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I'd missed the fact that passports needed to be under 10 years old to get into old shengen, post brexit. I'm meant to be heading there soon (well actually tomorrow, but that trips out, so then in about 10 days) - it seems the only option for faster service is an extra £100 and a trip to bloody london, was wondering if anyone had recently renewed and what the timelines were?
I renewed online over christmas and it was all sorted in the first week of Jan. My old passport was still valid though.
9 days for mine and old one was a year out of date. That was two weeks ago.
Filled online form and digital photo code on the Wednesday. Posted old one off special delivery on the Saturday and new one arrived the next Friday. Probably could have knocked couple of days off if had sent old one earlier.
Photo didn’t need verified though. If you’ve changed a lot or they ask for a counter signature then you’re stuffed.
Hmmm.
I made my online application with photo codes on the 29th Jan and sent my old one on 31st by Special.
Passport tracker still says 'send us your old passport' but I can see the Royal Mail had it signed for on the 1st Feb, so looks like it's >1 week right now.
Mine was 3 weeks in October.
Similar to andrewreay
I did my online application 27/1. Posted old one back 28/1. Tracker still says I need to post the old one back. It was tracked by Royal Mail as delivered to them on 29/1
When I did the application it said the average time was 4 weeks for passports sent out the week ending 23/1 I think.
We were supposed to be going away on 26/2. Looks like it’s going to be in the uk! Hadn’t booked anything and still hopeful might come in time to grab a cheap week in the sun.
Getting my sons passport renewed in October last year took about 3 weeks for it to be posted out by HMPO. Actually getting our hands on the passport after Fedex put it through the wrong door, trying & failing to retrieve it, waiting to be allowed to cancel it as lost, then going through the whole replacement process took many, many weeks!!
3 weeks for me in December. 3 weeks for my son's in January.
6 weeks in October. Supporting documents (notably my Irish passport, the only one I dare use in Europe now) were returned randomly at 5am on Christmas Eve.
I did mine through my local post office, took 4 days from photo to delivery with daily update txt. Cost £95 or so, very impressed with the service. this was May 21
Same as Andrew and Doc above - I sent my application on the 28th Jan, Royal Mail show as having delivered my old one to their Peterborough office on the 31st and it's still showing "send us your old passport" on the status tracker. So definitely more than a week. We don't go away until May so I'm feeling fairly confident. We've got a trip booked to Europe in August that my passport wouldn't be valid for so I reckoned that as there was more days before May than there was between May and August I'd be reet. Tracker was suggesting around 4 weeks when I applied.
Renewed my Irish passport beginning last week, due for delivery today. The hardpart was finding a machine that would give me a code for the photo.
Less than two weeks last December, and I was doing it from France!
Online app done 7th Jan for a renewal, docs went same day by signed for Post. receipt acknowledged 14th Jan, new passport delivered 19th so 12 days.
Mine still says waiting for me to post the old one in. Day 11 today. I expect to receive the new one before they acknowledge receipt of the old one.
thanks everyone. given its our 'christmas trip to see the inlaws' I've paid the stupiditiy tax of £100 plus a train ride to london to fast track it. FML. I don't understand why there isn't an option to fast track it without going in person - given you can elect for someone else to pick it up (you just have to provide your old passport) - all of that could be done remotely
No use to 5lab - but I've just had a text saying that they've received my passport today, so exactly a week after the RM delivered it. When I click the link to see what happens next it gives the following page which suggests a 4 week turnaround but you should allow up to 10wks:
Update again - after the email last night acknowledging receipt of my old passport (at 5.16pm) I got another email at 7.14pm saying that they had approved my application for passport renewal, followed by another at 1.37 this afternoon saying that it had been printed and passed to TNT for delivery.
So initial application made for renewal with digital photo code on 28th Jan. Posted old passport via RM recorded on the Friday morning, shown as delivered to the Peterborough passport office by Royal Mail on Monday the 31st Jan.
