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spoke to them about my passport this morning and was told its been checked just waiting to be printed, but she has arranged an emergency call back 24 to 48 hours – wondered why so used webchat to be told it is still waiting to be examined so no further forward and still different info from anyone you speak or chat to
I received a phone call to say would receive early this week but had no text message updates to even say “approved” or whatever so think they spun me a load of rubbish….
@Estival – ive had call backs from them since and mines still waiting to be examined so i have absolutely no idea where about in the process my application even is, i had a call the other day saying they had emailed me regarding an interview despite 2 advisors previous to them telling me i wont need one due to delays, the next person they passed me to said she could see no record of an email invite for interview as not all applicants for first time passport get one (i knew i had definitely not received and invite for one) they’ve told me its awaiting printed and collection then told me I’m back at awaiting examination by a human as already been checked by computer so i am none the wiser for all the chasing ive done – totally disheartened and given up hoping it will come in time. its an absolute joke that everytime they say theyll call you back they either dont fob you off with some excuse or the line gets cut off – still no texts or updates either – Hopefully you have better luck than me
@ks18 I think they’ve just told me what I want to hear cos like you still had no text message to say it’s been approved let alone printed. How long have you been waiting for yours? Wonder if it’s just Durham that keeo fobbing everyone off or if they’re all as bad as each other.
Durham does seem to be having a bad run. We got our passports today, 151 days after application submitted.
I really lost any faith in the personnel on the helpline, I don’t know that it’s worth phoning them unless you can get them to put you through to the progress team.
Good luck everyone and hope you get your passports soon!
@Estival – I think they were the same for me on the advice line just tell you anything they want to get you off the phone, they seem worse than useless, my application was posted on 13th April and they’ve had it in the Durham office waiting to be examined since 25th April and ive not received a single text or anything from them. I used webchat again yesterday and they said its still waiting to be examined by a human not a computer now. I understand backlogs from Covid and staff shortages and all that but surely they shouldn’t still be advising 10 week waiting if they cant make that deadline – then asking people to escalate and having people go to the offices surely just increases the workload which is what they advised I do yesterday as they have had it more than 10 weeks and I’d be due to book something from 8th august when my work annual leave starts chances are when you get there the wait will be massive and as I have nothing booked they’d just turn me away to sort the ones with actual flights, plus do they not understand people have full time jobs too that they cant just stop doing to stand in a queue outside Durham for 8 hours but I’m pretty certain I’m not getting in time so will be looking for booking next year instead – glad I never booked anything as I could have lost money too. Hopefully you have better luck
@Upsidedown – they’ve only had mine 86 days so far so think i may still have a bit of a wait by sounds of it – hopefully it arrives by august 2023 thenI agree with everything you’ve said. I’ve only had one txt at the beginning of May to say they’d received my application and nothing since. This is despite the Durham office calling at the weekend to say they were processing them after I came off the phone and that apparently they should be with me today…not holding out any hope whatsoever
Overseas newborn first passport application from Singapore, now waiting 18 weeks since applying, 16 weeks since documents delivered, 13 weeks since “documents received” and still no movement. 3 weeks ago I waited 2 hours but got through to someone on the “progress team” who said our application was “approved” yet nothing has appeared online, no SMS, no email, no passport.
We’re still waiting.
In the meantime, he has received a Chinese Travel Document (not passport) through his mother so we can travel to a handful of countries which recognise it (e.g. Malaysia).
Has anyone been able to get an urgent passport on compassionate grounds?
I need my replacement passport urgently, as my residency visa is going to expire. My lawyers and MP are involved but we seem to be stalled completely.
The above was the only advice HMPO could give, or get an emergency travel document. The embassy in the country I live have been less than helpful.
The mental/physical impact of this is really starting to hit me. No passport = no residency visa renewal = work visa automatically cancelled…No home, job etc.
The support for citizens abroad has been quite frankly disgusting. People I know are astonished, given they (multiple nationalities) can get new passports at the embassy in times from a few hours to a few days…I truly hope all other ex-pats are able to resolve their issues soon. There’s no doubting your situations are more important than someone in the UK missing a holiday. Livelihoods are at stake.
Hope this helps someone.
I applied from Abroad.
Sent in 22nd April
Documents officially recieved 26th April
Payment taken 28th April.Sent countless emails
Made countless calls.
Was on hold 2hours at a time.
Such a horrible experience.Sent in paper application so didn’t get a PEX number. Never got an email confirming receipt of documents. Nothing. Sent emails almost everyday to
hmpowebform@omni.eckoh.uk
Finally was given a reference number at 8weeksAt 10weeks i had 2weeks on the 20th July to travel. Applied via expedited services email
Got a reply after 1 week stating that i did not qualify for thier services because i applied from abroad.
