1st Adult Passport
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Submission Date:
2022-05-17
Date Received:
2022-07-09
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Mine was approved in 20 days with no interview ! I received it a few days later !
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Submission Date:
2022-02-22
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
First UK passport after naturalisation. No interview or additional communication, just a ridiculously long wait.
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Submission Date:
2022-05-10
Date Received:
2022-06-14
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
BOOTLE HM Passport Office
Application submitted 10 May 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 10 May 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 10 May 2022
Identity details received 10 May 2022
Application received 10 May 2022
Documents received 23 May 2022
Application approved 9 June 2022
Passport printed 12 June 2022
Passport received 14 June 2022
Still waiting my supporting documents…
Adult Renewal Passport
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-30
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Took 14 working days from applying online to receiving my new passport in the post.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-28
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
28-05-2022 Online application and old passport sent special delivery
31-06-2022 Old passport signed for
06-06-2022 Old passport received confirmation
13-06-2022 Approval confirmation
15-06-2022 Passport printed and sent to delivery company
16-06-2022 Passport received with the mail delivery
Total time was 20 days which far exceeded my expectations, especially with the four-day Jubilee break! I like to think that the little note added to the old passport explaining that we were going to a wedding in France and had discovered that my husband’s passport did not have the requisite three months left on it, and that we would be eternally grateful if it could be expedited as we only had 33 days until we were due to leave.
We had also considered the fast-track service but found it impossible – even at midnight – to get an appointment. In any event, the three-week lead time for appointments, plus the time to get the passport printed, etc was leaving too much to chance.
I am so pleased that we opted for the normal service which came up trumps.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-29
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Less than 3 weeks from submission online on a Sunday evening, these the timeframe also includes the Jubilee Bank Holidays
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-06-01
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
16 days, including 4 weekend days and 2 bank holidays.
I reckon they actually received my old passport on 6th June, so a 10-day turnaround overall.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-29
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Was stressed as I had holiday booked for the 29th but luckily once my documents had received it came quite quickly.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-20
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
After sending my passport via special delivery it took a week to be delivered. And after the passport had been printed it took over a week to be delivered.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-31
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Dual citizen renewal.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-30
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Only difficulty was providing an acceptable photo. The online portal rated my first attempt POOR and complained that it was black and white but it was not. However, I do have a very pale complexion. In the end I changed the white balance on the camera settings which produced a more flattering picture (though probably less truthful) and was rated by the online portal as GOOD.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-29
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Good communication with email/text message sent for each step.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-20
Date Received:
2022-06-10
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Did it on line ,very impressed with service.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-26
Date Received:
2022-06-13
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Used the Post Office Submission Service.
Lost or Stolen Passport Application
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Submission Date:
2022-02-11
Date Received:
2022-04-09
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
Coming up to 10 weeks waiting. I had to submit my EU passport, lucky enough to have both, as supporting documentation to replace a lost passport. Do lost passport renewals take longer?
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Submission Date:
2022-04-07
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Not yet received – I am supposed to go on holiday on Sunday – 17 calls I have made and kept on hold for over 36 hours in total – they are an absolute disgrace – I have no words to des robe how bad they are – I hope the government privatises them and sacks the lot of them – so rude and not willing help despite sending them proof of flights – absolute disgrace!
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Submission Date:
2022-03-21
Date Received:
2022-06-08
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
My biggest advice would be to contact the Urgent Upgrade Team. On my 12th week of waiting, with less than 2 weeks to go until travel (this is essential for referral to urgent upgrade) I emailed every urgent upgrade team (Durham, London, Glasgow) and emailed the complaints department. A week later I was contacted by the complaints department who put me in touch with the Durham Upgrade Team (where my passport was being processed despite my London application). After giving them flight details, my passport was printed the following week (one day before I travelled) to be collected at the London office. Like many, the process has been a total nightmare but if you persevere with emails, you are in with a good chance.
