Feedback, experiences, timelines, tips and useful information from people that have recently been through the UK passport application process.
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1st Adult Passport
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-07
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Passport printed 9:13pm on 22 February 2023
Application approved 3:48pm on 21 February 2023
Documents received 2:20pm on 14 February 2023
Application received 4:19pm on 7 February 2023
I only sent my documents on the 9th February, the whole process took 2 weeks from sending my documents to receiving the passport. I haven’t received my documents yet.
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-01-31
Date Received:
2023-02-15
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Old passport and naturalisation certificate returned 24 February 2023
Passport received 15 February 2023
Passport printed 3:42am on 14 February 2023
Application approved 2:45pm on 12 February 2023
Documents received 11:14am on 7 February 2023
Documents sent 1 February 2023
Application received 5:26pm on 31 January 2023
Identity details received 5:26pm on 31 January 2023
Email sent to person confirming your identity 5:14pm on 31 January 2023
Ask someone to confirm your identity 4:29pm on 31 January 2023
Application submitted 4:29pm on 31 January 2023
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2023-02-07
Date Received:
Not Received
Overall Experience:
Please Rate out of 5
Comments:
Documents received 14/02/23
Still waiting
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-04
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
It took exactly 20 days from submitting the application to receiving the passport.
4 Feb 2023 – Application Submitted
5 Feb 2023 – Identity Details Confirmed
5 Feb 2023 – Application Received
6 Feb 2023 – Documents Sent
8 Feb 2023 – Royal Mail Tracking Shows Documents Received
15 February 2023 – Documents received and status updated at the HMPO website
22 February 2023 – Application approved
23 February 2023 – Passport printed
24 February 2023 – Passport received
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-12
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-07
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Smooth experience.
Old passport and documents received back-24 February 11 am via TNT
New Passport received on 22 February 12 noon via DHL
Passport printed 12:06am on 21 February 2023
Application approved 1:48pm on 20 February 2023
Documents received 1:10pm on 12 February 2023
Application received 2:04pm on 7 February 2023
Identity details received 2:03pm on 7 February 2023
Email sent to person confirming your identity 1:58pm on 7 February 2023
Ask someone to confirm your identity 1:51pm on 7 February 2023
Application submitted 1:51pm on 7 February 2023
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-01-29
Date Received:
2023-02-22
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Fast and Quick service even with a two week wait for an interview and always notified what stage of processing my passport was at.
Adult Renewal Passport
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-18
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Less than a week between submitting the application, sending my old passport off and receiving the new one.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-10
Date Received:
2023-02-20
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Application was very user friendly & I was kept informed of the progress at every step. I didn’t spend any time wondering what was happening to my application so not stressful
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-17
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-18
Date Received:
2023-02-23
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Applied for online after getting digital passport photograph from happy snapps which was a additional £13.99 five days from application to delivery of passport.
They check passport photo they take is acceptable to the passport office before giving you the digital passport photo number avoids paying extra to the post office for fast track only used them to send old passport securely.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-12
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Passport printed 3:11am on 23 February 2023
Application approved 10:28am on 22 February 2023
Documents received 3:04pm on 15 February 2023
Application received 2:36pm on 12 February 2023
Application submitted 2:36pm on 12 Feb
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Belfast
Submission Date:
2023-02-01
Date Received:
2023-02-17
Overall Experience:
3 Star – Average
Comments:
Updates on progress were inconsistent, sometimes sms and email, sometimes just email. Puzzling that there is no update to say that new passport has been passed to their courier (in my case DHL). I did not receive any notification from DHL of tracking number or that the passport was due for delivery.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Newport
Submission Date:
2023-02-04
Date Received:
2023-02-21
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Easy application, but royal mail was very slow to deliver my passport (took 5 days, second class) and I still haven’t received even a tracking number for my old documents back.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-10
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Super easy and quick thankfully. Timeline below (old passport was actually received on 13th Feb according to Royal Mail tracking, but not updated at passport office until 2 days later) –
Passport printed 6:40am on 23 February 2023
Application approved 1:20pm on 22 February 2023
Documents received 4:41pm on 15 February 2023
Application received 1:27pm on 10 February 2023
Application submitted 1:27pm on 10 February 2023
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2023-02-09
Date Received:
2023-02-23
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
This was for a replacement for damaged adult passport
9th Feb 16:05 applied online
13th Feb 16:55 they marked as received old passport
20th Feb 12:35 Approved
21st Feb 05:03 printed
23rd Feb 11:28 new passport delivered
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Glasgow
Submission Date:
2023-02-16
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Very impressed with how quick it all was. Applied on 16th feb, sent documentation (old passport) on 18th feb, passport arrived 24th feb.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2023-02-11
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2023-02-20
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Visited Max Speilmann in Burnley who took my photo and inputted my passport renewal application online and posted my old passport on my behalf. Paid £111.48 in total. Received several email updates. Passport delivered by courier. Absolutely astounding level of service!
