Liverpool

Amy93 - it's not right, we pay for these passports and we expect to get them, not to be talked to like that.

On their website the current time for a renewal is 5 weeks – with the ‘please allow 10 weeks’ comment on the page too – so hopefully the 10 week is their ‘cover themselves’ limit and the actual processing times on the site are nearer the length of time it’s taking.

I am now on week 6 of waiting for a standard adult renewal! And on week 3 since I had a phone call asking for some extra information after which I was told verbally that my application was processing. I am going to phone them and enquire why I am being told my passport is in Peterborough when I sent it to Liverpool....

Jespop30 - I think this sounds like guy my daughter spoke to yesterday. Took more time interrogating her on where she got this number and she should not be using it. We were promised a call back on Friday morning after calling the usual number and still waiting 🤪🤪

Well I just rescheduled our entire holiday until end of may. I couldn’t cope anymore with being attached to me phone waiting for news or stressing about whether it will arrive on time. I’ll certainly be leaving feedback on the entire process as it’s not what it’s made out to be. Hopefully everyone will hear some good news soon!

Leahmca - Sucks that you had to reschedule your holiday :( I can empathise with you hun, I moved mine as well to the end of April. Hoping I won’t have to move again! It’s not worth the stress you’re right - it’s awful that we have to go through this… after the last few years we’ve had! Jespop30 - absolutely it’s not on! If I get spoken to like that I’ll hang up!

I wish I could move my holiday back, but it's gone up by 3 grand, no way I could afford that just now.

Jespop - jeez. Crazy! I suppose people are getting braver booking so demand is going up. I was fortunate that as long as we cancelled/rescheduled 7 days before we would be fee free. Easy jet are doing free changed until end of March. We actually saved £450 and got an extra day holiday by moving to may ?! Car hire has doubled so we need to find a new supplier. Amy93 - we had to choice of end of April or end of may so we went may because I was worried I’d still be in the same situation mid April! It’s annoying that another forum I follow have be discussing passports these last few days and people are getting first child and first adults within two weeks! Someone had the cheek to complain the applied 23rd feb and only got passport today!

So for anyone who was following my post from last couple of weeks.... Submitted 21st Jan - Received 8th March My travel date was 9th March for a work trip. I did my renewal online and uploaded my own photo that was accepted and application submitted. I found out on 5th March from progress team that my phot was actually rejected due to a slight shadow on my face but I was never asked for a new photo. Apparently if the robot rejects it then it goes to manual processing and has to physically go into to someone’s hand to be checked. I imagine this is why some take long than others. Eventually after A LOT of calling, pestering, uploading my evidence of travelling I was called by Peterborough office evening of the 7th March advising me that it was now with them (I had requested local printing so that I could go and collect instead of wait for delivery) She told me as it was now urgent they would do there best to get it done and would call me back in the morning. I had to call customer management team twice before 12pm the next day pushing for an update and then about 15 mins after my 2nd phone call Peterborough office called me to ask me to collect my passport from Peterborough office that afternoon. Of course I went to collect and thankfully managed to make it on my trip. Based on my experience I would recommend having and professional passport photo done to avoid application moving over to a manual system. Clearly I’m made up that I managed to get it in time but I’m very disappointed that if I had been given the opportunity to submit and new photo on 4th Feb then potentially I could have avoided a lot of stress and a 5 hour round trip and the fuel having to drive to collect. I’m considering putting in a complaint

Chelsea91- that’s amazing you made it and I would definitely complain. I was not even aware of a management team that you can escalate to or that you could request local printing. Pererborough sound a lot more helpful than Liverpool 😢

Chelsea91 - this makes a lot of sense actually. I was rushing to get my application in that I took the photo on the floor on a white towel! I also think that my passport surname being different to birth cert surname prob hasn’t helped. Aw well, holiday moved to may now so I’ve a few extra weeks for it to come through. Great news on getting yours in your hand!

I'm more impatient now that it's in examination.

