission Date:
2022-05-19
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
I received no updates for 10 weeks
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool
Submission Date:
2022-07-25
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Passport printed 7:40am on 2 August 2022
Application approved 2:08pm on 1 August 2022
Documents received 9:18am on 28 July 2022
Application received 9:14pm on 25 July 2022
Identity details received 9:13pm on 25 July 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 8:30pm on 25 July 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 1:33pm on 25 July 2022
Application submitted 1:33pm on 25 July 2022
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Newport
Submission Date:
2022-05-02
Date Received:
2022-07-28
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Call centre waste of time – tell you anything to get you off the phone. Web chat never available. Email replies are standard responses and not personalised/ relevant to individual case. Absolute disgrace that applications are not dealt with in date received order – totally unfair system which needs a complete overhaul. Senior Management should be brought to book over this.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Belfast
Submission Date:
2022-05-02
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
Applied for two adult renewals on line at the same time 02/05/22. Husbands application went to Newport, mine to Belfast. Husbands application was turned round in 4 weeks. Mine has taken 13 weeks from date of application. Frustrating as because we took the official advice, and did not book our road trip to France and Belgium for the middle of August as we were not in receipt of my passport, that was what turned out to make me not eligible for any assistance once the 10 weeks had passed because we had not got travel actually booked. Once my application was approved on Monday 1st August there was only a 2 day wait for it to be delivered to me this morning. It seems that those of us who abided by the advice were penalised as those who had gone ahead and booked regardless pushed us further back. It is difficult to believe that a standard adult renewal has taken 13 weeks to turn around and has been a frustrating and stressful experience added to by the fact my driving license was also due for renewal. Fortunately I still had a note of my old passport number and was able to use that before the expiry date to renew my license, which incidentally the DVLA turned around in 3 days. I now have my passport but have missed out on foreign travel this summer despite applying in plenty of time but could not take the risk that it might not have arrived in time.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2022-05-12
Date Received:
2022-07-28
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Lack of communication or care from the passport office, dreadful service, should get a refund as we are paying for a service that we are not receiving it is a shambles.
Lost or Stolen Passport Application
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool
Submission Date:
2022-05-19
Date Received:
2022-08-02
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
Reported it lost twice as didn’t get any acknowledgement the first time. Someone called to verify details then said they’d be in touch but heard nothing more. No updates or responses to emails – just kept getting told nobody could help unless it was over 10 weeks. All I wanted to know was whether I needed to submit documents but nobody would answer me.
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool
Submission Date:
2022-05-19
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
3 Star – Average
Comments:
The application took slightly over the 10 weeks that the government estimated. Slightly before the 10-week mark, I used the online enquiry form as I hadn’t had an update on the tracking page since my nominated person confirmed my identity right at the start. Received an email response less than 10 minutes later confirming that they had started processing my application 2 weeks prior. This step really should be on the tracking page on gov.uk to relieve at least some of the anxiety long applications have these days.
The email was also clearly a template that was filled in slightly wrong (weird layout with unnecessary line breaks, used my first name in the place of my surname), which did not fill me with confidence.
However, once the application was approved progress was extremely quick, just over 24 hours. Approved at 10 am yesterday, printed at 3 pm yesterday, and received at 11 am today. Delivery did not require a signature, but your mileage may vary. Overall, the process was OK, but the whole situation would be far less stressful if they just gave you more frequent updates.
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Belfast
Submission Date:
2022-04-27
Date Received:
2022-07-26
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Had to repeatedly call and email and eventually expedited.
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2022-04-14
Date Received:
Not Received
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Go on holiday Monday cost £5500 not received passport don’t know what to do.
1st Child Passport
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool
Submission Date:
2022-07-04
Date Received:
2022-07-07
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
I applied and tracked my younger son passport, it came in the expected timeline.
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool
Submission Date:
2022-04-27
Date Received:
Not Received
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
Submitted 27th April my sons first passport , going to Mexico 11th September for family wedding booked in 2019.
No sign of it – I have sent letters , countless emails , MP I’d involved ……, but nothing.
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool
Submission Date:
2022-07-03
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Passport arrived by TNT post – 1150 – 3rd august 2022
Passport printed 4:25am on 2 August 2022
Application approved 3:41pm on 31 July 2022
Documents received 1:30pm on 6 July 2022
Application received 4:01pm on 3 July 2022
Identity details received 4:00pm on 3 July 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 3:52pm on 3 July 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 3:42pm on 3 July 2022
Application submitted 3:42pm on 3 July 2022
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2022-05-10
Date Received:
Not Received
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Still no passport and no correspondence. So very stressed as we were meant to fly Monday. Utterly heartbroken for my eldest daughter. Very incompetent service.
Child Renewal
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Newport
Submission Date:
2022-04-27
Date Received:
2022-08-02
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Repeated emails to upgrade team. Polite contact on telephone through general line but advice limited and could not be escalated.
Went to Durham Passport office yesterday without an appointment and they couldn’t have been more supportive – we arrived 8am and were seen within 30 mins, had passports at 2.30pm (flight today).
Would suggest if anyone is within that 1 week period before travel to attend the passport office in person despite being told repeatedly I wouldn’t be seen without an appointment. They were more than helpful at Durham but couldn’t speak for other offices. 5 stars to Durham but clear national system has collapsed under the pressure.
Overseas Passport Application
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
0022-07-15
Date Received:
2022-08-03
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Very pleased with the rapid turnaround. Probably my only criticism would be that DHL left the passport in the letter box instead of requiring a signature. Anybody could have stolen this but fortunately it didn’t happen.
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2022-05-02
Date Received:
2022-06-14
Overall Experience:
3 Star – Average
Comments:
I submitted 3 applications on the same date on-line with photos taken by family members. One application went into the automated checking route and the other two were selected for manual checks. Documents were sent signed delivery and arrived on 10 May although the documents were shown as received on 13 May for one application and on 16 May for the other two, although sent in the same envelope.
There was an issue with a difference between the name on the application in the automated checking route and an overseas passport, although this was resolved, based on the advice from the advice line, by submission of letter of explanation. The documents were and the application was approved on 7 June and received 14 June.
There was no update or communication regarding the other two applications and the advice line was not able to give any advice other than to be patient. 10 weeks after the documents were received and 12 weeks after submitting the application, I called again and was told that a note was being sent to the examination team although I learnt later that there are no call backs for overseas applications.
I also followed advice found on this site and sent e-mails for expedited applications and the Overseas team at Durham. This triggered automated responses but two days later, I received an e-mail from the Durham Overseas Team informing me that the applications had been approved. Delivery by DHL arrived within a week.
1. This site was very helpful in providing e-mail addresses and advice as well as the feeling that you are not the only one feeling frustrated with little or no communication from HMPO.
2. There are no call backs if the application is from overseas.