A wait until 7th Feb until receipt acknowledged by the passport office, approval the same day and notification of dispatch today the 8th of Feb. So even if TNT don't deliver until the end of this week it'll be 2 weeks turnaround. Happy days!
We renewed my daughters just before Christmas using the Passport service at the Postoffice (one of the ones with a Passport booth).
Thursday afternoon, 20 minutes with a guy filling everything in for us & taking photos etc. (all we needed was the old passport), following Thursday morning, TNT delivered the new one.
It couldn’t have been easier.
Just had text from passport office telling me they have received my old one. 2 weeks after I posted it, tracked as delivered on 29th Jan.
They got my hopes up earlier in the week when I got a text but it was a standard “don’t forget to appt for your passport in plenty of time” one…
The page now says average 3 weeks for passports issued last week. So hopefully I’ll have it in a week.
Did mine at the post office one Thursday lunchtime in October, text me Friday morning saying it was on the way, got home from work on the Monday and it was already waiting for me.
May be quicker generally doing it that way?
Renewed mine a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised by how quick the passport office process was, and less than happy about TNT not delivering it- usual BS about me not being in when I definitely was. Check the TNT twitter account for more horror stories!
Anyone done this recently?
Need to renew the wifes and have it back within 4 weeks? I'm thinking we'll need to fast track it.
currently doing so, not fast track, didnt see that option duh. I sent the old passport back the same day so biggest delay was their post room? Not sure why they need a copy of my expired passport. 4 weeks may be a push as the recent news has meant a surge...
Passport printed 28 April 2022
Application approved 26 April 2022
Documents received 25 April 2022
Application received 11 April 2022
Application submitted 11 April 2022
theres a twitter/web page - uk passport waiting times
renewal of daughters passport was...
Submitted Online. 23rd Mar
Old Passport received 4 April
New Passport printed 14 April
New Passport delivered 19 April
Maybe we were lucky...dont need it until Summer so I was uncharacteristically organised.
its worth noting the only fast track options mean you have to pick the passport up at one of their offices. No idea why, as they don't check anything there (someone else can pick it up for you) - I ended up paying though the nose to get this done.
also worth reiterating if your passport was issued more than 10 years ago you're not getting into europe even if its still in date
Our child renewals took about 7 weeks recently - arrived the day before we were due to travel so we had a last minute panic to rebook everything/get packed (the whole thing was pretty stressful!)
We did online applications and the advice at the time was 3-4 weeks. The thing with that advice is that it's always retrospective so it doesn't take into account surges in demand (by the time it mattered the advice had changed to 5-6 weeks).
My wife's renewal took 3 weeks, but that was dealt with by a different passport office. Liverpool/Bootle and Peterborough seem to be particularly slow.
We also figured out that there seems to be little "process" in place - turnaround times are completely random and luck of the draw... the helpline is infuriating too as (with one or two exceptions) they are completely unhelpful or just say whatever they need to in order to get you off the line (and that's if you don't get cut off when on hold).
On the upside, TNT were very quick and efficient - so they saved the day in our case.
In the future, if we need to renew less than 10 weeks before travelling then we'll be going fast track!
Submitted our daughters on the 20th with no fast track and it's just been approved today so should hopefully receive the new one within a few days. Bristol based so possibly using the Newport office FWIW.
Her old passport expired on the 21st, not sure if that makes a difference or not.
Anyone done this recently?
Need to renew the wifes and have it back within 4 weeks? I’m thinking we’ll need to fast track it.
Definitely fast-track it!
Thanks all, seems the Fast Track part of the gov.uk website is down. Reports System Busy 🙁
Applied online at the beginning of March and had the passport delivered just over 3 weeks later. My old passport had expired almost 3 years ago.
All very easy, although TNT did manage to deliver the new passport to the wrong address 🙄.
My mate tried to get into the office for a same dayer 16th May.