1st Child Passport
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Submission Date:
2022-04-01
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Very stressful experience taking over 10 weeks! We had to pay to postpone our holiday once after being told conflicting and incorrect information. Spent hours and hours on the phone. We eventually upgraded the application as it was two weeks before our holiday. Didn’t hear anything until the day before travel when we was.told the passport was ready and we needed to drive to Liverpool (2 hours away) to collect. I’m pleased we didn’t have to amend the holiday again but the last minute packing was very stressful as we wasn’t expecting to get the passport in time. Very stressful experience!
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Submission Date:
2022-05-11
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Overall not too bad. Took 5 weeks from submission to receiving it. It was sent to the bootle office.
Passport printed 4:40am on 15 June 2022
Application approved 5:12pm on 13 June 2022
Documents received 2:12pm on 24 May 2022
Application received 7:56pm on 13 May 2022
Identity details received 7:56pm on 13 May 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 7:49pm on 13 May 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 6:36pm on 13 May 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 7:29pm on 12 May 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 1:07pm on 12 May 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 10:06pm on 11 May 2022
Application submitted 10:06pm on 11 May 2022
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Submission Date:
2022-05-12
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Passport Arrived 16 June
Passport printed 3:45pm on 14 June 2022
Application approved 2:08pm on 13 June 2022
Documents received 9:15am on 25 May 2022
Application received 2:40pm on 12 May 2022
Child Renewal
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-26
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Received in 3 weeks despite original photo being rejected.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-05
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Passport printed 1:55am on 15 June 2022
Application approved 4:26pm on 13 June 2022
Documents received 3:05pm on 20 May 2022
Application received 11:05pm on 5 May 2022
Application submitted 11:04pm on 5 May 2022
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-04
Date Received:
2022-06-14
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Passport printed 7:45pm on 10 June 2022
Application approved 9:47am on 9 June 2022
Documents received 4:21pm on 17 May 2022
Application received 12:16pm on 6 May 2022
Identity details received 12:16pm on 6 May 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 9:16am on 5 May 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 8:49pm on 4 May 2022
Application submitted 8:49pm on 4 May 2022
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-23
Date Received:
2022-06-15
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Excellent service. Kept informed at every stage.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-31
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Very smooth. Updated all the way via text and email.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-03
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
3 Star – Average
Comments:
Made the application from Overseas – It took 3 weeks to acknowledge the receipt of the old passport and then was quick to approve and print. Took 1 week from printing to being sent. Received with 1 week before we leave for holiday.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-15
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Initially we were not asked to have our 14 year old daughter’s identity confirmed, despite applying for her last passport when she was 6 years old – we hadn’t renewed due to not having a holiday booked and then lockdowns. At the time we thought it was strange because she’s obviously changed a lot over the last 8 years. Sure enough, when all other passports we’d applied for were approved, we received a message telling us that her application was on hold until someone confirmed her identity. It would have been much easier if the system had flagged up the likely need for this rather than waiting until the application hit a real life person. In the end, it wasn’t too much of an issue for us as we were lucky enough not to have had too long a wait up until that point but if we been pushing to meet a travel date following a slow turnaround it could have been very frustrating.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-09
Date Received:
2022-06-16
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Slow updates, but 24 hours between being told application approved and receiving it.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-04-13
Date Received:
2022-06-15
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
Overseas Child Renewal from the Republic of Ireland.
It took HMPO 6 days after print to give the passport to DHL for delivery. Repeatedly told it had been sent out on day of delivery, numerous tracking numbers given to me by different agents on the phone and none of them worked to track where the passport was from the 7th June to the 13th. Holiday booked for 13th with a group of family and friends. Downloaded the DHL App and made an account with my name, address and email. Finally when it was picked up by DHL morning of 13th only then did I recieve a notification directly through the app. If I hadn’t had that I wouldn’t have recieved any tracking details by email or text. Passport then proceeded to travel up and down between Heathrow and the East Midlands for 2 days with DHL!!! When it should have flown that Monday. Contacted DHL express Ireland and was helped by an amazing young lady who put an urgent note on it to go on the next plane on the 14th June. Finally collected from the local depot on 15th and we can now fly today the 16th and join the rest of our family. Very stressful and very little sleep worrying about the arrival of the passport. If HMPO had sent it out the day it was printed like they said they did then we would have got it in time for our original flight.
