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Hello Team,
You asked for an update so here I am. We had zero response to each of our online forms requesting contact, our polite emails detailing our situation / travel dates and various telephone calls trying to request an application update. I desperately rang again on Saturday but after holding for over two hours, I was once again cut off.
Our holiday ticketing deadline was Saturday and we either had to move our holiday at a cost of thousands of pounds or take a punt our passport would arrive in time using the upgrade lottery process but if not, lose thousands of pounds by gambling its arrival as once ticketed, our holiday became non-refundable / changeable and we travel in a few weeks.
Given the shambles of the passport office and their actions to date, we just couldn’t take the risk and we therefore rescheduled our holiday at a cost of thousands of pounds, all because we originally applied for a passport based on their processing advice of 3-4 weeks, which they then moved the goalposts of during the processing of our application.
Knowing that we’ve paid for our application to gather dust in the application being processed stage for almost two months because of their system error, is quite frankly unacceptable. Being told that there is an upgrade system in place which is actually like a lottery system for a, rare, allocated winner, is also unacceptable. People are being told that the upgrade team are not working this weekend whilst others are receiving telephone calls from the upgrade team. All systems in place at the passport office have been proven not to work. It is absolutely outrageous that it is us who are suffering because of their incompetence by missing holidays, paying to move them and all whilst paying for the privilege to do so. *RANTS ON*
The upgrade system isn’t guaranteed but people are gambling on this and still missing holidays. We just couldn’t risk this as an option as there was too much money at stake which is why we moved our holiday only a few hours before it was ticketed. If you are able to do this too please do think about this as an option. It is heartbreaking to see so many people miss their holiday and those their money thinking an upgrade is coming when the reality is only a few are given the chance despite promises being made.
I wish you all so much luck with your own applications, my nerves could no longer take the gamble!
@homersimo1 – Congratulations! Which upgrade address did you email? We fly the 17th May and have until today to pay thousands to change our dates or lose thousands by taking a punt our passport will arrive which has been stuck in application processing since March as the lost passport number didn’t pull through into our application for a new lost passport…thanks so much!
Hello Team,
In the same boat, applied 25th March and have been stuck in processing ever since.
Found out yesterday when I finally managed to get through to ask for an application update, the cancellation reference number hadn’t pulled though so the application has just been sitting there gathering dust! Their system clearly isn’t working in any shape or form.
Their upgrade fast track 2 weeks prior is a lottery and not guaranteed so if you are able to change your plans if the stress and anxiety are too much, this may be an option. We have until tomorrow for our application to be approved. We travel in just over two weeks so if this doesn’t happen then we’re either going to have to take a gamble hoping we receive an upgrade during the special two week window or pay thousands to change our holiday before it is ticketed on Saturday. The cost of the holiday is telling me the gamble isn’t worth the potential loss of money and my sanity…I will never listen to government advice again after telling us it’s a 3-4 week timeline when applying (hence our standard application) only for them to move the goal posts afterwards!!!
Good luck everyone!
Hello @Dukee,
Thank you for your kind words and help, it really is most appreciated. (Especially for your posting persistence!).
I am not actually a Facebook member (shock horror!) and I am struggling to join your group however I may finally cave as navigational advice is most certainly required for such a soul destroying process. (I am still in shock that we are paying for this privilege!).
May luck be kind to all of us!
Okay Team, I’ve been avidly reading this forum and have now joined to comment and discuss.
History: Dear husband realised he was unable to find his passport on the 25th March after much searching by us both. Subsequently cancelled it on the 25th March and received a cancellation reference confirmation via email. He then applied for a replacement passport mere moments later. An email was sent to someone to confirm his identity shortly afterwards and all identity details were received on the 26th March. DH was moved to “Application being processed” exactly one week later and nothing has changed with his application since 01 April.
At the time of application submission, official advice from the passport office was “to allow 4-5 weeks for your application” which recently changed to 10 weeks, moving the goalposts for applications already submitted, including ours. When submitting the application, we decided not to fast track when others needed this service more but our decision (which was based on government guidance at the time) has meant the goal post move may jeopardize our holiday.
I have many questions!! (Sorry!). What does “Application being processed” actually mean? Is the application actually being processed when this message shows or are they just gathering at the bottom of an abyss, waiting to be looked at? Have these applications been switched to manual checking? How many stages are there for this process? Is it more complicated than a “normal” renewal? How long are applications staying on the “Application being processed” stage for? Is there anybody out there who has experienced the “Application being processed” stage and can comment with an application timeline to provide some hope?
We too are due to travel soon so to say I am a nervous wreck is an understatement – I cannot sleep and am forever refreshing the application status hoping for an update! (I think I may be driving my DH crazy with my panic / stress / unable to sleep demeanour as one moment the passport was there when booking our holiday, the next it was gone!). We have until the end of this week to move our once in a lifetime holiday, paying an eye watering price difference to change to new dates or take a risk and hold out in the hope that the passport is approved, sent and arrives in time for travel but if it doesn’t, we lose everything! (The upgrade application seems quite hit and miss which scares me!).
Fingers and toes crossed for all of us!