Got booked into Glasgow next week. Just a short round trip from Manchester 🙁
Cautionary tale to check the family passports and drop in a timely calendar reminder REMEMBERING
- Some countries require 6 months validity, some 3, some none
- You used to be able to carry over time on your old passport but the post-Brexit accountants at Borderfarce have realised they get more money by not doing this and forcing people to renew early
So loss of 9 months (apply 3 month early for a passport that won't fall foul of a 6 month validity rule) on a £75 10 year renewal is essentially worth £5.60 which is a shit-load cheaper than the express service and drive to Glasgow.
Just wait until they privatise the passport office, talk of it now due to a couple of outliers that are in the press, can’t wait to hear how they’ll do it ‘cheaper, faster, better’ 😳
I applied online on March 31st, have had an email today saying the application is approved and the new passport is being printed. I'm in New Zealand though, and they waited until they received my old passport (couriered to the UK) before approving the new one, so imagine would've been a week or two quicker if I was in the UK.
I applied online for my son's renewal seven weeks before travelling, foolishly not fast tracked.
After many futile phonecalls and swelling panic, it arrived the evening before we flew.
Quick tip - even though TNT tracking may show as 'not yet on our system', you can search under the Passport Office PX1234567 number. Once on there, we were able to change delivery date to a day EARLIER. This stroke of luck saved my bacon.
I did mine in early March with an expired passport and it took approx 2 weeks start to finish, might have been quicker if I’d returned mine faster. Standard service.
Sent mine off on the 25th, Passport delivered 26th (but not out of the Passport Office postroom yet) - I'll let you know when the new one arrives 🙂
My daughter’s passport has expired and so processed the renewal online on the 11th May. Posted her old one back on the 12th first class signed for. However the royal mail tracking hasn’t updated since the day it was collected at the post office and the passport office tracking still says ‘send us your documents’. I was worried it might be lost but wondering if they have it and they just don’t sign for it and then sit on it for a while? Anyone got any insight or should I start trying to chase it? We don’t travel until last weekend in July
We're off on Hols in 78 days, 11 weeks.
Had to renew Wife and Son's passport.
Son, application completed with Digital Pic 5th of May,
Old Passport sent 6th of May,
They 'recived' it 19th of May.
Wife application completed with Digital Pic 17th of May
Old passport and Marrige Cert for change of name sent 18th of May, special devliery.
It arrvied and was signed for the next day, but they haven't 'recived' it yet.
I'll admit, I'm keeping an eye on waiting times for fast track.
If you want to go abroad this summer, bear in mind that it's 10 weeks from reciving your old passport, so you'll lose a week or two whilst they sort the post out!
This is what happened with mine. It was delivered signed for but not acknowledged for 2 weeks. Once acknowledged it was 1 week to printing and a few days for delivery. I guess they can’t let you know they’ve received it till they open the envelope and start processing it. Need more envelope openers
Applied for mine 25th April, received it May 10th
Applied for my daughters about mid Feb . Got rejected due to picture, which I took, not meeting requirements and needing proof from her Mother that I wasn't trying to steal her and run away abroad
Got a picture at a photo place , which was worse than the one that I took, and entered the code into the application on the website. Got her mother to write a letter to say it was OK
Got the passport back start of March
this was through the bootle passport office
However the royal mail tracking hasn’t updated since the day it was collected at the post office and the passport office tracking still says ‘send us your documents’. I was worried it might be lost but wondering if they have it and they just don’t sign for it and then sit on it for a while?
Thats fine, they obviously just get signed for at the office so you're tracking will be correct and no doubt go in a mahoosive queue to be processed.
Mine sat in 'please send us you passport' for a week or two despite it being clearly signed for before clicking over to recieved status.
My daughter’s took a week from arriving to be classed as documents received. Another weeks to reach processing, that was 2 weeks ago. Awaiting another update.
Submitted for mini-V on 9th May, posted old passport same day (MrsV didn't use recorded - harrumph) tracking doesn't show it as received yet. Only 2 weeks so far, so not panicking just yet 🙂
Ok thanks. Sounds fairly standard then. Fingers crossed.
