Recent UK Passport Applicant Timelines

Submitted my application: night of 1st August Old passport received: afternoon 4th August Application approved: morning of 12th August Passport printed: evening of 12th August New passport received: morning of 14th August This was with the Hemel Hempstead office and using the standard service (not fast track) Also did not need someone to prove my identity or an interview Going off of other people’s first time adult applications it seems that people’s applications are approved 8 calendar days after their old passport is received and receive their new passport 2 working days later

Almost alarmed by the efficiency of this. The last two times I've had to renew, I went to London to do same-day. I was going to do that this year until I saw the prices have gone through the roof for that service; decided to risk postal (after many years reading terrible things about the service) and am gobsmacked. Applied on Monday, passport in hand on Friday of the same week. Now just need to wait for the return of my old passport and hope there are no issues there.

Online application submitted: 29/07 Documents received: 31/07 Passport approved: 10/08 Passport posted: 11/08 Passport received: 12/08 a couple of hours after notified delivery window

Online application submitted: 29/07 Documents received: 31/07 Passport approved: 10/08 Passport posted: 11/08 Passport received: 12/08 a couple of hours after notified delivery window

Online application submitted: 29/07 Documents received by passport office: 31/07 Passport approved: 10/08 Passport posted: 11/08 Passport received: 12/08 a couple of hours after notified delivery window

Passport Received 13 August 2026 Passport printed 7:30am on 12 August 2026 Application approved 2:25pm on 11 August 2026 Documents received 10:24pm on 3 August 2026 Application received 4:00pm on 31 July 2026 Application submitted 4:00pm on 31 July 2026

Took longer than I was expecting. When I would call about updates the passport office weren’t that helpful. However once the application was finally approved, it was a quick process. Application approved in the morning and printed later the same day. It was then dispatched to Royal Mail who delivered 2 days after approval Application submitted online 30/07/2026 Documents (old passport) received 03/08/2026 Application approved 11/08/2026 Printed 11/08/2026 Delivered 13/08/2026

Corby runs a very fast service. I think it’s fair to them that I measure their service based upon the date they officially received my documents and not when I submitted my application online. See my timeline and review below. Application Submitted 15:28pm 27th July Application Received 15:29pm 27th July DHL Delivered my Documents: 11:44am 30th July (I used DHL signed delivery) HMPO Corby Signed/Received my Documents: 15:21pm 31st July Application Approved: 10:38am 10th August Passport Printed: 7:16am 11th August Passport Delivered to me via Royal Mail: 11:12am 12th August. Overall, I recommend giving the whole renewal process between 6-8 business days, starting from when HMPO records your documents as ‘received’ and finishing when your passport is physically delivered into your possession. (This does review does not include bank holidays and pertains to late-July/Early-August 2026). Also be prepared to factor in an additional business day to account for the time difference between your courier delivering your passport and HMPO marking it as ‘received’. I strongly recommend opting for ‘signed delivery’ with your courier, even if it costs a bit more. Hope this helps!

Submitted 19th but appointment was 29th, had the passport by 31st July.

All smooth and efficient. It would help if DHL assisted with tracking passport after they received it Passport received: 11 August Application approved and Passport printed: 5 August 2026 Documents received: 28 July 2026 Identity details received: 23 July 2026 Application submitted: 1 23 July 2026

Very easy. Submitted my application July 24, sent docs July 29, docs received July 30, application approved August 7, printed over weekend & delivered August 11.

Shocked at how quick the proccess was.

I applied from Canada as a UK citizen by descent through my father. The Passport Office clearly details what documents are required and the couple of questions I had, were answered via the online question form within 24 hours. The instructions are designed for UK residents so I asked whether Canadian counterparts on the list of professions that can verify identity would be acceptable. (Yes) And should I list the passport number from my father's 1940s era passport. (No, it would not be in their system). Once I had assembled the package and sent it off to Hemel Hempstead by DHL courier everything moved along quickly. Both the passport and the supporting documents arrived the same day in two separate envelopes. From start to finish, a total of 26 days. Overall, I thought the system was pretty efficient.