Recent UK Passport Applicant Timelines

Applied 16th March & sent off old child passport the same day Old passport was received 17th March but wasn’t scanned as being received until 22nd March Approved 30th March Printed & posted 31st march Received 1st April Renewal for a child changing to 1st adult passport. Same time line for adult renewal

The longest wait was sending the documents from France to the UK! Sent on 2nd March, received at the passport office on 14th March. Passport approved 25th, printed 26th, received in France to my home by DHL on 31st

I did not want to renew my British passport, the new rules require me to have one . The passport process was quicker than I thought, I liked being able to check for updates online and receiving the texts .

Application took so long to process that by the time it was reviewed it was within 3 weeks of my daughter’s 16th birthday so had to change from a child application to an adult and send a signed declaration.

Application requested birth certificate of application, current EU passport and mothers birth certificate. I knew this was incorrect from reading guidelines so sent applicants grandparents birth and marriage certificates too. Hmpo then also wanted a signed letter with the grandparents information (which I had already sent despite them not asking for this) which added unnecessary time and postage cost to the application.

- 16th Jan - Online application - Easy - 18th Jan - Confirming my identity - pretty easy (1st person not eligible so 2nd person chosen who found the website glitchy) - 19th Jan - 1st lot of certified copies of documents sent - International Reg Post - 27th Jan - Documents received in UK at Hemel Hampstead - 25th Feb - email request from HMPO for more documents - 27th Feb - more documents sent International Express Reg Post THEN....another 3 weeks of emails sent by HMPO about "more proof" of my lost or stolen passport ???? includes 5 x phone calls to HMPO to clarify that I just wanted a new Adult passport not replace a missing one - all very stressful - 17th March - Final demand from HMPO requesting either a birth certificate from BEFORE 1986 (when I was 16) or a School report?? - My final and 6th phone call for clarification over what a school report would actually prove - no result so asked my case to be escalated to a senior manager 17th March - Formal complaint online to HMPO about this whole process 18th March - received an email from a senior consultant who said my case was being reviewed 3 hours later......APPROVED!!! - 27th March - Passport posted from UK - 30th March - arrived at my doorstep in Western Australia! Very impressed with DHL. Just my experience - I'm a dual British citizen by descent (parents were born in and married in UK and emigrated to Australia a few years before I was born). Processing seems to be faster for those that are born in the UK not those who are British because their parents are. It turns out I had a UK passport as a 'child' (ie pre-1986) and I think this is what the case assessors were focussing on, despite it being a child's passport. I advise anyone who is having difficulties after submitting what is asked for to request an individual case review - worked for me and passport arrived today!!

Passport printed 27 March 2026 Application approved 26 March 2026 Documents received 18 March 2026 Application received 14 March 2026

Wanted me to send original foreign passport and documents from 58 years ago.

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

The communication was clear, which was helpful. I was not expecting an interview, and the initial date provided was inconvenient as I needed to travel abroad before that date. The officer advised me to call every hour because new slots and cancellations could become available, offering the possibility of an earlier appointment. This process was very stressful. Fortunately, I managed to call within the hour and secured an appointment on the next working day. The entire experience can feel overwhelming. You are required to send your original documents—for example, my passport, which was my first one after naturalisation. Sending original documents via signed-for post cost me around £5. I do feel that obtaining a passport in the UK is quite expensive. Ideally, I would like the option to visit an office in person to complete the application, verification, and other formalities on the spot, without the risk of sending original documents that would be costly to replace if lost.

24/02 - submitted application online 24/02 - Asked someone to confirm identity 25/02 - posted Aus passport via Express post 09/03 - Documents received 18/03 - Application aproved 19/03 - Application printed 30/03 - Passport delivered (via Aus Post/Startrack after being handed off from DHL)