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 With Interview
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2022-06-14
Date Received:
2022-09-22
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Waiting time – 100 days/15 weeks
I used signed for delivery through royal mail when sending supporting docs, my documents were received and signed for on June 17, however tracking page didn’t update to say these were received until June 30. I was moving house at the end of Sept and travelling in Oct, so I’d left well over the recommended ‘up to 10 week’ wait to get my passport. I sent a parent’s original birth certificate (if I could go back I’d have paid for a copy and sent that), plus my non-British passport.
I didn’t start to stress until mid-Aug, the web chat staff kept telling me my application was ‘waiting to be examined’ and that it wouldn’t be much longer. When I phoned the HMPO number, 0300 222 0000, before 10 weeks had passed the call centre staff would say “it hasn’t been 10 weeks, there’s nothing we can do, call back when it’s been 10 weeks!”.
So still no passport after 10 weeks or update on the tracking page, I phone back and get through to the ‘progress team’. They told me that my referee doc wasn’t scanned in along with my other documents when they were received, and this is what had caused the delay. They made it sound like it was my fault. They tell me my application has been escalated and that I should receive an email about this. I don’t receive any email, and after a few days I email escalatedservice@hmpo.gov.uk myself, and then I get a reply acknowledging the application escalation.
This was very frustrating because if I was told earlier about the referee document issue it could’ve been sorted many weeks before. I wonder if I had never phoned/emailed would HMPO have ever contacted me? I had to arrange for my referee to call HMPO, and it was also recommended that I write a letter to the Liverpool office asking for the urgent release of my documents, as I was moving house and these are sent back via royal mail and can’t be diverted, unlike the passport which is delivered by TNT.
A week after sending the letter my documents arrive back to my relief, I had started to worry they had lost my non-British passport. In the meantime I had my referee phone HMPO, this is now early Sept. I get a text about a week after that saying that I need to have an interview and call the number provided to organise this for mid-Sept. The interview is done virtually through microsoft teams. 2 days after the interview I get a text/email that my application has been approved, and then a few hours after that another to say my passport has been printed. My passport was delivered 2 days later. I received a text from TNT on the morning that it was out for delivery but it was actually delivered by a man on a Getir motorcycle.
This was 15 weeks (100 days) after my application, and one week before I was due to move house. My advice is use the online link for your reference, and use a referee who holds a British passport.
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2022-09-01
Date Received:
2022-09-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Adult Renewal Passport
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2022-05-29
Date Received:
2022-08-20
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Submitted my wife’s and my application together with identical documents from Abu Dhabi, UAE. In the same DHL package. My wife received her new passport in 9 days delivered back in Abu Dhabi. It took 6 hours (240mins) of International Calls and lot of stress including sending my Original Pakistani Passport as well (which was never required in the first place). Then they emailed me to send a letter from Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi that the sent Pakistani Passport was my only passport. Only when I called and asked them to send back the Pakistani Passport so that the embassy can verify it did they realise the stupidity of their demand. The application got approved within 4 hrs of the call and new passport delivered in 5 days.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2022-09-10
Date Received:
2022-09-16
Overall Experience:
Please Rate out of 5
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2022-09-04
Date Received:
2022-09-22
Overall Experience:
Please Rate out of 5
Comments:
Out of interest it was a renew – from – child – to – adult. No changes in details.
Other passport expired and yikes! Lost but we had all the details and it meant no delay sending the old passport and matching it.
Online application. No docs sent.
Lost or Stolen Passport Application
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Peterborough
Submission Date:
2022-07-27
Date Received:
2022-09-21
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
I initially applied to renew my passport as it had expired. I subsequently lost my old passport in a house move so could not return it. I reported it lost and they gave me a cancellation reference number. I had to phone a number of times to get this reference number attached to my renewal application – even when I had done this I still received ‘send old passport’ messages. On the 26th August I found my old passport so I then returned it and the tracker moved to Old Passport Received. However, by this time the application had moved to manual processing due to reporting it lost. After numerous calls to the progress team – I was told it had been assigned to an examiner on 14th September and then it was approved a few days later. Took a few days to be printed due to the bank holiday.
My advice would be to keep phoning for updates, and ask to be put through to the progress team. who have more information. If they won’t transfer, hang up and call back and try again. I had varied success in being transferred.
Passport printed 1:17pm on 20 September 2022
Application approved 8:52pm on 16 September 2022
Documents received 6:55pm on 26 August 2022
Application received 4:52pm on 27 July 2022
Application submitted 4:52pm on 27 July 2022
Child Renewal
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2022-09-07
Date Received:
2022-09-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2022-09-07
Date Received:
2022-09-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Overseas Passport Application
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2022-05-29
Date Received:
2022-08-20
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Submitted my wife’s and my application together with identical documents from Abu Dhabi, UAE. In the same DHL package. My wife received her new passport in 9 days delivered back in Abu Dhabi. It took 6 hours (240mins) of International Calls and lot of stress including sending my Original Pakistani Passport as well (which was never required in the first place). Then they emailed me to send a letter from Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi that the sent Pakistani Passport was my only passport. Only when I called and asked them to send back the Pakistani Passport so that the embassy can verify it did they realise the stupidity of their demand. The application got approved within 4 hrs of the call and new passport delivered in 5 days.