Passport delays anxiety thread

The fast track services all involve going for an appointment dont they and you cant see when appointments are available til you apply, thats what put me off.

If it’s anything like it was when I had a passport crisis earlier in the year you will be finding yourself taking a lovely trip over the Irish Sea. Only Belfast seems to have appointments available within a reasonable time.

I renewed mine earlier this year, kept putting it off and expected it to take ages but it was pretty quick - submitted it online on 30/05, received it on 22/06. did the photo myself at home, followed the instructions it gave quite carefully and it came out very passport photo like, shame about it having my silly face in it with terrible hair but nvm.

my mum also renewed hers exactly one week before I did, and got pretty much every update to her status exactly a week before I did, so it seemed like it went through a very standard process. might have been cos we were bog standard renewals of passports that were expiring soon, no losses, just routine so I imagine that helps keep it simple and quicker.

can’t actually use it to go on holiday or anything cos my wife’s passport expires at the same time as mine but hers is a US passport and she needs to sort out the UK right of abode stuff too, but at least I’m sorted for ten years I guess and hers should take less than that I hope…

Because literally no one in belfast wants a uk passport :grinning:

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According to my taxi driver it is because they transferred a lot of the production and administration of the passport service over to Northern Ireland because they could pay lower wages over there.

You’re probably right that there is less demand per head of population as well as pretty much everyone local has a choice of two passports, one of which can actually get you through airports without massive queues.

Would have been handy for me as actually going via Belfast to Dublin/Galway but flying out via Ryanair who require a passport

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We just went through this getting my daughters first passport for a trip in October. Ordered early july (and came yesterday)

Spoke to the passport office pre booking and they seemed very confident that it would come in time and we should go ahead. You can track the application and call up to expedite it 2 weeks before you need to go too.

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Seem to recall a friend never changed her name to her husband’s after getting married because she didn’t want to mess up the booking for the honeymoon and faff with the passport change and then just never bothered after that.

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My international renewal earlier this year actually was relatively quick. In fact for whatever reason it took them an extra couple of weeks to send me back my old passport after.

My cousin got married in May. She and her husband both sent off their renewals on the same day in January. His arrived in about three weeks. She got hers two days before the wedding: fifteen weeks after sending it and that only after their local MP got involved and she still had to go to Belfast to collect it in the end.

Conversely, I got mine in four days but I did have to go to Durham and shit myself about not being let onto my flight back to Britain with a passport which only had six weeks validity left.

And is half the price.

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To update, applied 27/7 and they are both out for delivery today (renewal rather than first passport) so just over two weeks. Pretty good going.

Applied for m’s 23 June, still just showing as ‘identity confirmation received’ :frowning:

currently renewing mine. had an email saying my application has been approved (after i had to send a letter explaining why it was “damaged”), how long have peoples taken to be printed recently?

not in a particular rush, just curious/hoping to put my mind at rest, it seems quite quick so far, so not sure if this is the part where delays happen

Update on passport renewal times.

I sent away for my new passport on Monday morning. The guidance says it can take up to 10 weeks to get your passport back. I am going on holiday in 10 weeks and 2 days, so I was a bit worried.

However, I got my new passport back today, 4 dayslater.

That’s quite impressive!

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Mine was the same over christmas

Just in case anyone is worried I thought I would share that I applied for a new passport 19th March, posted my documents (next day delivery) 20th March. Got an email and text today to say they’re printing it and it should be with me soon. I have changed my name as well so not a straightforward renewal.

Of course, the strike hasn’t begun yet so this could change.

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Wonder how long Mick Jagger’s took

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Hello! Just to add my own experience so far.

Sent application for renewal on Tues. Got a text yday saying my application/old passport had reached them.

Today got a text saying i’m approved…

starting to suspect less people are sending in their passports due to the news and therefore sending in one now isn’t anywhere near as bad as it was gonna be?

My passport is covered in luggage receipt stickers. Is it safe to use some ‘sticky stuff remover’ on the cover to get them off?