Applied 8th May. Passport would have landed with them on the 10th. Just shows today (23rd) they have received it.
Really need to go to Singapore on the 9th July for work! Keeping fingers crossed.
Just checking, it’s only 3months left on a valid passport required to travel still? (Into the EU from the UK)
All the gov websites seem to say so. Been hearing lots about needing 12months now. Wonder if that’s causing some panic for people…
Mine took 3 weeks around a month ago. Shitey black useless thing that it is
It was acknowledged as received today so tying in closely with Ashat’s timeline. At least its not lost.
I applied online on March 31st, received the new passport on 10th May, so 5 weeks all in. I'm in New Zealand.
Shitey black useless thing that it is
Yeah, I thought that, but I also got my NZ passport at the same time, and that's proper black. Side by side in good light you can just about see the UK one is very dark blue. Will definitely be travelling as a Kiwi from now on though.
Took about 4-5 weeks for the whole process with me (was about a month ago). Seemed to take an age to get to the 'received' status, was only about a week after that when I got my passport
@ashat, dunno if it makes a difference, mines was a renewal, got my piccy taken in the local asda (as I thought they should know exactly what they need for the photo) and filled in online.
I'll also cross my fingers for you (and anyone else waiting just now)
Good luck
Did mine (and my daughter's) about a month ago and took just under a month for both - Just at the point it was kicking off with the process apparently taking 10 weeks. Both were renewals following expiry around 18 month ago.
The new black/blue passports are horrible. And how many pictures do you really need inside?
Good luck!
Submitted on the 9th and posted the old passort the same day. Yesterday morning I got an email reminding me to send the old passport, then in the afternoon I got another saying it was received.
Taken 2 weeks so far, hopefully aide's post means I've only another week or so to wait...
I did mine a couple of months ago (they were definitely advising 10 weeks at the time).
Went to the Bootle office; adult renewal, self-taken photo.
Application submitted/received: 11 March 2022
Old passport posted: 14 March 2022
Old passport delivered: 15 March 2022
Passport acknowledged received: 16 March 2022
Application approved: 21 March 2022
Passport printed: 23 March 2022
TNT tracking available: 28 March 2022
Delivered: 29 March 2022
I've now had an update to say that the application has been approved;
Submitted: 9 March
Posted: 9 March
Acknowledged Received: 24 March
Approved: 31 March
Funnily enough just had a txt to say my daughter’s has been approved.
Submitted 30th April via post office
Acknowledged recieved 2nd May
Still waiting for new notifications
Got both the kids' done at the same time. Youngest's came back in about 2 weeks. Eldest's is her first 'adult' one (ie. 16 y.o.) and that went to Durham. Usual 2 weeks from them signing for old one to acknowledging they actually had it. New one issued and received in just over 4 weeks.
I think the deliberate delay from receipt of old passport to acknowledgment is to ensure performance figures are better - much like triage in A&E.
Straightforward renewal of my expired one was 3 weeks, half of which was queued before acknowledgment of receiving the old one.
Passport office digitised the process in 2020 so you post the old one to a company that scans it and sends the files, keeping your old one until the new one is done. That seems to be backlog much of the time.
Just checking, it’s only 3months left on a valid passport required to travel still? (Into the EU from the UK)
All the gov websites seem to say so. Been hearing lots about needing 12months now. Wonder if that’s causing some panic for people…
3 months from point of leaving the EU, plus it needs to be under 10 years old (the last rule got me, UK issued a bunch of passports with 10 years 6 months validity)
Just got daughters renewal back, smartphone pic submitted digitally, 20 days from them acknowledging receipt of old passport.
We’re off on Hols in 78 days, 11 weeks.
Had to renew Wife and Son’s passport.
Son, application completed with Digital Pic 5th of May,
Old Passport sent 6th of May,
They ‘recived’ it 19th of May.Wife application completed with Digital Pic 17th of May
Old passport and Marrige Cert for change of name sent 18th of May, special devliery.
