Recent UK Passport Applicant Timelines

It was very fast it took 5 days to approved my application got my passport next day delivery

Sent original documents via fastest method available with USPS. Estimate was 3-5 business days. Took 8 days. This was a substantial delay. Took 5 days from the time documents were tracked to Corby for them to confirm receipt. Dual national but luckily only photocopies of the foreign passport and the old UK passport were needed. Was difficult to find someone to verify identity as the list of people was too restrictive and most people where we live do not have a passport. Most only travel in the US on their drivers license. This was another delay. Once everything was approved it arrived 6 days later. DHL were very fast

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.

It took 1 week for the old passport to reach Corby, using Registered Post (from France, as we àre close). The passport was approved and printed 11 days later and reached DHL outgoing after another 4 days. It could have been delivered in Spain the next day but that was inconvenient so we delayed it by a day for our convenience.

I took my own photo then got it verified with 100% guarantee of acceptance on passport-photo online for £10 which also gave a code.

Documents sent 25th February Documents received on 2nd March. Request 1 more document on 11th. Photo rejected and uploaded new one 23rd March Application approved 24th March Passport received 27th March. Really stressful waiting as on the phone the answer was alwas different. Application for my child very straightforward as he is was born here and my husband and I are with settled status both but they asked again our reference when we added on the documents. Received everytime updates by text and email. Received my documents together with the passport.

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

Thirty one days overall. Reasonably straightforward but DHL left my item at the front door. No signatures.

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

Timeframe very quick. Just took me awhile to get original documents as my father was born in the UK 113 years ago!

HMPO no longer accept multilingual international Formula A birth certificates. I was unaware of this during the application and was instructed to send additional documents. This then required obtaining a certified translation of my child's German birth certificate (extra cost of €60).

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.