Recent UK Passport Applicant Timelines

Application submitted 21/04/26 Documents received 22/04/26 Documents approved 28/04/26 Passport printed 29/04/26 Passport received 01/05/26

I applied Feb 20 from Canada as a first-time applicant, as my previous passport expired about 50 years ago. HMPO requested a letter stating why I was not applying from the UK, also name change documents. These additional documents were sent by Canada Post registered mail on March 20 and should have arrived in 8 days, but were not signed for until April 20. My passport was printed April 23. The delay of the additional document arriving and being processed caused considerable stress. I didn't know about the passport requirement until after I'd booked flights for April 27. I had to cancel our flights, which cost 600 CAD and caused considerable distress. Although the process went quickly once HMPO dealt with the additional documents, if they had asked for this information when I first applied, it would have saved us considerable stress and expense. They need to update and streamline their process to eliminate these types of delay and the unnecessary expense and stress to the applicant.

Online app 31 Mar Sent Docs 1 Apr Docs delivered 7 Apr Docs received 17 Apr App approved 27 Apr Passport printed 28 Apr Passport received 5 May

UK citizen born in UK living in Canada. Sent birth certificate, copy of Canadian passport and 1990 expired UK passport. DHL was excellent to get them there in 3 days. Passport printed April 23rd. Used the reference number trick to begin tracking (PEX numbers only) on April 28th. Took until May 1 to actually be received by DHL in UK then moved quickly to arrive May 3.

I was not asked for further documents other than what was first requested. Process was slow. Took a week between “passport printed” and getting tracking number

Paper application so not able to track, had to phone up. Phoned several times and always told the same thing that it hasn't been processed yet. Initially it seemed VFS had put the DOB wrong in system which was stressful to rectify as i couldnt pass security questions. Managed to move interview forward from 2 weeks wait to a bit earlier which helped. First interview didnt go ahead because i was never sent the teams link and office was closed on weekend so noone i could speak to. Wasn't requested to send any further docs and application took 8 weeks total even though it said 18 week wait when I applied. So it was quicker than expected but stressful nonetheless.

Application submitted: 30 March 2026 Identity confirmation emails sent: 30 March 2026 Documents posted from Cyprus: 31 March 2026 Documents received by HMPO: 10 April 2026 (10 days after posting) Application approved: 25 April 2026 Total time from submission to approval: 26 days Passport collected: 5 May 2026 (Paralimni DHL office, Cyprus) Total time from submission to receipt: 36 days Additional notes for Cyprus applicants: DHL only operate one flight per week into Larnaca, arriving on Monday mornings via Leipzig and Athens. Factor this into your planning as if your passport misses the Monday flight you will wait another week. We were not asked for any supporting documentation beyond the standard application. Documents were posted from Cyprus on 31st March and received by HMPO on 10th April. The Paralimni DHL office (open Monday to Thursday only) confirmed collection was available the morning after the flight landed.

Despite multiple calls and chats I missed my grandmother’s funeral on 21st April.

Adult renewal with name change due to marriage. Quick and easy service

Stressful due to lack of communication on receipt of documents and lack of tracking after passport was printed (PEX number didn’t work) Delivery time on docs from GRO was too long- 4 weeks for secondary docs.

I wish the statuses in were all listed, so I knew at least the minimum necessary steps left to complete. I also wish the 5 days between the last status of it-has-been-mailed and when it appears on the DHL website had been explained, versus looking like it just disappeared/got lost. (No…it was likely stuck in the border/customs back log and DHL only shows it once it has cleared customs). Lastly everyone should be recommended to sign up for the DHL mobile app (using same phone/email/address as on passport application). It was wonderful to see it slowly plod its way through airports to my house.

Absolute circus, complete lack of clarity with regards to which documents we needed. There was a delay as the original birth certificate we received from the hospital (that was already in English on the reverse of the document) was rejected as it was an international version. We had to order a shorter document and have it translated at great expense (£70) from the ONLY translation service in the WHOLE OF SWITZERLAND that the British embassy recommends as an official translation service. It’s ridiculous and backwards. We also had to provide a signed and dated letter with British grandparents details due to an already known policy change. Why this wasn’t requested at the initial round of documents is beyond me. It caused enough of a delay that we had to cancel holiday plans as they retained her Swiss passport for the duration of the two month application process… we still don’t have it back.

I had to renew for damage passport. A bit stressful for renewal as I had a travel booked already but didn’t notice my passport was damaged just before we go holiday. Thank God it arrived in time

Relatively smooth. Longest ‘delay’ was waiting for duplicate certificates ordered from UK GRO, but even that was quick, I just hadn’t done it before I sent application in.

Straightforward process Passport printed on 30 April 2026 Application approved on 29 April 2026 Documents received on 23 April 2026 Application received on 17 April 2026 Application submitted on 17 April 2026