Last Friday (03/03/23) at about 10 pm I applied on line to renew my passport, I sent my old one back the next day, over the last week I have received texts/emails keeping me updated on the progress and the new passport arrived back with me today, 6 1/2 days later, i'm pretty impressed.
We tend to be quick to complain but we don't always praise good service.
Nice to read and I agree about praising good service when it happens.
I too renewed my passport this time last year and again it was done very quickly, within a couple of weeks.
Slightly different but I also needed to update the address on my V5 not so long ago and after doing this online, my new one was sent to me within a week.
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Good to hear I have just applied for Mrs TKH and was bracing for month plus wait so you have filled me with optimism.
Thought the online process was pretty good once I had got the photo taken properly (a challenge for me).
fingers crossed.
I renewed for youngest and did first adult for oldest. Oldest one sailed through similar to you but youngest renewal had to send birth certificate to confirm I'm the father, so extra expense of sending cert through for renewal of passport that provided the same cert in the first place. I'd perhaps understand if it was for both, but eldest was fine, and youngest as a renewal needing the cert was just a bit strange. Once got the cert was also fast turnaround too, reassuring expensive process too.
I am guessing that you are already registered online for HMRC?
I sense that if you have prev registered for VAT/Corp Tax/PAYE - then they already know a hell of a lot about you, and the Passport renewal is pretty seamless.
A good time to update your passport at the moment as demand is low.
Plenty of muppets will dig out their passport in July for their summer hols to find that it has less than 6 months validity.
I agree good service, and my experience too.
I updated my passport in mid February. Filled in the application online on the Sunday, posted my old passport off Monday evening, and received the new one Tuesday of the following week.
To balance this love in…. My colleague has had a nightmare…. Royal Mail lost the old passport being retuned and as soon as something falls down the cracks they don’t update you, give you no expectation on resolution and he still 4 months on has no passport…. We had to cancel a really important trip to Cologne because of this…
When it worked, my daughters passport was back in under 2 weeks last year
I had mixed when I had two new (renewal) passports for my kids. They were sent off together the same day but went to different passport offices. One of the new passports was back before the other office even acknowledged receipt of the old passport.
It was squeaky bum time as I’d told the kids if both came back by a certain date, then we would be going on holiday, if it didn’t, we wouldn’t. I wanted to take them away while the wife was home in Thailand so that I could avoid the usual cooking, cleaning and ironing. I’m crap at cooking and ironing.
Thankfully they did both come back in time.
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It says to allow up to 10 weeks on their website. As I needed mine asap I picked it up a couple of days later from Newport passport office.
I renewed mine, 2020, through the Post Office. The lady behind the glass asked a few questions, filled in the form, checked the old passport, took my picture on a fancy machine and sent off the application. Don't know if it gets dealt with any quicker via PO, but mine came back within 2 weeks. I think it was £6 extra. Great service.
I used a photo booth, I got a strip of four photos and a code, when applying on line I was asked to enter the photo code and it appeared in the form, clever (well I thought so :)).Originally Posted by TKH
The online service checks the photo without relying upon 'counter lady's' opinion - a higher integrity method.
I see the PO as adding an extra layer of uncertainty/inefficiency to the process.
My wife took a photo of me on my phone which I used successfully.
Living in London I’ll probably use the express service by paying online for an appointment then going down there with my old passport + form. Costs about £40 more but over the life of the passport it’s no big deal.
Fair enough, but why would you want to do that? The online process is fantastic and really efficient.
If you want to pay for extra hassle, then that is your prerogative
My wife had a similar experience, about 8 days in her case.
Simple renewal, but it seems the service is working surprisingly well at the moment.
The 10 week warning is probably a way of drumming up fasttrack service customers...
I can remember driving to Newport in the 90s and getting a passport the same day, no extra charge back then.
M
Last edited by snowman; 10th March 2023 at 23:12.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Sadly applying for a new passport from outside of the UK is a dissaster. Lead times are 11 weeks...
Thanks
deano
My youngest son renewed his, all done online and he got the new passport within a week. His girlfriend, whose father insisted on doing it using the old paper form and paying for the local PO to check, hers still hasn’t arrived as far as I know.
So still huge variance in processing times.
Passport Offices have separate sections dealing with 'Lost and Stolen Passports' and specific forms to report same.
https://www.gov.uk/report-a-lost-or-stolen-passport
If the 'Lost and Stolen' form was completed and the examined by the Passport Office, your friend's passport application would not in normal circumstances have been delayed for four months. Could there be additional reasons for the delay?
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
You’re right - the online process is a doddle. Just done it!
As many have also said I did mine online a few years ago.
