Passport delays : Thu Jun 19, 2014 12:26 pm  

me and my mates is going on holiday to spain 30th june

one is still waiting for his passport though... applied about 3 weeks ago for one..

i know it has been in the news about the backlog..

what can he do?? just sit and wait or can he go to liverpool to collect??

pay extra for a fast track? or would this be no use

any help/info appreciated!

Re: Passport delays : Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:46 pm  

If its his first adult passport it cannot be fast tracked.

Re: Passport delays : Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:47 pm  

I'd ignore all the media "horror" stories and get advice directly from the www.gov.uk site, such as: Upgrades for urgent travel People in the UK who have an urgent need to travel will be able to upgrade their application without charge. This means that after their application has been through the proper checks, the processing, printing and delivery of their new passport will be fast-tracked for free. To qualify, customers must be booked to travel within the next 7 days and their application must have been with the Passport Office for longer than the standard processing time of three weeks through no fault of their own. Customers will be asked to provide details – such as flight numbers and travel company – to confirm their travel plans. The ‘urgent need to travel’ upgrade is open to all those who have applied by post from within the UK and who meet the criteria above. Unless there are valid compassionate grounds, this will not apply to adults applying for their first passport, as they still need to attend an interview to confirm their identity. The upgrade is available immediately and can be requested through the Passport Adviceline. It is a temporary change and is not retrospective. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/addi ... ort-demand

I'd ignore all the media "horror" stories and get advice directly from the www.gov.uk site, such as: Upgrades for urgent travel People in the UK who have an urgent need to travel will be able to upgrade their application without charge. This means that after their application has been through the proper checks, the processing, printing and delivery of their new passport will be fast-tracked for free. To qualify, customers must be booked to travel within the next 7 days and their application must have been with the Passport Office for longer than the standard processing time of three weeks through no fault of their own. Customers will be asked to provide details – such as flight numbers and travel company – to confirm their travel plans. The ‘urgent need to travel’ upgrade is open to all those who have applied by post from within the UK and who meet the criteria above. Unless there are valid compassionate grounds, this will not apply to adults applying for their first passport, as they still need to attend an interview to confirm their identity. The upgrade is available immediately and can be requested through the Passport Adviceline. It is a temporary change and is not retrospective. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/addi ... ort-demand

Re: Passport delays : Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:11 pm  

guess who wrote:

If its his first adult passport it cannot be fast tracked.

no it was just a renew

Re: Passport delays : Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:12 pm  

shinymcshine wrote: I'd ignore all the media "horror" stories and get advice directly from the http://www.gov.uk site, such as: Upgrades for urgent travel People in the UK who have an urgent need to travel will be able to upgrade their application without charge. This means that after their application has been through the proper checks, the processing, printing and delivery of their new passport will be fast-tracked for free. To qualify, customers must be booked to travel within the next 7 days and their application must have been with the Passport Office for longer than the standard processing time of three weeks through no fault of their own. Customers will be asked to provide details – such as flight numbers and travel company – to confirm their travel plans. The ‘urgent need to travel’ upgrade is open to all those who have applied by post from within the UK and who meet the criteria above. Unless there are valid compassionate grounds, this will not apply to adults applying for their first passport, as they still need to attend an interview to confirm their identity. The upgrade is available immediately and can be requested through the Passport Adviceline. It is a temporary change and is not retrospective. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/addi ... ort-demand thanks for this! will give him this advice, seems to meet the criteria

shinymcshine wrote: I'd ignore all the media "horror" stories and get advice directly from the http://www.gov.uk site, such as: Upgrades for urgent travel People in the UK who have an urgent need to travel will be able to upgrade their application without charge. This means that after their application has been through the proper checks, the processing, printing and delivery of their new passport will be fast-tracked for free. To qualify, customers must be booked to travel within the next 7 days and their application must have been with the Passport Office for longer than the standard processing time of three weeks through no fault of their own. Customers will be asked to provide details – such as flight numbers and travel company – to confirm their travel plans. The ‘urgent need to travel’ upgrade is open to all those who have applied by post from within the UK and who meet the criteria above. Unless there are valid compassionate grounds, this will not apply to adults applying for their first passport, as they still need to attend an interview to confirm their identity. The upgrade is available immediately and can be requested through the Passport Adviceline. It is a temporary change and is not retrospective. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/addi ... ort-demand thanks for this! will give him this advice, seems to meet the criteria

Re: Passport delays : Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:40 am  

From what I can gather they've made a good job of dealing with the list.

Re: Passport delays : Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:23 am  

why would anyone not renew their passport a good 6 months before it expires?

Re: Passport delays : Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:33 am  

Standee wrote:

why would anyone not renew their passport a good 6 months before it expires?

Could it be that they couldn't afford to or that they didn't realise until they booked the holiday that it needed renewing?

Re: Passport delays : Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:45 am  

LifeLongHKRFan wrote:

Could it be that they couldn't afford to or that they didn't realise until they booked the holiday that it needed renewing?

OK, who in their right mind books a holiday without knowing they have a valid passport?

Re: Passport delays : Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:57 am  

Standee wrote:

OK, who in their right mind books a holiday without knowing they have a valid passport?

Liam Watts?