Aren't our Passport Offices wonderful?

[scottnsilky]

With all the press coverage of unacceptable delays in passport renewals I'm surprised there isn't a passport thread already started, well I can't find one. So in case anyone is interested in an up-to-date case, here's my experience.

Twenty three days ago, May 7th, photographs taken at Max Spielman franchise at Timpsons franchise at Morrison's, forms filled in online and photo uploaded. Acknowledgement received and photo accepted.
Nineteen days ago Sent off old passport, cost £2.65 first class, signature required.
Ten days ago, acknowledgement of p/p received.
Six days ago application approved.
Four days ago, p/p printed.
Three days ago, email ordering me to sign it with black ball-point pen.
Today, p/p delivered, put through door at 1334, no signature required! And its blue!

Three weeks and two days and a total of £89, I have no idea of how long it took ten years ago, a guess might be 2 weeks, so not too bad bearing in mind WFH etc (if applicable), although technology has moved on somewhat in those ten years. A lot better than the ten weeks worst case quoted in the press. I have no particular holiday in mind, so there was no deadline, I don't remember having to sign the old one, but I can't check, it hasn't been returned yet.

The photography session was basic, stand in front of a pull-down screen in the dry-cleaning department and Timpson's man takes snap with hand-held camera, no mirror in evidence to check one's hair!

Most of the emails contained the exhortation, 'Please do not contact us about progress unless urgent', and they're uncontactable by phone anyway according to a weekend newspaper, the phone rings for 4 minutes then goes dead.

The office I used was Liverpool.

[Gerry557]

I used the post office service. I found that was just a couple of weeks but didn't measure the actual time as no trips were currently due. Reading the news, might not be for a while.

The driving licence is another story

Fortunately I have both back now. Why does a simple renewal need to take so long. I can understand a new application taking a bit longer.

[Hallucigenia]

Why does a simple renewal need to take so long. I can understand a new application taking a bit longer.

Both SWMBO and I renewed our passports at different times last year and the year before, and they were both turned round in 4 days. There was a thread here last year where other people had broadly the same experience.

The difference is not the Passport Office, but their customers. Nobody could/wanted to travel abroad for two years, suddenly the world and their dog wants to go so there's 2.5 years-worth of demand backed up. It's a crisis of demand, not supply.

[pje16]

I did my passport renewal last year, online, and it took about a week to get it back and another two weeks for old one to be returned
Driving licence renewal was easy, applied (again online) on a Monday, they used my passport photo (nice touch) and I got it back on Friday morning
Both were a doddle to do
Why go to Timpsons - that's what your mobile phone is for

[seagles]

Mine expired last year too. It took me 4 days to get a photo that was acceptable to them and 4 days to get the passport back.

[stockton]

Did mine last year and it took about two weeks to get a photo that was "acceptable" - it seemed to be impossible without using a flash.