Manual processing

Hi Cat22 I submitted 2 renewal passports for my teenage daughters on March 14th. They both have foreign passports so the assessment would have to be manual. Documents were received on 17th March. The application stuck at processing from 28th April so there was a delay between docs received and the processing stage. The passports were then approved on 18th May, printed on 18th May and we have received them the following day. I hope you get the passport soon!

Hi. Very similar timeframe to you. My application has been processing since 31 March for lost replacement. I would hihgly recommend you keep calling as soon as you hit 10 week waiting from submission. You should qualify for expedited service. I am awaiting a call back, not expecting one as historically they don't seem to call back.

Lost passport, applied 23rd march, went into processing 30th march and still waiting. Hopefully it won't be too much longer!!

Application being processed 10:26am on 5 May 2022 Identity details received 9:15am on 29 April 2022 Email sent to person confirming your identity 9:41pm on 28 April 2022 Email sent to person confirming your identity 1:18pm on 28 April 2022 Email sent to person confirming your identity 1:03pm on 28 April 2022 Ask someone to confirm your identity 1:01pm on 28 April 2022 Application submitted 1:01pm on 28 April 2022 Renewal

My daughter in law lost her passport submitted online 22 March. All ID verified by 28 March been in processing since 28 March! 8 weeks. Rang on Friday 13 April said not waiting for anything would get a call back which she did on Tuesday 17TH to apologise and asked when she due to Travel - 30 May!! Today 23 May and nothing has changed - still processing - sadly it looks like she won’t be coming on holiday with me, my husband, her partner and daughter next Monday which is a postponed holiday due to Covid which had to be used by 31 May- such a shame and appears PO are drowning!

Can anyone shed any light on the reasons why an application might go into manual processing? For those of us with applications left hanging on 'documents received', I understand the next thing we're likely to see is either 'approved' or 'processing'. I wonder what the red flags might be that would hint that it may go to the latter? Also, I've seen timelines that show things like 'photo rejected' or identity details being requested several times - assuming there's no 'processing' update, I guess those applications are still on the digital route? But perhaps multiple issues with any of those things (photo, identity details etc) could push it into manual. I'm fretting over a first child's passport and am on 'documents received' since May 9. I have concerns over the eligibility of the photo and the validity of the countersignature, but I wonder if either of those would necessarily mean a switch to manual processing - they seem like the kind of issues that an automatic digital system should be able to handle!

@bonz I've heard anything as little as just phoning up and getting notes added to your application can drop you to manual. Wouldn't really say there's a "tell", as long as there's nothing questionable on your application like misspellings, wrong details, lack of or wrong documents. Sometimes they just need/want to look into things more than their computer can. I don't think a photo or identity confirmation will necessarily knock you to manual as I've seen both updates on a full digital application. I'd guess if your countersignatory seems suspicious or fake maybe. Photo seems to be the last check they actually do, most applications I've seen (digital and manual) seem to get approved days after submitting a new one. The longer you're on "documents received" means the longer it's in digital processing and the further it's getting so it's a good sign. (that is under the assumption you've definitely sent them everything they need). If they actually had a decent tracker they could probably half the amount of support calls they get. "Documents received" then "documents logged on system" would stop people asking if they have them or if they lost them. "Awaiting more documents" would stop people being left weeks without being told they need more. "Undergoing digital checks" would stop people asking why it's stuck on docs received. "in processing queue" then "with an examiner" would stop people asking why they've been processing it for 8 weeks.

Interesting to see there are a number of us stuck in roughly the same time frame. Wish they would give us more information on the tracker. Don’t know about anyone else but I am obsessed with checking it. Wondering what I will do with all my spare time when this is over to be honest!!

Thank you @stp - I tend to air on the side of optimism, but I have nothing concrete to reassure my wife with! Apparently, going on holiday without our daughter is not a viable option... I have refrained from chasing up anything for the reason you highlighted, whereby applications can potentially get knocked into the manual route just by asking about them. That's a cruel kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. For now it's not urgent, but I wanted to have some knowledge of what I might need to do if it does come down to crunch time.

