Overseas application – need some advice

[bella_lasagne]

Hi

I am on a 5 month holiday in Mexico. I’m having a great time but my passport was stolen at the beginning of May. I was advised by HMPO to do the overseas application rather than get an emergency passport as I’m not coming home until mid August. The advisor I spoke to said applications from Mexico were taking around 5 weeks at the time. In his words that gave me “plenty of time” to receive my passport before coming home and “no need” to worry about getting an emergency passport. Hmm.

I’m now entering my 9th week of waiting. For a while (maybe like 6 weeks) I was on the “processing” stage but it’s recently gone back to “documents received”. My flight home is in mid August.

Does anyone have any tips of anything I could say on the phone to HMPO that might speed things up? I would really, really like to avoid paying for an emergency passport on top of this application.

If I do end up having to buy the ETD, does anyone know how I can divert my current application to a different address?

Thanks!

[Foster Twelvetrees]

I have applied from overseas too ( ThePhilippines) for a standard renewal and I’m four weeks in and my documents are still the documents recieved stage. I’m gobsmacked that HMPO would say to you, expect a replacement in 5 weeks for an overseas application – when one applies it clearly says expect 15 weeks, particulary when it known that stolen/lost passports take longer. I applied after my latest visa renewal and don’t need it before early December, surely it won’t take that long? Will it?

I’m sorry I can’t help with your query with expediting or diverting you application, but it does add to the malaise HMPO and I can only add my sympathy.

[Upsidedown]

Well I don’t know, 3 years ago my daughter’s overseas passport application took only 2 weeks, and that included post from and to Australia! Meanwhile we are now almost 20 weeks since submission for my husband and son’s…

[user123]

FWIW:
I think they have been advising overseas applications would take 13 weeks.
My fiancée made an overseas application for her first British Adult Passport (citizen from birth but living abroad). Exactly 13 weeks to the day since “Documents Received” (“Application Processing” no longer showed as is the case for many others) she got an email asking if she was in England or abroad. Confirmed abroad, and then they said they’d continue to complete the application. Today they asked for a photo of an ID card which was provided. The passport has been marked as going to print today also.

[Foster Twelvetrees]

When I made my online application it stated the process could take up to 15 weeks.

[Author]

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