Recent UK Passport Applicant Timelines

Really fast. Applied Monday this week and passport arrived today (Saturday).

Super easy. Applied online Monday 23rd & only needed to send my old passport. Posted that Tuesday 24th, Wednesday 25th the portal updated to say it was received. Thursday 26th application approved & Friday 27th passport printed. Got the tracking text from Royal Mail to say delivery on 28th. This was all standard renewal as well, I didn’t pay for fast track.

23/03 - submitted application 24/03 - posted documents 25/03 - documents received 26/03 - application approved 27/03 - passport printed 8am (10am got a text with tracking info from Royal Mail!). 28/03 - passport delivered

I had used an image taken at home and wasn’t accepted. Went to a photo place 4hours after the text and submitted the new one, was accepted within minutes, needed to then verify me with someone else, sent my friend the link and was accepted again within minutes. All on a Saturday may I add, if you complete the actions as soon as you get the notifications, you won’t be delayed :)

Very stressful not to be able to fast track part way or realise in advance document scanning would take 11 days

Updated for name change Submitted 07/03/2026 Documents delivered 09/03/2026 Documents not marked received until 15/03/2026. More frequent updates in this time period would have been helpful Received call about name change documents 24/03/2026, approved half an hour later after clarification Approved 24/03/2026, printed 25/03/2026 Delivered 26/03/2026

Post Office digital check and send was very easy. Old passport was received at the Passport Office three days later. Application was approved twelve days after submission. Old passport was returned fourteen days after submission and the new passport was received on the fifteenth day.

Only real concern was time taken from delivery of documents to being told they had been received. This took 6 days from application.

I sent my old passport on the 2nd Mar and they showed as received on 6th Mar. On the 16th Mar I realised I forgot to send my current foreign passport so I sent photocopy on the day. I also received a request for further supporting docs the same day, which I also sent on the day. These were never marked as received but I spoke to an agent daily via webchat providing the Royal mail tracking numbers. On Sun 22nd Mar I was notified my application was approved. I received my passport on the 25th March.

The service was very easy and quick, except there was a delay in my documents being scanned as recieved, I talked to them on the chat and it was escalated and scanned the next day. Application submitted online 5 March Sent documents delivered 9 March Documents scanned as received 12 March Application approved 22 March Passport printed 24 March Passport delivered 25 March

On Mon 16/03/2026 took PhotoMe photo at 10am, Applied for a passport renewal at 10:15am, sent my old passport to Hemel Hampstead via Royal Mail signed for 1st class at 11am. On Tue 17th, 6:30pm received "We've received your old passport" text. On Wed 18th, 4:45am received "Your passport has been approved" text. On Wed 18th, 10:45am received "Your passport has been printed" text. On Thu 19th, 2pm received new passport via Royal Mail. Took 4 days in total! :)

Application submitted 12:10pm on 17 March 2026 Application received 12:11pm on 17 March 2026 Documents received 2:42pm on 18 March 2026 Application approved 1:55am on 19 March 2026 Passport printed 6:39pm on 19 March 2026 Passport delivered 11:29am on 21 March 2026

Application submitted 22/02/26 Passport signed for 25/02/26 Status updated to passport received 02/03/26 Application approved 10/03/26 Passport printed 11/03/26 Passport delivered 12/03/26

Application Submitted: 15th March Documents received: 18th March Application Approved and printed: 19th March Delivery due 20th March

Application history Passport delivered 2:00pm on 19 March 2026 Passport printed 10:59pm on 17 March 2026 Application approved 1:04pm on 16 March 2026 Documents received 7:35pm on 6 March 2026 Application received 11:01am on 2 March 2026 Application submitted 11:00am on 2 March 2026