Been in processing for 7.5 weeks (8.5 weeks since originally applied). It’s really starting to get on my nerves. Fly in 24 days and the anxiety of waiting for the passport had killed any excitement. Hoping it gets sorted this week so don’t have to go through the hassle of trying to fast track!

Really frustrating in the processing stage.i can't understand why are they take too much time for those applications. I applied 28th March then document confirmed received on 11th April after I found my applucatio being processed from 4th May. No updates after still the Same progress. I seen that many people receive thei passport in 5 weeks time.i don't understand what are the deference between them. Regards

Mine (child renewal) was Docs received 5th April, Being processed 4th May. No update as yet. Fly early July so I hope it doesn't take 8 weeks to be processed

For those who are waiting on replacement of a lost passport, did you contact HMPO and provide them with your lost passport cancellation reference number? Mine went straight to processing after my identity details were provided, so I managed to get through to someone on webchat and they advised they would put an alert on my application with my cancelled passport ref. number but will probably not make much a difference. Just wondered if those who've been waiting 8+ weeks also did this.

My other half’s application was a renewal as his passport had expired. But he had also lost it. The website didn’t make it clear if this should be submitted as a renewal (which we did) or as a replacement. After looking on here I told him to report the old expired one as lost but he had still not received a reference number. Advisors on web chat don’t seem worried. But if we end up having to apply for the upgrade then I will get him to add all the details regarding the cancellation of the expired one. Fingers crossed this doesn’t prove to be an issue.

It really isn't clear at all. My passport had expired but I lost it when we moved earlier this year. Only by chance by looking at forums like this that I found out I had to report it as lost (even though it had expired) and applied for a replacement on the same day. Luckily the cancellation reference number came through in a couple of days, but even then after only doing a bit of digging, I read that some people had to then contact HMPO to provide the cancellation ref. so that it could be linked to the replacement application as apparently it doesn't always pull through their end. Keeping my fingers crossed otherwise my other half will be going solo to a wedding in Poland in July!

Got out cancellation ref 2 weeks after reporting it. On week 6 of application phoned to ask of this was on my application (due to info on the forums). It wasn’t, so staff added it on. 2 weeks on, application is still in processing. Providing the number doesn’t seem to have moved it along at all!

Hi all, Ive just managed to get through to someone on web chat, as my daughters application has been in “processing” for a few weeks now. I was assured that the application is currently with an examiner and being processed, and to check back again later. I was told it shouldn’t be too much longer. Has anyone else been told this before on web chat? Can I be optimistic that it’s actually with an examiner now?

And…… it’s now approved!! If anyone can get through on web chat it’s worth doing, got approval about 1hr after chatting with them!

I didn’t have much luck on web chat… spoke to them this morning and no movement. Whenever I quizzed what was happening I just got standard reponses saying they are unable to see exactly when it will be looked at and how much longer …. Maybe I got a jobs worth lol

It does just seem like pot luck depending on who you get through to. My daughters was in processing for 2 weeks, I’m feeling lucky that I’ve got it approved so soon.

We have been on processing for 8 weeks now… fly in 3 weeks time so getting twitchy!

I’d genuinely try web chat again if you can. I told them I was getting anxious and they asked me what date I was travelling, I told them and they said they’d stick a note on the application, it must have done the trick. Good luck I Hope you get sorted soon.

So an update - I got through to someone on webchat this morning to see if I could get some form of update after providing my lost passport reference three weeks ago so it could be linked to my replacement application. Was told three weeks ago that an alert will be put on my replacement application so the passport officer would be aware - today I've been told that it's not even in examination yet as part of "processing" stage, so there isn't even a passport officer allocated to it and that they can't see anywhere that the person I spoke to 3 weeks ago has even emailed the passport office that my application has gone to. Very frustrating!

Honestly not sure if the only people that come on this forum, are ones that are still waiting, so there's a bias? You hardly ever read of anyone making it through processing without having to go the upgrade route. I see only one in this particular thread!! It's crazy.

I am nearly reach 10 weeks . Mine on proceesing stage, I hope it will be resolved soon. Anyone received your passport after 10 weeks time fram. Thanks