I’d missed the fact that passports needed to be under 10 years old to get into old shengen, post brexit. I’m meant to be heading there soon (well actually tomorrow, but that trips out, so then in about 10 days) – it seems the only option for faster service is an extra £100 and a trip to bloody london, was wondering if anyone had recently renewed and what the timelines were?

I renewed online over christmas and it was all sorted in the first week of Jan. My old passport was still valid though.

9 days for mine and old one was a year out of date. That was two weeks ago.
Filled online form and digital photo code on the Wednesday. Posted old one off special delivery on the Saturday and new one arrived the next Friday. Probably could have knocked couple of days off if had sent old one earlier.
Photo didn’t need verified though. If you’ve changed a lot or they ask for a counter signature then you’re stuffed.

Hmmm.

I made my online application with photo codes on the 29th Jan and sent my old one on 31st by Special.

Passport tracker still says ‘send us your old passport’ but I can see the Royal Mail had it signed for on the 1st Feb, so looks like it’s >1 week right now.

Mine was 3 weeks in October.

Similar to andrewreay
I did my online application 27/1. Posted old one back 28/1. Tracker still says I need to post the old one back. It was tracked by Royal Mail as delivered to them on 29/1
When I did the application it said the average time was 4 weeks for passports sent out the week ending 23/1 I think.
We were supposed to be going away on 26/2. Looks like it’s going to be in the uk! Hadn’t booked anything and still hopeful might come in time to grab a cheap week in the sun.

Getting my sons passport renewed in October last year took about 3 weeks for it to be posted out by HMPO. Actually getting our hands on the passport after Fedex put it through the wrong door, trying & failing to retrieve it, waiting to be allowed to cancel it as lost, then going through the whole replacement process took many, many weeks!!

3 weeks for me in December. 3 weeks for my son’s in January.

6 weeks in October. Supporting documents (notably my Irish passport, the only one I dare use in Europe now) were returned randomly at 5am on Christmas Eve.

I did mine through my local post office, took 4 days from photo to delivery with daily update txt. Cost £95 or so, very impressed with the service. this was May 21

Same as Andrew and Doc above – I sent my application on the 28th Jan, Royal Mail show as having delivered my old one to their Peterborough office on the 31st and it’s still showing “send us your old passport” on the status tracker. So definitely more than a week. We don’t go away until May so I’m feeling fairly confident. We’ve got a trip booked to Europe in August that my passport wouldn’t be valid for so I reckoned that as there was more days before May than there was between May and August I’d be reet. Tracker was suggesting around 4 weeks when I applied.

Renewed my Irish passport beginning last week, due for delivery today. The hardpart was finding a machine that would give me a code for the photo.

Less than two weeks last December, and I was doing it from France!

Online app done 7th Jan for a renewal, docs went same day by signed for Post. receipt acknowledged 14th Jan, new passport delivered 19th so 12 days.

Mine still says waiting for me to post the old one in. Day 11 today. I expect to receive the new one before they acknowledge receipt of the old one.

thanks everyone. given its our ‘christmas trip to see the inlaws’ I’ve paid the stupiditiy tax of £100 plus a train ride to london to fast track it. FML. I don’t understand why there isn’t an option to fast track it without going in person – given you can elect for someone else to pick it up (you just have to provide your old passport) – all of that could be done remotely

No use to 5lab – but I’ve just had a text saying that they’ve received my passport today, so exactly a week after the RM delivered it. When I click the link to see what happens next it gives the following page which suggests a 4 week turnaround but you should allow up to 10wks:

Update again – after the email last night acknowledging receipt of my old passport (at 5.16pm) I got another email at 7.14pm saying that they had approved my application for passport renewal, followed by another at 1.37 this afternoon saying that it had been printed and passed to TNT for delivery.

So initial application made for renewal with digital photo code on 28th Jan. Posted old passport via RM recorded on the Friday morning, shown as delivered to the Peterborough passport office by Royal Mail on Monday the 31st Jan.

A wait until 7th Feb until receipt acknowledged by the passport office, approval the same day and notification of dispatch today the 8th of Feb. So even if TNT don’t deliver until the end of this week it’ll be 2 weeks turnaround. Happy days!

We renewed my daughters just before Christmas using the Passport service at the Postoffice (one of the ones with a Passport booth).

Thursday afternoon, 20 minutes with a guy filling everything in for us & taking photos etc. (all we needed was the old passport), following Thursday morning, TNT delivered the new one.

It couldn’t have been easier.

Just had text from passport office telling me they have received my old one. 2 weeks after I posted it, tracked as delivered on 29th Jan.
They got my hopes up earlier in the week when I got a text but it was a standard “don’t forget to appt for your passport in plenty of time” one…
The page now says average 3 weeks for passports issued last week. So hopefully I’ll have it in a week.

Did mine at the post office one Thursday lunchtime in October, text me Friday morning saying it was on the way, got home from work on the Monday and it was already waiting for me.

