Applications whilst locked down

Hi everyone, wanted to give an update from a uk based renewal. Had my passport stolen whilst overseas in Mar, applied 19 Mar and had identity details received 25 Mar, application progressing 26 Mar. I've just had application approved today - 13 May and advised sent 13 May. Would have been 7 weeks tomorrow on progressing. To advise, both the application approved and passport on its way emails went into my junk mail so check there if you've not received email updates. Worth nothing mine wasnt a straight forward renewal as I was replacing a stolen passport but assume this part was dealt with when it went from identity details received to application in progress. Hope that helps with some timelines!

Hi, Below an update to my timeline. It's a standard adult renewal - I live in Germany. Passport printed and sent 2:47pm on 13 May 2020 Application approved 11:57am on 12 May 2020 Application being processed 8:31am on 18 March 2020 Documents received 3:45pm on 17 March 2020 Application received 1:01pm on 11 March 2020 Application submitted 1:01pm on 11 March 2020 Will notify when it arrives. Best, Robert

Application being processed 7:22am on 23 April 2020 Identity details received 9:41pm on 21 April 2020 Email sent to person confirming your identity 8:31pm on 21 April 2020 I can see I haven't been waiting as long as some but certainly hope they start working hard to help us all. Its a tough situation but it looks like they are doing it , all be it slowly. Got sent back from France and now stuck here in UK. Everything i own is in Portugal. Cant wait to get home. Just have to take it day by day.

Rob it seems I'm in a similar situation to you Application being processed 8:09am on 23 March 2020 Documents received 3:30pm on 20 March 2020 Application received 6:37am on 15 March 2020 Application submitted 6:37am on 15 March 2020 However I am still waiting on the approval. Since you are from Overseas also did you send your old passport to Liverpool? The only consolation is at least people are starting to receive their passports. Which means they are working on it

@Sulemanm: yes I sent mine to Liverpool. Hopefully yours should come through the next week or so!

First passport after naturalisation Submitted online: 18/03/2020 Being processed: 24/03/2020 Approved: 14/05/2020.

Well at last I've had an email from the passport office saying my request for boys passports to be speeded up has been sent to Liverpool. My post is further up the thread. Basically renewals of 2 kids passports since March 19th we are overseas and need passports for emergency repatriation and onward relocation overseas. A messy and incredibly stressful situation. Hoping someone will reply with positive news. Also had the automated message AGAIN saying do not contact them. Will keep you updated Thanks Sharon

Just thought I'd add our waiting time...child's 1st passport. I'm not British (EU citizen) but my husband is British, and our daughter was born in the UK in Feb. Our sons first passport took about 10 days a couple years ago....! We sent our documents before lockdown was announced ans they took about a week to arrive despite being sent first class tracked delivery... Application being processed 1 May 2020 Documents received 27 March 2020 Application received 18 March 2020 Identity details received 18 March 2020 Application submitted 18 March 2020 I was really hopeful when I logged in to see my application was being processed but not sure why it took over a month from being received to being processed. 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Hi, Below an update to my timeline. It’s a standard adult renewal sent to Liverpool – I live in Germany. *Got a nice text from DHL today (14 May 2020) with a tracking number. They're expecting to deliver the passport to me in Germany tomorrow.* Passport printed and sent 2:47pm on 13 May 2020 Application approved 11:57am on 12 May 2020 Application being processed 8:31am on 18 March 2020 Documents received 3:45pm on 17 March 2020 Application received 1:01pm on 11 March 2020 Application submitted 1:01pm on 11 March 2020 Will notify when it arrives. Best, Robert

Just had a reply from Liverpool passport office....   Thank you for contacting regarding the passport applications for your children. At this present time, we can only prioritise urgent compassionate applications (usually where there has been a death or serious illness and need to travel has arose). I can give no timescale at present as we have no idea of this ourselves as the situation is constantly changing. They go on to suggest that we use emergency travel documents for repatriation flight next month and to provide evidence of our relocation from Oman to Malaysia and the urgency of the boys passports for immigration purposes. At least I've had a human reply and not an automated one!

Hi, Where did you get the email address from for Liverpool passport office ? We are waiting for our sons since applying on the 16th March we are having to leave Australia as we are only on a temporary visa. Thanks

My passport application in stuck in Belfast, "being processed" since the 20th of March. Has anyone else assigned to HMPO Belfast received any update (or any change in the application status)?

Mine went to Glasgow. Renewal. Submitted Online 2nd May Documents sent 4th May Acknowledged documents 6th May Paperwork Approved 12th Received back 14th May. Incredible turn around. Amazing work.

Application being processed on 27 March 2020 Documents received on 26 March 2020 Application received on 21 March 2020 Identity details receiveon 21 March 2020 Application submitted 7:50pm on 21 March 2020 I'm applying for my babies 1st passport from USA, waiting patiently like you guys glad to see a bit of movement the last couple of days at least. I just want the passport as awaiting for borders to open so we can come back and visit family with our not so newborn anymore:( figured the uk passport would be a quicker option than here but now I'm not so sure!

