[ASK1945]

I guess it has become normal to attack (UK) government agencies for their inefficiency, but I would like to buck this well earned reputation today.

My UK passport needed to be renewed in 6 months so, with no imminent travel due, I decided to do this now and not have to panic if it took a few weeks.

– Last Monday night (November 28th) I filled in an online HM Passport Office form for non-urgent renewal, attached a digital photograph taken earlier that day by my wife, using my phone, and paid the fee by credit card. I received an acknowledgement.

– On Tuesday afternoon I sent back my old passport, by Special Delivery.
– On Wednesday morning I received an email acknowledgement of receipt of the old passport.
– On Wednesday afternoon I received an email advising me that the application had been approved.
– On Thursday I received another email telling me the new passport was on its way to me.
– On Friday I received a reminder to sign the new passport as soon as I received it.
– This morning (Saturday) I found both new and old passports in our letter box – they having been delivered overnight by courier.

Beat that (for a non-urgent application)!

[Frequent Traveller]

I am living in Hong Kong and I have a bad experience with HM passport office.
– My wife’s UK passport was wrongly delivered to another UK passport applicant in Hong Kong.
– Luckily, the unknown UK passport applicant contacted the courier and returned my wife’s UK passport.
– It is confirmed by the courier that my wife’s UK passport was put inside the envelope with another address printed by the HM passport office.
– It is so fortune that the courier finally contacted my wife and rectified the mistake committed by HM passport office.
– Finally my wife get back her UK passport.

[stevescoots]

I have been trying to deal with a Kafkaesque nightmare with them for an employee that has in effect been going on over a year. Cut a long story short one of my employees had his passport stolen in HK a year ago, it took 3 months and 3 temporary passports issued in Hk before he got a new one delivered to HK, which was only valid for 1 year because he had had so many temporary ones…yes, their inefficiency caused him to be only issued a 1 year passport.

Fast forward one year and his passport is set to expire December 17th. So, another online application completed and they replied saying they wanted the old passport back. Over the course of 3 weeks the conversation went back and forth. We replied he needed it to be crossing the HK/China border regularly. They said can he fly back to UK and we said no as he is due back in UK at end of January so can he do it by post. OK, no problem, please submit HK ID…no he doesn’t have one. Ok can he send proof of address, no because he stays in hotels and a company apartment not in his name. So can he have it send to our HK office, as he did the last one? Ok, but needs a letter from the company which we did. Then a turn of events changed things. He fractured his hand and then had to fly back to UK anyway, so he contacted the agency and asked to set up an appointment at the passport office in UK so he can cancel the online application and do a new one fast track in person. Computer says no, he must put it in writing then wait 7 days for a reply to see if its possible and if it is he will have to pay again. However, if he continues with his postal application he needs us to take responsibility that we will return the old one within 3 months. However, they cannot guarantee how long it will take to return it back to him with his China Visa in it!
As he is due back to HK on the 29th December and despite him being in the UK with current passport the fastest option to get his new one is to continue with the postal one, then when it arrives in HK for us to send it back to UK so he can get his flight on the 29th then he can get back to china then I must bring his old one back to UK to be clipped but they don’t gurantee he will get the old one back within 90 days. You couldn’t make this S*** up if you tried!

[FDOS_UK]

stevescoots

Sounds like a nightmare – I prefer to have two UK passports to gie flexibility with visa applications, but it does also give some protection in this type of scenario.

Maybe your guy could benefit from that?

[FDOS_UK]

I have renewed passports several times over the past 10 years and the system has worked smoothly for me.

it costs a lot less, now I’m in the Uk again.

[esselle]

Agree with FDOS_UK that having two passports is definitely the answer. Several years apart on expiry date, and always one to hand if you need to apply for a visa.

[seasonedtraveller]

Completely agree.
I also have 2 UK passports and it’s really useful if you are travelling frequently to destinations requiring visas.
I applied at Durham a couple of years ago and found the whole process very simple and fast.

[LuganoPirate]

Glad you got your passport so quickly ASK. Like FDOS I’ve also found them fast and efficient, not just for me but also the rest of the family, though I’m sure nightmares can occur as encountered by some fellow posters.

I’m curious though as to why they reminded you to sign the passport as now the signature is digitally attached? An old form perhaps?

[ASK1945]

It’s changed Lugano Pirate: there is no digital signature on the new style passports. The personal details are now on page 2 and you have to sign on page 3.

However, there was one anomaly: the online form asks for confirmation of title (mine is “Doctor”, which is in the old passport). However, the new passport came back addressed to “Mr” and there is no reference to the title in the new passport.

So, being an inquisitive so and so I phoned the Passport Office helpline and asked them about this. They said that they have to ask this question online because they still have millions of printed forms with this question printed and the two types of application have to match identically, even though they no longer use titles!

Now if I was a “Lord” I’d be pretty cheesed off about this.

[ASK1945]

I meant to add – when I phoned, there was no menu of options to have to choose, and it was answered on the third ring, with no queue, by the person who went on to give me the explanation.

Just a bit different to contacting HMRC.

[Author]

Posts