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:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-03
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-07
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Belfast
Submission Date:
2023-01-30
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Passport delivered on 21 February 2023 (not in the system). Still waiting for the documents to be returned.
Passport printed 9:39am on 18 February 2023
Application approved 7:51pm on 17 February 2023
Documents received 9:36am on 9 February 2023
Application received 12:53pm on 31 January 2023
Identity details received 12:52pm on 31 January 2023
Email sent to person confirming your identity 11:51am on 31 January 2023
Ask someone to confirm your identity 11:25pm on 30 January 2023
Application submitted 11:25pm on 30 January 2023
Adult Renewal Passport
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-15
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-01
Date Received:
2023-02-11
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-12
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Easy to do, kept informed at every stage and super quick.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-06
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-01-31
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Faster than I expected since this was a renewal sent from Cyprus
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-08
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Newport
Submission Date:
2023-02-01
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Forgot to fill in my middle name on application. Got a call from passport office 20/2/23 to ask wether I wanted to omit or keep my middle name on passport. Was told that was the reason it took a little longer.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2023-01-30
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
3 Star – Average
Comments:
My passport hadn’t actually expired I wanted to do a name change (to my married name). I’m a dual National but I consider that a second passport as I got that purely from parents and not actually living there. I was asked to send that in – it had expired in May 2020. A lot of back and forth with HMPO insisting that I renew and change the other passport before my British name change can be done. Had a few calls from PO’s and had to write 2 extra letters to HMPO to explain why that wasn’t possible. They eventually approved the application. I also had a photo rejection which I solved immediately by taking one at home. I had gone to the booths and uploaded the code digitally but they didn’t like the quality so I would advise just a picture at home and save the £9.
Live in London and that’s where I usually send docs but maybe because of it being a name change my documents were to be sent to Durham and the additional letters to Liverpool.
Passport printed 2:25am on 18 February 2023
Application approved 9:15am on 17 February 2023
New photo received 6:24pm on 8 February 2023
Photo rejected 5:49pm on 8 February 2023
Documents received 10:19am on 2 February 2023
Application received 3:43pm on 30 January 2023
Application submitted 3:43pm on 30 January 2023
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-09
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Had to retake passport photo taken on handphone at the shop which provided service and digital photo directly to HM passport office.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2023-01-08
Date Received:
2023-01-13
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-01-25
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-07
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Very smooth application. Submitted 7/2 confirmed by text same day. notified by text old passport received 9/2. Notified by text application approved one week later 16/2. Notified passport printed 18/2 and notified of despatch 20/2, received 21/2 14 days in total.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Peterborough
Submission Date:
2023-02-01
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-14
Date Received:
2023-02-17
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
1st Child Passport
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2023-02-03
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
but still havent receive documents
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2023-02-11
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Used post office digital check and send service.
StatusDate
Passport printed 2:38am on 22 February 2023
Application approved 9:22am on 21 February 2023
Documents received 2:16pm on 14 February 2023
Application received 1:38pm on 11 February 2023
Identity details received 1:37pm on 11 February 2023
Email sent to person confirming your identity 11:40am on 11 February 2023
Ask someone to confirm your identity 10:57am on 11 February 2023
Application submitted 10:57am on 11 February
Child Renewal
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-11
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
4 stars – because it was not made clear that I had to submit proof of parental responsibility, despite renewing my child’s passport. I could understand this if I was submitting an application for my child’s first passport.
If you are renewing your child’s passport and you are the child’s father who is submitting the application (as opposed to the child’s mother submitting the application), then make sure you send proof of parental responsibility with your child’s old passport. This can be:
child’s full birth certificate if it lists your name (in Scotland, you can only do this if you registered their birth on or after 4 May 2006);
a marriage certificate if you were married to the child’s mother at the time of birth (in Scotland, at the time the mother became pregnant) or at any point afterwards;
a signed and dated letter from the child’s mother giving consent for the issue of the passport – below their signature they should write ‘mother’, print their full name and add their passport number, if they have one.
This was sent to me after I had sent off my child’s old passport.
Once the Passport Office had received proof of parental responsibility, the passport was approved and arrived two days later.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-06
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Getting the photo taken by a third party helped a lot as he knew what to look out for in the photo. He cropped the photo and got the lighting correct and then tested it on the government site to see if it passed. You then got a receipt for the passed photo. When applying on-line later the hard part was already done.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-13
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Newport
Submission Date:
2023-01-31
Date Received:
2023-02-16
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-04
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overseas Passport Application
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Submission Date:
2022-04-15
Date Received:
Not Received.
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
I have applied and sent in my application on 4/15 it was received and i received a text saying i need to send in my old passport. That arrived in UK from USA on MAY 4th…I still as of 5/20 HAD NO UPDATE I leave mid July for international travel with my entire family who are US citizens and have passports. What must or can I do? Also has anyone been able to expedite overnight mail at least?
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