What we're gradually building up here is a picture that is completely haphazard and it's been very useful to see this detail. Some people's applications have been processed extremely quickly, even having only been sent off very recently. Others appear to be taking as much as seven weeks from the point at which 'application being processed' started. This may well be down to the individual passport offices so it would be good to know in all cases which PO is involved. The high-speed Glasgow turn-round is particularly interesting since Scotland is still locked down and therefore the PO ought to be on minimum staffing. I don't think anyone apart from me has mentioned Peterborough. That's where mine is. England is supposed to be seeing people returning to work if they cannot work from home - and passport processing cannot take place outside the PO. My documents were received at Peterborough on 29 April, but processing did not start until 12 May (two days ago). That's a gap of 13 days which of course included the VE Day holiday, so it's actually 8 working days. None of that surprises me hugely but I am astonished that a couple of ordinary renewals (as mine is) have been received, processed, approved, printed and sent out, all

within

that period. I might add that I put in a covering letter (which I was told to by the Adviceline) explaining that I need the passport renewed so that we can help extract our son and his family from Vietnam later this year (Vietnam requiring 6 months + validity remaining). My old passport also had a torn page (thank you Bangkok transit people) so I couldn't use it even if we were able to get to Vietnam sooner. I don't know if they take any notice of that sort of thing. It must be the case that the circumstances in each PO are very different. Only a speculative observation but I imagine that the POs must have received far fewer applications after the lockdown commenced in late March, so this might help speed up a return to normal-turnaround rates in the weeks to come. I have every sympathy with the enormous frustration felt by some of the applicants who have been posting here. One is completely powerless to do anything about a passport application, and you rapidly reach the point where you feel you'd pay anything just to get the wretched thing back and be able to stop worrying about it. I freely admit it is preying on my mind all day, every day and my need is not even especially urgent.

Mine was sent to London. Processing since 6th April. They sent the email that they are still working with fewer staff, despite the PM's announcement that those who cannot work from home should go to work. Does anyone else find it interesting to see that the PM is willing to allow construction workers etc. to risk their lives while those under their control (civil servants) are still practicing the same level of under-staffing as before the announcement?

I applied to Glasgow on the 2nd April. Still processing!!! I need it for my registration.

Ours was sent to Durham, I wasn't sure how it would work as they requested birth certificate from both sets of grandparents as well as my own too. Seems a ridiculous system particularly as the application was coming from overseas. I did notice that the overseas application forms have been updated since I submitted so I'm hoping this doesn't cause any further delays...

1 adult renewal and 2 child renewals sent 21/3 Adult renewal sent to Durham - approved 27/3 Child renewal sent to Peterborough - approved 12/5 Child renewal sent to Newport - still waiting

Hi, I heard back today from Durham office, seems my mum sent a shortened birth certificate which they wouldn't accept and they requested a marriage certificate despite my parents divorcing many years ago. It seems so excessive in this day and age to request originals from the grandparents, when they are all in the system for their own passports,hmrc, dvla etc etc with the difficulties of applying overseas as it it. Frustrated. Clutching at straws but they didn't mention the babies photo so I'm hoping that met their standards.

Hi, Below an update to my timeline. It’s a standard adult renewal sent to Liverpool – I live in Germany. Interestingly yesterday evening I received a second email from DHL with another shipment number, so I didn't know which passport was supposed to be arriving today. Turns out it was the old one but with the second tracking number I got, I can already see that the new passport is well on its way. It'll arrive tomorrow or Monday, I guess. @Kaystar89: the forms changed during my application, too. They didn't contact me saying I needed to redo anything but I don't know if that delayed the application internally somehow. Old passport received on 15 May 2020. Passport printed and sent 2:47pm on 13 May 2020 Application approved 11:57am on 12 May 2020 Application being processed 8:31am on 18 March 2020 Documents received 3:45pm on 17 March 2020 Application received 1:01pm on 11 March 2020 Application submitted 1:01pm on 11 March 2020 Will notify when it arrives. Best, Robert

Daughters renewal sent to Peterborough Application being processed 30 March 2020 Documents received 30 March 2020 Application received 22 March 2020 Identity details received 22 March 2020 Email sent to person confirming your identity 21 March 2020 Ask someone to confirm your identity 21 March 2020 Application submitted 12:48pm on 21 March 2020

@kaystar89 I understand the application is for the first passport as a person claiming to be British citizen based on the nationality of their ancestor(s). Short birth certificate doesn't show parents names so it was rightly rejected. Grandparents are on the system for their own passports, right, but no one usually submit their marriage certificate for their own passport so the HMPO was again right to ask for proof of marriage of the ancestors as an identity doc for a citizen of a country is being issued for the first time. The applicant obviously must prove their entitlement to the passport. This, however, won't happen again for renewals. Hmrc etc also do not have a copy of marriage certificate. Accept my apologies if this forum wasn't intended to be about things other than applications during lockdown.

Simple question really I’m due to fly out to Greece on the 6th July , first adult passport been processing since 3rd April has anyone received a first adult passport whilst being in lockdown

Lukek21: It's a simple answer too. The UK Passport office website says with regard to first adult passports that: 'Passport interview services are temporarily unavailable because of coronavirus (COVID-19). If you need an interview, your application will be put on hold. If you need a passport urgently, for compassionate reasons (for example if a family member has died) or for government business, phone the Passport Adviceline.' https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passport/after-you-apply It also only says you 'may' be asked to attend an interview, but I think that it's normal to be called in for a first adult passport. If they intend to ask you for an interview then your application will have been suspended until interview services are restored - whenever that is - unless they decide to bypass the interview requirement if it's possible to verify identity another way. What this means is that on the whole the only passport applications that can be processed currently are those that do not require interviews, or which do not require more complex checking. In practice therefore only standard renewals are going to be easily processed by reduced staff in the passport offices. It's worth bearing mind that only a few people are posting on this forum. Reading through the posts it's clear that almost all the applications discussed here are of different types sent to different passport offices. There must be thousands, of other passport applications in the system at the moment about which we know nothing. Therefore there are few general conclusions that can be drawn about what is actually going on in the various passport offices. What we can say is that most applications are taking longer for one reason or another and some will have been suspended. We can also say that since passports cannot be processed by passport office staff working at home this is a service that will fall into the category of job where staff need to return to work. One can only hope that that is starting to happen. However, interview services will require more complex arrangements in order to meet government guidelines about workplace practices. There must also be something of a backlog now involving uncompleted applications from before the lockdown and others submitted since.