May be quicker generally doing it that way?

Renewed mine a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised by how quick the passport office process was, and less than happy about TNT not delivering it- usual BS about me not being in when I definitely was. Check the TNT twitter account for more horror stories!

Anyone done this recently?

Need to renew the wifes and have it back within 4 weeks? I’m thinking we’ll need to fast track it.

currently doing so, not fast track, didnt see that option duh. I sent the old passport back the same day so biggest delay was their post room? Not sure why they need a copy of my expired passport. 4 weeks may be a push as the recent news has meant a surge…

Passport printed 28 April 2022
Application approved 26 April 2022
Documents received 25 April 2022
Application received 11 April 2022
Application submitted 11 April 2022

theres a twitter/web page – uk passport waiting times

renewal of daughters passport was…

Submitted Online. 23rd Mar
Old Passport received 4 April
New Passport printed 14 April
New Passport delivered 19 April

Maybe we were lucky…dont need it until Summer so I was uncharacteristically organised.

its worth noting the only fast track options mean you have to pick the passport up at one of their offices. No idea why, as they don’t check anything there (someone else can pick it up for you) – I ended up paying though the nose to get this done.

also worth reiterating if your passport was issued more than 10 years ago you’re not getting into europe even if its still in date

Our child renewals took about 7 weeks recently – arrived the day before we were due to travel so we had a last minute panic to rebook everything/get packed (the whole thing was pretty stressful!)

We did online applications and the advice at the time was 3-4 weeks. The thing with that advice is that it’s always retrospective so it doesn’t take into account surges in demand (by the time it mattered the advice had changed to 5-6 weeks).

My wife’s renewal took 3 weeks, but that was dealt with by a different passport office. Liverpool/Bootle and Peterborough seem to be particularly slow.

We also figured out that there seems to be little “process” in place – turnaround times are completely random and luck of the draw… the helpline is infuriating too as (with one or two exceptions) they are completely unhelpful or just say whatever they need to in order to get you off the line (and that’s if you don’t get cut off when on hold).

On the upside, TNT were very quick and efficient – so they saved the day in our case.

In the future, if we need to renew less than 10 weeks before travelling then we’ll be going fast track!

Submitted our daughters on the 20th with no fast track and it’s just been approved today so should hopefully receive the new one within a few days. Bristol based so possibly using the Newport office FWIW.

Her old passport expired on the 21st, not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Anyone done this recently?

Need to renew the wifes and have it back within 4 weeks? I’m thinking we’ll need to fast track it.

Definitely fast-track it!

Thanks all, seems the Fast Track part of the gov.uk website is down. Reports System Busy 🙁

Applied online at the beginning of March and had the passport delivered just over 3 weeks later. My old passport had expired almost 3 years ago.
All very easy, although TNT did manage to deliver the new passport to the wrong address 🙄.

My mate tried to get into the office for a same dayer 16th May.

Got booked into Glasgow next week. Just a short round trip from Manchester 🙁

Cautionary tale to check the family passports and drop in a timely calendar reminder REMEMBERING

– Some countries require 6 months validity, some 3, some none
– You used to be able to carry over time on your old passport but the post-Brexit accountants at Borderfarce have realised they get more money by not doing this and forcing people to renew early

So loss of 9 months (apply 3 month early for a passport that won’t fall foul of a 6 month validity rule) on a £75 10 year renewal is essentially worth £5.60 which is a shit-load cheaper than the express service and drive to Glasgow.

Just wait until they privatise the passport office, talk of it now due to a couple of outliers that are in the press, can’t wait to hear how they’ll do it ‘cheaper, faster, better’ 😳

I applied online on March 31st, have had an email today saying the application is approved and the new passport is being printed. I’m in New Zealand though, and they waited until they received my old passport (couriered to the UK) before approving the new one, so imagine would’ve been a week or two quicker if I was in the UK.

I applied online for my son’s renewal seven weeks before travelling, foolishly not fast tracked.

After many futile phonecalls and swelling panic, it arrived the evening before we flew.

Quick tip – even though TNT tracking may show as ‘not yet on our system’, you can search under the Passport Office PX1234567 number. Once on there, we were able to change delivery date to a day EARLIER. This stroke of luck saved my bacon.

I did mine in early March with an expired passport and it took approx 2 weeks start to finish, might have been quicker if I’d returned mine faster. Standard service.

Sent mine off on the 25th, Passport delivered 26th (but not out of the Passport Office postroom yet) – I’ll let you know when the new one arrives 🙂

My daughter’s passport has expired and so processed the renewal online on the 11th May. Posted her old one back on the 12th first class signed for. However the royal mail tracking hasn’t updated since the day it was collected at the post office and the passport office tracking still says ‘send us your documents’. I was worried it might be lost but wondering if they have it and they just don’t sign for it and then sit on it for a while? Anyone got any insight or should I start trying to chase it? We don’t travel until last weekend in July