March, I think, so “low season”
Did it on a Sunday afternoon,
Passport arrived Thursday.
BBC News - Passport office workers to strike for five weeks over pay dispute
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64981979
It has been much quicker if late, but crikey it’s expensive now. Best part of five hundred quid to do a family of four.
So clever my foot fell off.
Applied for one online last Saturday. Sunday had an email giving details of where to send old one. Posted it Monday + had an email Wed. confirming arrival.
Yesterday another saying approved and ready for printing. Today another email it’s printed and will be passed to despatch dept and will receive a tracking no. in due course.
Very good but I may have shot myself in the foot for paying a fiver extra for tracked delivery as the house will be unoccupied for a week from next Thursday if it needs to be signed for…..
As long as you have a letterbox that goes through the door as opposed to a wall mounted box, you may be ok.
I have a wall mounted box and they will not post to them.
Otherwise can pick up at sorting office, no big issue.
Proposed strike is more about professional militant Mark Serwotka wanting to stir up trouble. He's sacrificing passport office workers overtime working ££££ at this very busy time of year when they could earn truly excellent overtime £rates of pay – especially for weekend working.
Last edited by sundial; 17th March 2023 at 11:54.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
That was me about 3 years ago - just as things started to open up in the first summer of Covid and we were getting ready to visit family in the Netherlands I realised my passport was out of date. I expected the worst and we made plans for wife and kids to go without me but it was tuned round really quickly. Someone above mentioned having a gov.uk identity (which I have for tax self-assessment) - I'd never thought about it but maybe that was why I got mine a lot quicker than others were experiencing at the same time?
Well bugger me it arrived today! Is this a record?
I don't think it works like that.
Both Serwotka and the industrial action have been voted for by the membership of the union. Best of luck to them and all working class people who feel the need to take this drastic measure.
You have not worked in a Passport Office.
I have.
And they are not necessarily "working class people".
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I see above Slamdoor, that you paid extra for tracked delivery.
Was your passport delivered by Royal Mail ?
The last two to our address have been hand delivered by private courier.
Is that still a thing ?
I presume for security reasons ?
You are correct. It was delivered by private courier which may explain the rapid arrival. Worth the extra £5 imo.
Getting two acceptable photo’s was our biggest issue too.
But - 5 or 10 minutes online to get confirmation of acceptable photo must surely be better than a delay if the passport office doesn't like the photos you posted ?
Photo booth code made that section a doddle.
Agreed.
Yes, that’s right!
Update on current timings:
Applied to renew last Saturday (18th March) and old passport sent via Royal Mail SD the same day.
Notified of application receipt via e-mail the same day (PM).
19th March e-mail received reminding me to send in old passport (which I had already done).
20th March e-mail received advising of old passport receipt.
22nd March e-mail received that application had been approved.
24th March e-mail received that new passport was being printed.
25th March (today) received e-mail than new passport has been dispatched.
Pretty impressed TBH.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
My new one arrived just before the strike, and took about two weeks, which I think is very good.
But.... the quality of the new blue passport is just awful. The cardboard of the cover is so thin that it started to bend and warp minutes after taking it out of the envelope. The pages are likewise thin - I've had better quality printer paper.
Don't get it wet whatever you do! I can't see it lasting 10 years
Keep it in a passport cover…. I got a Wolf one and pretended it was a personal monogram !
Post-strike, has anyone renewed their passport in the last week or so? Any indication of turnaround time?
I renewed my daughter's passport last month. I applied on the 30th of March and send the documents a few days later. I received the new passport on April 24. I would have been faster but I needed to send some additional documentation.
This nonsense about Passport Office employees being working class people and their alleged necessary 'drastic measure':
Serwotka did not persuade all Passport Office workers to participate in his disruptive scheme. The non-militant more reasonable employees continued to work and earn decent ££ – as they always do at this time of year. As in many other companies, most Passport Office employees can earn far in excess of their basic wages / salaries.
A friend who chose to continue working was not only earning '£double time' rates of pay for weekend overtime – she was also paid an additional 'tax free' £250 shopping voucher for each of her her weekend o/time efforts and will enjoy spending same. If your passport is delayed, blame disruptive influence Serwotka and hs militant tendency followers.
Last edited by sundial; 6th May 2023 at 11:54.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Old passport received at the passport office two weeks ago, new passport arrived at home yesterday. Strikes don't seem to be an issue for renewals.
I sent mine and my wife's passports off in the same envelope after applying online. Mine is at the "passport printed" stage but hers is still at the "documents received" stage. Not sure why the difference?
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I did my online renewal and posted my old passport off on the 8th April, received my new one two weeks later.
Great service to be honest.
It sounds like your friend is a scab.
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