Which was not far at all.2 days before 18th travel i emailed my MP
(Go to http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/ to get your current MP of your area and thier contact information)In the email you need your full application information including Name, date of birth, reference or Pex number, proof of travel and all correspondence you can remember, email dates , screen shots, phone calls etc.
You must have been waiting at least 10weeks and be booked to travel within 14days.
Sent them am email and got a call back on the day of my travel 20th day of travel unfortunately.
However luckily i had changed my travel date to the 1st of August (cost me a whopping £380 for i and my 2 kids 🙁 )Very nice gentleman called and told me he would call the hmpo and put my information forward and ask for expedition since i had missed initial booked travel and iv moved my date to within 14 days. He said they get about 30 requests every week and are trying thier best to assist.
He called me back within an hour and i was told that the hmpo office said they would look into it and that i should get feedback at least 48hours to my date of travel.I believe the people at Durham office are extremely overwhelmed amd they dont actually know what they are doing.
How does it make sense to give feedback to someone in another country 2 days b4 travel. How was i going to get the passport if approved via DHL in another county in 2 days. Both i and the MP rep were confused, he sounded deflated. But i was hopeful. At least hes put my case out there.
I didnt just accept the eariler reply from expedited services that they couldn’t help me and i replied to them that it was not fair. That i was a UK citizen even though i was outside the country and i should be awarded the same services as everyone else. Also iv heard that they have decided to start giving people who send in thier applications this july – thier passports back within 8days! 8days!
Thats not fair at all. They should be sorting people who have been waiting for Months and Weeks!Anyway lucky i got a reply stating that i should email
DurhamUpgradeTeam@hmpo.gov.uk
and send my proof of travel as an attachment.So i did that.
Its been 2 days, i cant say if its the help from MPs office or my email to the durhamup grade team. May be a combination of both.
But i just got a call about 2 hours ago and was told my passport has been approved and was going to be printed today and ready for DHL Pickup. They cant tell me exactly when it will be picked up. May be tomorrow, might be Monday. But it all depends on DHL.
Hopefully i will get it here before im ment to travel. I have 9days. I really hope so.
Iv been reading this forum and i promised that when i get any helpful information i would share it.
Sorry for the long write up. This isnt even half of what i went thru.
I also sent emails every sincle morning from 10weeks btw 8am and 8.30am . I noticed i would get a response if i sent emails during that time.I will come back to update when i have my passport in my hands.
Hello, so I’ve been on/off on this thread as I received my passport and my application was approved recently.
I will forewarn anyone applying from Canada/ USA (as I applied from canada so I can speak from experience), you need to allow AT LEAST 4 months to get your UK passport and supporting docs back!!! I had applied back in March and did not receive my UK passport until end of June and my Canadian passport didn’t come until July 20th. I cannot travel without my Canadian passport to some places (for example USA lets Canadians enter without a visa, UK needs a visa). I had a trip booked for NYC and had to postpone from June to August, due to this chaos!!!
I was so close to having to apply for an electronic visa for my UK passport to enter USA, but I had to open a ticket with DHL as they held my documents in customs for a week! Please allow for at least 4 months if you’re applying from abroad, especially North America.
For reference, I had applied for a First Adult Passport and had to send my original documents including my Canadian passport. Therefore could not travel anywhere until I got it back. Account for trouble with DHL as well when trying to get your documents back after approval. DHL WILL HOLD YOUR DOCS IN CUSTOMS, this was a headache to get them released as well. I went through the nightmare of calling HMPO every week, 8-10x and emailed dozens of times as well. It truly takes at least 4 months!
Take care folks!
@Nimmy sorry to hear!!! My hubby received his supporting docs 5 days after new passport arrived! Hope yours speeds up.
I’m flying to Madrid for two days on Sunday 26th June for work. Being self-employed, no work = no pay = also a very pissed-off client, who’s spent thousands on their Team’s flights and hotel rooms. 🙃
It’s the first work I’ve had since Dec 2019 (Covid cancelled all my 2020 work, ill for 18 months since then), so this trip is vital for me to stay something approaching solvent.
I see there was another debate in the Commons today about the HMPO passport backlog.
Following the previous two in April and May. It makes for a depressing read and you get a sense of how phenomenally widespread the problem really is.
I read through all the April and May debates recently just before I wrote to my MP asking for help.
Kevin Foster (HO Undersecretary) and countless MPs repeatedly mentioned the “MP Hotline”. So I wrote to my MP last week and one of his staff replied that they categorically do not have an MP Hotline, so something’s upside-down here…
I see there was another debate in the Commons today about the HMPO passport backlog.
Following the previous two in April and May. It makes for a depressing read and you get a sense of how phenomenally widespread the problem really is.
I read through all the April and May debates recently just before I wrote to my MP asking for help.
Kevin Foster (HO Undersecretary) and countless MPs repeatedly mentioned the “MP Hotline”. So I wrote to my MP last week and one of his staff replied that they categorically do not have an MP Hotline, so something’s upside-down here…
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