My Process: Passport printed and sent 7:49am on 13 March 2022 Application approved 3:02am on 10 March 2022 Documents received 3:29pm on 7 February 2022 Application received 12:11pm on 27 January 2022 Application submitted 12:11pm on 27 January 2022 I am flying out on the 26th March, and finally received my passport on 15th March 2022 - having submitted the application on 27th January! While waiting for 'application approved', I called three times. The first told me to withdraw my application and use my old passport for the trip (it has enough validity), I called the following day, and the advisor strongly suggested I do not do this. On my final call (the day after), the advisor said he would contact the processing team for them to expedite my application, as he was unsure why it was stuck in this queue when everything had been approved on 14th February, it was apparently just awaiting 'quality control' as a final check. Overall the process was unbelievably stressful. No one could tell me why my passport took so long to be approved. There were no issues with the photo or anything else, I was told all aspects were approved quite quickly, it was just the final check that took weeks and weeks. For anyone else stuck waiting inbetween 'documents received' and 'appliation approved', call every day to obtain different opinions, and try to get the advisor to contact the processing team on your behalf to speed up the application. I would probably still be waiting if the advisor had not contacted the processing team for me.

Leahmca did they ask you to redo your photo? I did mine myself too in front of a white wall Jespop30 :( Hope they move their butts along asap for you hun x

I am told the same for mrs application. All checks complete just awaiting Quality Control. I have contacted them and they said to wait.

Hello, I have a very similar timeline for the latter stages stages, can I ask you at what point you were able to track the TNT delivery?? Many Thanks! Passport printed and sent 8:20am on 13 March 2022 Application approved 8:04pm on 10 March 2022 New photo received 9:25am on 9 March 2022 Photo rejected 9:03am on 9 March 2022 Documents received 1:49pm on 28 February 2022 Application received 10:17pm on 13 February 2022 Application submitted 10:17pm on 13 February 2022

Hi, my first (and only) contact from TNT was a text yesterday saying 'my passport is scheduled for delivery today'. The track link just stated that it would be delivered between 8am-8pm, arrived around 9am.

Amy 93 - haven’t been asked for a new photo (yet). I just looked at the photo i submitted and it’s good enough(in my unqualified opinion!) - I tried various bed sheets and rooms! But it was taken when my daughter was teething and she has such a painful looking rash in it! Pity she’ll be stuck with it for 5years

Leahmca - ah bless you, very clever though! White towel is the way to go!! Hope we get good news soon. egreenha - great news!!! Really happy for you, sounds like a howler you went through as well:(x

I used a toddler mattress, with a white sheet, and one of them went from documents recieved to approved in 6 days and that was a child's first passport. This whole waiting is driving me insane.

Based on my experience I would recommend having and professional passport photo done to avoid application moving over to a manual system.

Very good advice for peace of mind - my local Kodak photoshop did mine, a person takes the photo and I walked away with 4 prints and a code for the online application for £10.95, only a couple of quid more than the self service booths - and a guarantee that if it's reject they will do it again for free.

My youngest, we done with a professional. It was approved on their system. When I uploaded it, it got automatically refused! I'd already spent 2 weeks trying to get a photo of him and was running out of time. I sent the professional one with a note saying it was accepted by the system they use! And that was accepted. No more updates here. Day 28 of processing for 2 child renewals. We travel 5 weeks today. I'm genuinely flabbergasted that their system is so messy! How can applications have such different timings.

Our latest update: 20 feb: child renewal application 25 feb: signed for documents arrive Liverpool 10 March: I call Liverpool as documents still not showing as arrived. Decision made after consultation to get supporting documents back so we can travel with those at end of March. Email confirmation from Liverpool that this will be done within 5-7 working days 16 March: Call Liverpool again as still do not have confirmation from HMPO that documents have been received. 40 minutes on hold, then a conversation with a lovely staff member, who unfortunately confirms fears that nothing has been done/ received and so I will not be getting supporting documents within next two working days. She has marked as urgent and I should hear something back within 24 hours. Seems there are various chokepoints in the system but the first thing is the postroom/scanning room. Real issue is they cannot even find my documents in their own system. Until it is scanned, nothing can be returned and so far it's been 19 days since it was received. Speechless.

Urgent worked. Just got update- Documents received!

Urgent worked. Just got update- Documents received!

Good news finally! There are two routes now for the next update - one is straight to approved, and the other is processing, which appears to be another weeks long wait - so fingers crossed you'll go down the approved route.

LKT1990 - my son's first passport has been processing for 28 days, it's been in examination since the 11th.