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-14
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
I was really worried that the expected time was ten weeks. In fact it came in ten days!
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Peterborough
Submission Date:
2023-02-14
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Did it online submitting a code I received from a Photo Booth. Sent old passport via the post on the Tuesday. Received notifications through the week, new passport arrived following Friday. East and efficient
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
London
Submission Date:
2023-02-09
Date Received:
2023-02-23
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-13
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2022-05-08
Date Received:
2022-09-05
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
I applied on 8th May to renew and return back to my maiden name, they didn’t acknowledge receipt of documents until 25th May. After 10 weeks it was expediated by myself which means they acknowledge it’s been over 10 weeks then do nothing. I had a web chat and discovered I could contact them 2 weeks before my next flight but no guarantee of it arriving on time. I was phoning, emailing, webchat, sourcing extra info. I involved my local MP, Jo Stevens. She was kind enough to contact the passport office on my behalf. They told her they’d sent me a letter on 22nd August needing more info. A (generic) letter arrived on 25th asking me for information I’d already provided. I don’t know whether they lost the originals or need something extra. I sent them some photocopies only to discover the post office were on strike ie their incompetence wasted another week. In addition, they take 2 weeks to open any post. I feel I wasted my opportunity to involve an MP and I absolutely don’t know what they wanted from me. I did both ring (again I had the reaction ‘you applied in May!! that’s ages ago’) and email them. I spoke to someone who linked my earlier passports (in my maiden name) so added that information to my file. The letter mentioned needing a marriage certificate but when you get divorced you hand it in, no-one was able to tell me whether I needed a copy (which costs more money); but due to the postal strike I couldn’t get one quickly enough. At the point of 2 weeks before my booked flight I sent emails to 7 different HMPO email addresses, one finally took pity on me.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-12
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Paid for special delivery, received by office on 14/2 but took until late on 15/2 for acknowledgement. Nothing from them until late on 22/2 when they said application approved. Arrived on 24/2.
Lost or Stolen Passport Application
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2023-02-03
Date Received:
2023-02-10
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
1st Child Passport
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-08
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Straightforward experience for my daughter’s passport. I sent off a full UK birth certificate as proof of identity and referenced both my and my wife’s passport numbers. Everyone is a British national from birth so I was anticipating a smooth process..
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Belfast
Submission Date:
2023-01-30
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Liverpool (Bootle)
Submission Date:
2023-02-14
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
First Child Passport
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
2023-02-08
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Straightforward experience for my daughter’s passport. I sent off a full UK birth certificate as proof of identity and referenced both my and my wife’s passport numbers. Everyone is a British national from birth so I was anticipating a smooth process..
Child Renewal
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Peterborough
Submission Date:
2023-01-05
Date Received:
2023-01-27
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
The picture was initially accepted then rejected. They wanted also second passport. Process really slow
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
2023-02-03
Date Received:
2023-02-16
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Do it online and send your old passport recorded delivery
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
2023-02-15
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Excellent, back in 9 days
Overseas Passport Application
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2023-01-29
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Passport Office:
Durham
Submission Date:
2023-02-05
Date Received:
2023-02-24
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
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