Current passport renewal turnaround?

[HighFlyer]

Hi all,

Anyone renewed their passport recently? If so, could you advise on the turnaround time?

I plan to send off my passport the first weekend of February (6th/7th/8th) but I need it back by 3/4th March latest. I am debating whether to send it off as normal in anticipation that it will only take the usual 2-3 weeks or to stump up the extra cash and do the one week express service?

Thanks,
Sarah

My O/H's passport renewal turned up in about 10 days.

Interestingly, the new passport arrived first, on it's own.

The old passport, duly cancelled, and other supporting paperwork was sent back under seperate cover.

Mike

You should be OK Sarah as they try and get them out in three weeks - assuming no mistakes on the form etc

If you use the post office 'check and send' then its two weeks.

The one week express service needs you to make an appointment at a passport office. Depends if yo have the time to do that and think the 35 premium is worth it.

http://www.ips.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/ips_ ... processed_

[mitchja]

I thought the post office 'check and send' service just checked your forms where filled in correctly before been sent?

I'm sure I read somewhere that it doesn't actually get processed any faster, so not worth the extra 8 or what ever it it now [:?]

Regards

quote:Originally posted by mike-smashing
My O/H's passport renewal turned up in about 10 days.

Interestingly, the new passport arrived first, on it's own.

The old passport, duly cancelled, and other supporting paperwork was sent back under seperate cover.

Mike


Ditto

quote:Originally posted by mitchja
I thought the post office 'check and send' service just checked your forms where filled in correctly?

I'm sure I read somewhere that it doesn't actually get processed any faster [:?]

Regards


As the Post Office checks the form and makes sure you have the right documents it saves the IPS doing it so it does save some time. The main reasons passports can take longer is if the IPS has to send forms / photos back and missing documents.

This from direct.gov

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTr ... /DG_174148

This page says its quicker

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTr ... /DG_174154

My mother in law sent her renewal via the Post Office last Friday and got it back this Wednesday so within 5 days.

I used the Post Office check and send service when I renewed my passport a couple of years ago. Took everything to the Post Office on a Saturday morning. The following Saturday morning my old passport, duly cancelled, arrived in the post. Later the same day a courier knocked at the door with my new passport.

James

Jr JP's came back in 7 days, just sent first class post.Points for guessing who stumped up the C.100 fee[:D]

[HighFlyer]

Thanks all, I might do the check and send at our local Post Office and send it regular post with my fingers crossed.

Thanks,
Sarah

I sent mine by the 'check & send' and it was only 8 extra and back in five days. That was last week.

Mine went by 'normal' 1st class mail on 12 Jan. Got it back yesterday, so 7 days door to door. Well done Passport Agency [y]

quote:Originally posted by Treelo
Mine went by 'normal' 1st class mail on 12 Jan. Got it back yesterday, so 7 days door to door. Well done Passport Agency [y]


Yes well done the creaking bureaurocracy of the state !

It helps though that this is the quiet time of the year for applications !

[HighFlyer]

Just as an FYI I am pleased to say that after sending off my passport on Saturday 6th (using check and send at the Post Office) that my new passport was waiting for me when I got home tonight. Quite happy with the one week turnaround (probably less when you account for postage time). Now if only I could do something about the ghastly mugshot .. [:D]

Thanks,
Sarah

[RichardMannion]

Shame mine hasn't come back yet that was sent off at the same time - just a letter asking me to call them as they have been trying to contact me. I await the comedy reason for the delay....

[Scrooge]

I have to renew mine this year, it's pretty easy, pictures, mail it off to Washington and wait...Also going along to Washington will be a payment of $236.00....... $236.00 WTF [:0] seriously, is this thing gold plated, contain a get out of jail free card ?

When people ask me why I left the UK, it's stuff like this that shows it was an easy choice.

Only just realised that my passport will be have to be renewed at the end of the year - oh well a few hours sitting around the London passport office it is! [xx(]

Mine was back in 5 days -no checking service utilised just the bog standard usual service. Quite surprised as I was expecting it to take a couple of weeks at least.

[RichardMannion]

Now Dave, we all know why it's so expensive - consulate fees had to go up due to the number of numpties that need help abroad due to them losing their kids or forgetting that they had several packets of Bolivian shoved up the starfish.

Love this ancedote:
'The fee for a new passport has increased fourfold in the past 10 years, from 18 in 1997 to 72 today. If the fee in 1997 had increased by the annual rate of inflation it would be 23.67 today'
Source

- Though they then went up another 5.50 6 months later due to this pearl of a reason; that's right, demand went down so they bumped the price up? [:?]

My passport ran out when I was in Antigua, and due to travel in 5 days, forget to check when it expired doh !

Anyway I'm not sure if it's the same on the UK applications, but on Irish forms they have the option of filling in for emergency issue, all you have to is place a copy of your ticket in their for proof and they get it back to you via fedex well before the time you need it. So I fedexed my forms to them, and had my passport 2 days before my flight, pretty handy ![:)]

yes seany there is provision for an emergency issue passport in the UK (just as long as its not for your first ever passport) but it does cost for the service, you dont have to show tickets or give a reason.

I don't think its fair to say that because inflation has been X then the fee should now only be Y. There have been changes in all the security measures in and the design of the passport over the past few years that have to be paid for. The Passport Service, by long standing Government Policies, also has to be self financing.

Although a couple of years out of date the figures in this table (from the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee) are interesting - the fee breakdown is about 1/2 way down the page)

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-of ... /36206.htm

[RichardMannion]

Thanks Tonty - makes interesting reading. One does wonder why the costs for the interviewing in relation to the first passport are not just passed onto those type of applications? Though in irony, that document shows the fee at 66, so another 17.5% increase has happened since.

quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
Though they then went up another 5.50 6 months later due to this pearl of a reason; that's right, demand went down so they bumped the price up? [:?]



Isn't that called a 'managed economy'???

BTW anyone know if you can still book a walk-in at Petty France?

quote:Originally posted by slinky09

BTW anyone know if you can still book a walk-in at Petty France?



You can still book a walk-in but its not in Petty France anymore. new Office is

Globe House
89 Eccleston Square
London
SW1V 1PN

Thanks Tonty, I am showing my age [:#]