Any upgrade successes loosing hope,!

Hi, I was in the same situation as you.(we fly sunday) I lost all hope by this morning then got an call to say come collect today after 4pm. My sons renewal has taken 12 weeks. i have rang and emailed everyday. What i found was if you ring after 8pm leave your details they call you back the next day also email this email address: LiverpoolUpgradeTeam@hmpo.gov.uk I hope this helps and you manage to get the passport in time

I'm in the same boat, travelling 6th May and was told on Saturday I'd be contacted Monday or Tuesday by the upgrades team. Sent an email Sunday evening with proof of travel and had the same automated message of being contacted within 48 hours. I phoned this morning and got the most unhelpful person who sounded as if he was half asleep. He said they're running behind on call backs, typical. I'm literally drained with the whole thing!

Still waiting for call from upgrade team in Durham, was told they are doing in date of travel order so as travelling on 1st May I may not hear till tThursday or Friday! Almost too close for comfort especially as will have to collect from our nearest passport office.

What number did you call after 8 in order to leave a message?

My upgrade experience (sons first passport) has been ok so far but quite early in the process. Called passport office who passed me through a few people and h then finally confirmed my details, requested Durham as local office. Got an email straight away which I replied to and received an automatic response, I then got a call about 2 hours later from the Durham office to say they had received the upgrade request and be in touch in 48hours. Just waiting for that call back. We don’t fly until 9th may. In the meantime I got an email saying they required further documents (my marriage certificate) as the name on my passport and on my sons birth certificate didn’t match up, sent that next day signed for. So I have everything crossed I will hear something tomorrow

SO JUST TO CONFIRM, WHEN YOU DO THE 2 WEEK BEFORE TRAVEL UPGRADE, DO THEY REVERT IT TO YOUR LOCAL OFFICE? AS MY APPLICATION WAS SENT TO BOOTLE AND THEN IT WAS PASSED TO NEWPORT. ALSO I WAS ADVISED THERE WOULD BE NO CHARGE AS THEY HAVE HAD THE APPLICATION FOR OVER 10 WEEKS. THANKS

They gave me an option for which office, Durham is my closest so I said that one. I will be charged as I am less than 10 weeks but I have heard that over 10weeks there is no charge

Which number did you ring after 8 @kroby89

Hopefully a positive upgrade story here. We’re due to pick up our Son’s first passport from the Liverpool office today (28/04) as we’re due to travel 04/05. We applied mid Feb and our application wasn’t progressing. I was told to email the Belfast upgrade team on Friday and they called me yesterday to make payment for upgrade and said they would deliver special delivery on Friday but we said we’d pick up to be safe so from contact with helpline last Wednesday to pick up Thursday so just over a week after lots of anxious waiting for calls. Fingers crossed!

HL85, was you application at the same office you picked you r passport up from? im in the same boat as you, applied on the 28/2/22 and still processing, travel on the 27/5/22 but can only upgrade from two weeks before travel, they said i can expedite from the 9/5/22 free of charge. But im between a rock and a hard place, as im travelling with two other families, jet 2 said the can push back the date for us it would just mean we done get to travel go on holiday with the rest of our family. its either pay £200 and rebook or take the risk with the two week before travel upgrade.

Has anyone heard from Durham or liverpool yet?

Nope, nothing. I'm tempted to travel up to Liverpool to try chase it up. Heard on radio someone did that and they chased it up and she has the passport same day

Same I'm only 15 mins from Durham office x

I'm 2.5 hours away! But I'm tempted to just do it. At least I know then I've tried everything. U tried ringing and getting through to the progress team?

Many many times lol. I don't know if I'm coming or going. I've had enough now.

Tell me about it! Have heard enough of that classical music! The webchat s just busy all the time too!

Well let me tell you what a total mess the passport service is in. I booked a 7 day fast track on the 31st March, appointment on the 9th April, flying on the 18th April, passport is still not here. In fact when im able to speak to them without 3 hour waits or the call being cut off they have told me its not even been printed and they have no idea why. Good luck but iv just lost 4.5k cause of the useless uk passport service

This sole destroying!

@foxtrotlady Did you hear from them? Monday being bank holiday doesn’t help Applied for sons renewal 23rd March Travelling on 7th, going out of my mind. If they told me in a timely fashion , I could rearrange but they won’t reply to my emails. Have not been able to get in touch with anybody for a few days. Sent an email to the Liverpool upgrade team and just waiting. Remember to put the date of travel in the subject line when you send the upgrade request. Good luck everybody.

No I have not heard anything, I have called twice today, they don’t seem to be able to tell me anything, apart they can see it sitting in the system doing nothing! Waiting I suppose to be looked at! Going to try calling again, as don’t want to block email system.

I found out about this email address yesterday afternoon, less than 24 hours later I have my daughter's passport in my hand (we're traveling next week). I applied on the 3rd march, they said I needed to send extra documents which I sent straight away and had been waiting 4 weeks for them to be acknowledged. The upgrade team called first thing this morning and the woman on the phone said they'd should never have requested the extra documents as what we sent were enough. So she waived the fee and told me I could collect today from the Liverpool office. Very glad i saw this thread as otherwise I'd probably still be waiting! There is hope - good luck everyone!

What email address was it x

I've sent 2 emails now to the Peterborough upgrade team but heard nothing. Due to fly 2 weeks today (18th May for a wedding) and they've still not submitted my daughters birth certificate on to her application!!! No idea what else I can do and I'm going out of my mind with stress and worry that my husband will have to go on his own (he's best man) and I'll be left at home with my 3 children, one being a newborn!! Not the family holiday we had hoped for thats for sure. Any advice would be much appreciated 🙏

Where can I find the upgrades email addresses?

They wont upgrade until its two weeks before travel, and they wont accept your email until its two weeks before travel, so it you have emailed them recently they may not accept. You need to call them up and tell them your flying out in the next two weeks, then they will ask you to email the upgrades team and should reply in 2-3 days time, to take payment. Also email them proof of your dates of departure. If they have had your application for more than 10 weeks then you need to tell them to expedite your application which means they will fast track for free as they are breaching their own service level agreement.