[Anonymous]

[newbieflyer]

Hi All. With the horrors of the passport process in the UK, currently, wanted to know if anyone in the forum has any insight to how I can get my issue resolved. Below is my UK passport (First time, new applicant) application experience.

Submitted my application through check and send at post office on the 30th may.
Got confirmation from (Her Majesty’s Passport Office) HMPO on 2nd of June that they have received my application.
No news from there on for the entire month.
I have an imminent trip to the US (which has been on the cards for the past 6-7 months and all booked) coming up third week of July.
No response from HMPO since the start of the month, until end of June, so tried to cancel my application.
Was asked to send in a letter with the request, so I did it immediately
Today been told that still my application is ‘in progress’. Cancellation takes up to 2 weeks and return of supporting documents (essentially my old passport which I need to travel with) returned within 2 weeks after that, which means it is almost certain that I miss my trip.
I never got a consistent answer from the Advice/help line and they were as good as non existent.

Fingers crossed praying hard it gets resolved in time.

Is there anything else I can do? Any tips/advice would be welcome and highly appreciated.

Thanks.

Today’s date 3rd July 2014.

( Edit: Can the moderator please amend the spelling of the thread, thanks – ‘Application’)

[NameRemoved-18/12/14]

Hello newbieflyer

You are not the only one:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-28113519

Completely unacceptable and just compare with Spain – my partner renewed his Spanish passport in 30 minutes for €20 or so this week.

I too have experienced problems renewing my British passport but as I have dual nationality and I don’t need 2 passports I gave up.

I really hope it arrives before your trip.

[ImissConcorde]

Why waste time?

This is the CEO of the Passport Office

<a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected]
Good luck!

[newbieflyer]

Thanks all for your reply.

I understand the delay, it happens, not much to crib about it, we all know the truth.Hence why I wanted to cancel the application, willing to forfeit the fees paid for the passport. All I wanted is my Indian passport back so that I can travel to the US (I have a valid US visit visa on my Indian Passport), and probably re-apply fro the British passport once I am back.

Thanks ImissConcorde. I shall give it a go. I knew someone insightful on this forum would have some advice for me. Fingers crossed.

[newbieflyer]

current updates and progress:

I had been given a PO Box address to send in my cancellation request letter.Sent the cancellation post via ‘Signed for – Recorded’ delivery. Until yesterday it doesn’t look like it has been delivered yet. I realised that since it was a post box number, someone would have to sign for it, hence it may be still stuck in the delivery depot.

To be safe I sent 4 posts – this time to both the below addresses via normal post and express post, just to avoid any anomalies.

HM Passport Office
P O Box 215
Peterborough PE1 1QQ

HM Passport Office
Aragon court, Northminster road
Peterborough PE1 1QG

Hopefully at least now they receive my cancellation request on time and return the documents.

Thanks to IMissConcorde, I have also sent a very polite email to Mr. Paul Pugh

Fingers crossed. Not sure what else I could do, apart from camp outside the Peterborough office.

[SimonS1]

Newbieflyer – I recommend contacting your MP.

I gather MPs have been given a dedicated number to call to resolve constituents’ problems with the passport office.

[newbieflyer]

Thanks SimonS1. I shall try that right away.

[LuganoPirate]

Newbieflyer, I’m not sure I’d have sent a letter of cancellation. I think that will just confuse and hold things up. When I applied for my new passport online from Switzerland, the progress report was always “being processed”. That stayed the same even a week after I received it, which was exactly three weeks after I sent it off. Bizarrely, the old pp came by a second courier two weeks later.

What I would do as you are in the UK, is make an appointment for a same day application, go in person and request a second passport. You’ll need a letter from your company and this has been discussed elsewhere on the forum, but should work.

[newbieflyer]

Hi LuganoPirate, thanks for the reply. But I don’t think I am eligible for a new passport, since I have just gained British citizenship and was applying my UK passport as a first time applicant. I know that for a new UK passport (not for first time applicants) they have a quick one day service with a premium charge.

My previous passport is an Indian one, and I have a valid US visit visa on it, which is what I need for our trip this month end.

[PeterCoultas]

Now I know why it takes decades to build a short railway spur to Birmingham

The upside for new passport applicants is that they will be able to fly from LHR’s third runway

[newbieflyer]

Latest updates:

Sent chaser mails via post to cancel my application on Thursday (3rd July).
Got a call from passport office letting me know that my application was in its final stages and I got a reference number for me to get my interview sorted. they advised me not to cancel the application, since from now on there was not much left in my application process (4th July).
Immediately called the help line to book in my appointment and got a date for Monday (7th July) at Reading.
The interview was a 15 min straight forward process. I also illustrated my situation and asked if I would get my Indian passport back in time, to which the courteous interviewer said that she was extremely positive that I should get all my documents back before the end of this week.
The same afternoon, I get another call from another person from the passport office stating that he has received my chaser mails via post to cancel. And since I have progressed this far in the application process, he is going to disregard the request. He also confirmed that he has already sent across my supporting documents over the weekend, hoping it to reach my address within a day or two.

So far so good I suppose.

I think in the entire process, the only major flaw is the lack of communication during the process. As I have mentioned before, I don’t mind the delay, but the lack of communication is poor from their part. The Advice line is a complete joke and most of them contradict each other. The only way to get anything done, is to ask them to email the concerned passport office for a call back. It seems to work.

[LuganoPirate]

Sorry Newbieflyer, but I thought you already had a British passport. Of course it’s different for a first time application. Anyway, delighted to read it seems all is ok now and you’ll have what you need in time.

[MrMichael]

I too hope it gets sorted for you in time for trip newbieflyer, and may also say welcome to being British….best of!

Regarding the Post Office check service, they take no responsibility if they get it wrong, all they offer is a refund, no compensation for their mistake. As a business model great, but I would love to see that challenged in court. Here is a service……maybe……we can keep your thirty quid as long as it does not go wrong, but if it does, go wrong, we give you your money back but no compensation. If I go to a lawyer and get proven duff advice I can sue, why is the post office different.

[LuganoPirate]

Not sure this news is worthy of a new thread (maybe it is?) but we just renewed the British passports of our children. Received by passport office August 22nd just before the bank holiday, sent by DHL from South Africa.

Received by us September 3rd. No special service requested.

Are the backlog problems now over? I was very impressed!

[Author]

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