Hi all,
I have just been on the phone to the Customer Service Management Team.
Apparently due to the big backlog in passports and it starting to hit the news (a few news articles today) they have realsed a new upgrade path for applications today!
If you can prove you are traveling within two weeks you are able to pay to upgrade. We got told to email a specific new upgrade team email adress stating various things and get contacted to pay and get fast tracked.
Personally we do not travel in two weeks time but I thought I would share with this fourm. Also you seem to get told 101 different things, so would be useful to know if anyone else also got told this!
The person on the phone said no doubt there will be teething problems and is not free.
If you are traveling within two weeks or about to, I would call up and ask about this serivce.
If you have any sucess please do let me know!
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New Passport Upgrade Service!
Travelingsoon12 · 6 Apr 2022, 15:40
Replies (1652)
I have been reading on this forum for a couple of weeks. We fly Tuesday 24th May and applied to replace a list passport for my daughter March 23, it went to processing March 31st. I applied to upgrade 10th March and have rang/emailed again several times each time being advised to just wait for them to contact you but the upgrade is not guaranteed!! Had almost given up hope and they rang at 08:50 this morning and I am just on my way to Liverpool to collect it now!
UPDATE
I posted before but to give you all hope… I travelled on Sun 8th May and gave up all hope as by Friday 6th they hadn’t called… did all the emails and chasing BUT I got a call on 6th may @7.20pm and was approved, and collected from my local passport office the next day @12pm. So I got my passport 1 day before travel. Don’t give up but do chase with the numbers given on this site!!
@Kel85
I email them again yesterday to hopefully be on the top of the list,I don’t know if that worked but today they called!
So try sending another email to remind then you still waiting.
Good luck
I am chasing but just get told nothing that can be done. I'm calling the regular number on the website option 8 then 3. At times put through to progress team but doesn't make a difference just told to wait for call. Is there another number to call?
I been calling for the last few days to this number 01633 285419 answered just after 35 minutes.
Hi Nicholad,
My passports both came first thing, between 8am and 9am.
I will add however that I have a TNT depot 5 mins from my house, so maybe I was lucky and first one of the day.
Fingers crossed for you
Good luck
Stephany, what department does that number get you through to please?
Yes we were with Peterborough and fly Monday, we got the call today and collecting tomorrow!!! Apparently there is a delay with the calls as well so will probably be Monday you get a call possibly over the weekend as I have heard they work all weekend as well. Fingers crossed for you!
Passportpalava88 thanks that's given me a bit of confidence that we will still be called in time.
@Londonben85
I got this information from a past post!
0300 222 000 main phone
0300 222 1973
0300 123 1973
0300 105 0850 progress team
01633 285 419
@passportpalava88
Hi, I have Peterborough too (despite living over 3 hours away) when did you call them and when are you going? I go in a week.
@wanokuni
The progress team put in request for upgrade for us on 13th May (not sure to which office) we then followed this up with our own email to all the upgrade teams we knew of. We didn't receive any auto response or anything and continued to chase via phone and email all week.
2 days ago I found the Peterborough email address on here and sent email to them and yesterday received the auto reply (took overnight to come through) then received a call around lunchtime from Newport upgrade team. Not sure if it was the email to Peterborough or just our turn in the queue for call back.
We fly on Monday and are driving to our local passport office to collect today
@passportpalava88
Congrats on getting through. I emailed them 18th so maybe soon I’ll hear from them. The person on the progress line told me that they’d also email Peterborough so fingers crossed. I’ll probably have to collect it but not looking forward to that as train tickets are over £80! Also side note, did your auto response just saying that they’ve received the email and that they’re working through in order of date?
Hi all,
In general has everyone been successful using the upgrade service in the end?
I haven’t been able to get through to the progress team regarding my son’s renewal, so I emailed the upgrade teams on my own back last Saturday (14th) as we are due to fly on the 28th. I’ve had a receipt to say my email has been received.
I am starting to get really twitchy especially as our holiday provider has said we need to either use or lose the holiday, so just wondering if most people are successful even if it is at last minute. Thanks!
I keep getting told to have faith in the upgrade team. I know they are working on people's applications who fly in 48 hours. I fly 27th so I am hoping I get a call soon. I have seen lots of success stories so I am trying to stay positive
Yes, don’t lose hope
I just collected my two daughter’s passports today.
We fly on the 27th and just got a call back from upgrade team yesterday
All I can say is stay positive and keep calling and emailing them.
Good luck everyone 👍
Stephany, which upgrade team was dealing with yours. Will be helpful to know.
We travel on 25th and ours is with Peterborough, but seems they are only working 48hrs ahead so hoping I hear Monday.
Stephany, were you emailing the upgrade team despite the auto-reply saying not to keep emailing? If so, I’ll try the same. We travel 5th June but I’m told I can’t upgrade yet as the old passport isn’t marked as received yet. Hoping that will happen by Wednesday (2 weeks since delivery), but I’m going to email tomorrow regardless. Any advice appreciated.
I was told both applications were at Durham but when I received the call yesterday I was told only one was with them and the other somewhere else!
I didn’t ask where because the lady said she will contact the other office and will approved so I can collect both passports today.
@Jules66
I email them exactly 2 weeks before my travel date which on the 27/05 so I email on the (13/05) I did received the auto-reply message but as I didn’t received the call back I send a second email on the (17/05) and finally the last one on the (19/05)then I got a call back yesterday the (20/05)they approved them and today I collected both passports.
So do send them a email tomorrow if don’t hear back from them in 2 days send another email again and so on, I personally think that’s the only way to be on the top list if you fly date is approaching.
Good luck 🤞👍
Anyone had the upgrade confirmed this weekend?
Keep hearing they are working weekends but not seeing any evidence. Most organisations would be throwing overtime about to help clear the backlog - I guess other organisations are accountable to customers, shareholders, regulators etc unlike HMPO where there is zero accountability.
I have heard they do work weekends as some people have had emails and phone calls on weekends. If you ask the call operators they actually say they don't. So you don't know what to believe.
We fly on Thurs, anxiously waiting for the call, next 3 days is going to be so awful, not the way I thought I’d spend my days leading up to a holiday! Not been able to look forward to it at all but clinging onto hope!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you , please let us know with an update I would call and email everyday from now and push them .. hopefully they will call you tomorrow, I know that feeling I’m literally telling my children … if we make it on holiday :( if I don’t get my passport then no holiday… we have 2 weeks today xx good luck and fingers crossed for you
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