It arrvied and was signed for the next day, but they haven’t ‘recived’ it yet.I’ll admit, I’m keeping an eye on waiting times for fast track.
If you want to go abroad this summer, bear in mind that it’s 10 weeks from reciving your old passport, so you’ll lose a week or two whilst they sort the post out!
Quick update on this - Jnr's passport arrvied with us on the 27th, so a smidge over 3 weeks from application to it arrviing.
Wife's documents were recived on the 26th, we'll probally get it next week.
Oh yes, the new 'Blue' Passports (which my eyes can only see as black they're so dark) are indeed crap, not only in the sense they're not as good as passports as the old ones, but they seem cheaply made, the pages don't seem very secure agains the cover etc.
My daughters renewal application was approved last night. So 3 weeks so far.
Oh yes, the new ‘Blue’ Passports (which my eyes can only see as black they’re so dark) are indeed crap, not only in the sense they’re not as good as passports as the old ones, but they seem cheaply made, the pages don’t seem very secure agains the cover etc.
Doesn't really seem any worse than the previous one, imo. Previous one did sit a bit flatter - I think the new photo page is springier.
As an aside, I went through the chunnel a few weeks back, and as well as scanning my passport I got a proper old-skool stamp! With ink pad and everything! Both ways!
Blue passports, ink stamps, imperial measurements- it really is back to the fifties!
Took 2.5 weeks for the passport office to acknowledge receiving mine (8th May to 23rd). Though frustratingly nothing has happened since. I have 4.5 weeks till I am due to fly!
As an aside, I went through the chunnel a few weeks back, and as well as scanning my passport I got a proper old-skool stamp! With ink pad and everything! Both ways!
Blue passports, ink stamps, imperial measurements- it really is back to the fifties!
that remains until the e-visa thing starts next year. I had 3 stamps in my passport within 3 days of recieving it and am now up to 10 (3 pages gone) in 3 months..
Lets see how I get on..
I'm not in a rush so passport renewal done online 5/6, posted old one off 6/6 sent special delivery so they will get the old one tomorrow.
Let's see when I get the new one through, I've not paid for fastback or anything like that so I reckon a month.
Just seen this. We renewed the kids' passports back in January to make sure we have them for summer. I had to do two separate forms which went to two different passport offices, so everything happened on slightly different timelines for each.
I had to send one passport to Glasgow, the other to Birmingham (I think), both went first class registered and showed as delivered within a day or two. It was about two weeks before Glasgow acknowledged receipt, and a few days after that until Brum acknowledged the other.
First passport arrived about 4 weeks after acknowledgement, second one a few days later. Old passports came through about 1-2 weeks after that.
All in I'd say it took about 6 weeks from when I sent them off, but this was back in January when things were presumably quieter.
I sent my old passport on Sunday 29th May for an online renewal. I have just had the email confirming they have received it today (7th June). I know it was delivered on 31st according to Royal Mail.
Not bad so far given the 2 day Bank Holiday last week.
Will update on further news.
Just doing my daughters renewal;
- 2nd May - Form completed (online)
- 6th May - Old passport sent in (delivered to them 9th May)
- 16th May - Documents confirmed as being received
- 7th June - Renewal approved
So about a month to go from start to approval, just need printing & sending now, so if that's a coupe of weeks, then around 6 weeks overall.
My daughters arrived yesterday, so 1 day shy of 4 weeks since i did the application online. Very pleased with that.
Houston, we have a passport!
Weirdly there was good comms every step of the way, until the end, where they didn't tell me it had been posted. I got a tracking SMS from TNT this morning which I assumed was spam...
Submitted: 9 March
Posted: 9 March
Acknowledged Received: 24 March
Approved: 31 March
Received: 7 June
Another data point for anyone who wants it, our youngest's passport took just under 3 weeks from submitting via the website to it being delivered.
+1
Two weeks to print another few days for delivery, here today. Hopefully