StatusDate
Passport printed 9:56pm on 7 June 2022
Application approved 3:19pm on 4 June 2022
Documents received 2:55pm on 12 May 2022
Application received 10:16am on 14 April 2022
Identity details received 10:16am on 14 April 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 7:51pm on 13 April 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 7:35pm on 13 April 2022
Application submitted 7:35pm on 13 April 2022
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-05-08
Date Received:
2022-05-27
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Very stressful as needed to upgrade on the 26th May as travelled on the 28th May (48hr rule to upgrade)
I did exactly as HMPO customer services told me to do after being unable to get a faster 1 week service yet they tried to stop me upgrading as I hadn’t been waiting over 6 weeks!!!
Nowhere on HMPO website said I had to be in the system for 6 weeks before upgrade and the customer services also denied that rule before saying “oh that rule came in on the 20th May, but don’t worry as you applied before then…..
Absolute shambles, but the office staff were very nice and eventually sorted it for me.
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Submission Date:
2022-04-28
Date Received:
2022-06-15
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Went to Newport. Everything was okay, however they hadn’t posted the passport until the 14th June 2022 via Royal Mail, tracking was sent by email. I had to chase them up after a week as my sons 1st passport was printed and delivered 1 day after via TNT with no tracking. So we were worried this passport may have gone missing or something.
Passport printed 10:06am on 6 June 2022
Application approved 12:04pm on 5 June 2022
Documents received 1:18pm on 11 May 2022
Application received 11:28am on 29 April 2022
Identity details received 11:28am on 29 April 2022
Email sent to person confirming your identity 8:37pm on 28 April 2022
Ask someone to confirm your identity 8:20pm on 28 April 2022
Application submitted 8:20pm on 28 April 2022
1 Week Fast Track Application
Type of Application:
1 Week Fast Track Service
Submission Date:
2022-05-17
Date Received:
2022-05-21
Overall Experience:
Please Rate out of 5
Comments:
Excellent experience in difficult times.
I decided to go straight for fast track despite having 8 weeks until our holiday for my baby’s first passport. This was the best decision I made.
3 week wait for appointment.
Appointment Tuesday 17th May 2pm.
Passport through door Sat 21st May 1pm.
Experience at the passport office was excellent. Very efficient, polite happy staff.
I honestly cannot fault the fast track service. Completely worth the money to save my stress levels.
Overseas Passport Application
Type of Application:
Child Renewal (Overseas Application)
Submission Date:
2022-04-30
Date Received:
2022-06-14
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
I applied online from the Netherlands (passport was processed at Durham office).
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Submission Date:
2022-04-24
Date Received:
2022-06-15
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Phone people were very helpful and patient.
Waited 10 weeks 1day, application placed on 7th April for a lost passport , all checks done and sat in processing since 22nd April
After 16 hours in total waiting in call queues with no upgrade or any call backs ,Local MP contacted and they had the same answers call the upgrade team at 2 weeks before travel , received nothing but automated messages , turned up to Durham office , 48 hours before flight ,waited in the queue for 2hours , told I would get a phone call before 12pm, got a phone call at 12.30pm to say they can do it but have to pay a further £101.50, paid it , got a call 30 mins later after this to say payment excepted and application approved at 2.07pm today , due to the office shutting at 5pm won’t be enough time for it to be printed as takes 4 hours , come back next day for an appointment at 10.30am to collect the passport , received a text 30 mins after this to say passport printed , went back to the office as still in Durham to see if they had it , said they only send them down in batches , didn’t want to wait longer to find it still wasn’t ready to collect , so fingers crossed I can walk in and collect at 10.30 tomorrow at the appointment made , all application tracker updated to state it has been done too , the worst experience ever and held to ransom for it , staff at the office were lovely though
What an absolute joke