Feedback, experiences, timelines, tips and useful information from people that have recently been through the UK passport application process.
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1st Adult Passport
Type of Application:
First UK Adult Passport
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
02-08-2023
Date Received:
22-08-2023
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Corby post office
Adult Renewal Passport
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
01-08-2023
Date Received:
21-08-2023
Overall Experience:
2 Star – Stressful
Comments:
Everything went fine until it was printed then I heard absolutely nothing, assumed it was a delay until it got to 10 days when I contacted the passport office who said it had been sent to TNT and to track using my postcode and passport application reference. Turns out it had been sitting there the whole time waiting for delivery to be booked but TNT had not contacted me at all (checked email/spam folder/texts etc). So if you’re waiting to be contacted by the delivery supplier it’s worth tracking it yourself as it may be there!
Passport printed 5:59am on 10 August 2023
Application approved 1:32pm on 9 August 2023
Documents received 9:57am on 3 August 2023
Application received 9:28am on 1 August 2023
Application submitted 9:28am on 1 August 2023
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
21-07-2023
Date Received:
21-08-2023
Overall Experience:
1 Star – Very Stressful
Comments:
Terrible experience after the passport was printed on August 2, 2023.
A DIFFERENT package was shown as delivered on my Passport Tracking number with TNT…. it was shown as delivered at 2 in the morning on JULY 27, 2023. WITH A PHOTO THAT IS NOT MY DOOR. AND NOTE THAT THIS IS NEARLY A WEEK BEFORE MY PASSPORT WAS EVEN PRINTED. (Something about that looks very fishy!)
So about 20 e-mails and phone calls then took place between me and TNT and me and HMPO. Me trying desperately to get them to do something. Like hitting your head against a brick wall. The Companies involved do not speak to each other and cannot see much information. There was also no record of my calls as notes. I had to explain the problem OVER AND OVER. IT WAS OBVIOUS SOMETHING HAD GONE WRONG AND MY PASSPORT WAS MISSING!! They were all Deflecting, Denying and Dismissing me.
Finally after I burst into tears somebody at last, at that Teleperformance, decided it should be escalated to their Customer Service Manager on Aug 8th and then it ended up with Delivery investigations on Aug 9th. Then on Aug 18th, somebody in HMPO Peterborough called to say the passport had been located. The reason given to me for this fiasco…… “It must have been a system error, it must have just sat around”.
Was it sent to somebody else…. or did TNT people deliberately keep it back for some reason!?
I am utterly shocked that our Passports are treated so flippantly. And totally shocked that HMPO, Teleperformance and TNT have no interlocking Customer Service mechanisms in place to address such an obvious problem. Instead, the customer is made to feel ill and stressed.
I have the original passport today, but I shall always have the worry that my Data has been breached. Because they have not told me what exactly happened.
Summary
Passport Printed August 2nd 2023
Passport received August 21, 2023 (Took 19 days for TNT to deliver!!)
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
London
Submission Date:
16-08-2023
Date Received:
21-08-2023
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Fantastic service directly with the UK Passport office website. Easy to complete, and by entering the code on the passport photos that I had taken that day my image was uploaded to their website. I then posted my old passport to them on Wednesday afternoon.
I received many updates including them letting me know that they had received my application, and then later that it had been approved and then again to say that it was being printed. Today Monday I had a text to say that it would be delivered between 8 and 8 in the evening, and when I looked in my letterbox it was here !
This only took them 2 working days to process, so despite being a bit concerned by fearmongers that it could be many weeks I could not be happier and saved quite a bit rather than having to go to London at further expense.
Type of Application:
Adult Passport Renewal
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
08-08-2023
Date Received:
21-08-2023
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Applied online with a digital photo taken on a mobile, process was very easy, only problem was with the post office opening hours being advertised incorrectly online at the office I used.
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Lost or Stolen Passport Application
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Corby
Submission Date:
03-07-2023
Date Received:
21-08-2023
Overall Experience:
4 Star – Easy
Comments:
Passport printed 8:28pm on 17 August 2023
Application approved 2:58pm on 17 August 2023
Form confirming identity received 7:28am on 9 August 2023
**Posted form 1st class recorded 28 July 2023**
Use paper form to confirm identity 9:08am on 6 July 2023
Ask someone to confirm your identity 3:19pm on 3 July 2023
Application submitted 3:19pm on 3 July 2023
Type of Application:
Lost/Stolen Passport
Passport Office:
Not Sure
Submission Date:
10-08-2023
Date Received:
21-08-2023
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Absolutely fantastic service, 11 days in total from applying to receiving. This how it should be and these are the standards that need to be maintained.
Child Renewal
Type of Application:
Child Renewal
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
10-08-2023
Date Received:
21-08-2023
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Really straight forward and quick
Overseas Passport Application
Type of Application:
Adult Renewal (Overseas Application)
Passport Office:
Hemel Hempstead
Submission Date:
30-07-2023
Date Received:
18-08-2023
Overall Experience:
5 Star – Very Easy
Comments:
Passport Delivered: 18 Aug 2023
Passport printed: 12 Aug 2023
Application approved: 11 Aug 2023
Documents received Confirmed by HMPO: 7 Aug 2023
Documents received Confirmed by Recoded Post 4 Aug 2023
Documents Sent from Overseas: 31 Jul 2023
Application received: 30 Jul 2023
Application submitted: 30 Jul 2023
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We really hope this information is helpful to you and reduces stress whilst you are waiting for you passport. If you are able to make a small donation for the cost of a coffee it really helps us to maintain the site and continue to make improvements for future passport applicants.
