With summer holidays now in full swing, numerous travellers are requiring a new passport. Anyone intending to journey overseas will need the document, and there are specific criteria it must satisfy.
For instance, following Brexit, anyone heading to the EU on a UK passport must ensure their passport's "date of issue" falls within 10 years from their arrival date. The "expiry date" must also extend at least three months beyond the planned departure from the Schengen area, which encompasses 29 countries, including Spain, Greece, France, and Italy.
According to His Majesty's (HM) Passport Office, when you submit an application for a new or replacement document, "you'll usually get your passport within three weeks". In an effort to inform travellers precisely when they can anticipate receiving theirs, independent website "UK Passport Waiting Time" is monitoring how long people are presently waiting for a new or replacement passport to be delivered.
The team, which operates independently from HM Passport Office, collects data from members of the public, including the dates they submitted applications for and received their new documents recently. Based on the most recent figures, people are experiencing an average wait of 19 days for a first adult passport, and 14 days for a replacement or renewed passport.
According to the website, the average processing time for a first child passport stands at 16 days, while a replacement takes 15 days. One traveller, using the Corby passport office to apply for a replacement passport, posted on the site that they lodged their application on May 19.
They said: "My passport was initially water damaged (to the point where the signature and previous immigration information had smudged) so required a replacement. No issues with digital photo submission from myself, just making sure to have a lot of light and a white background, and setting a timer to take the headshot (as I had no one else available) seemed to be sufficient."
They subsequently received their new passport 23 days later, on June 11. Another applicant revealed they had applied for a first adult passport through the Hemel Hempstead passport office.
They stated they submitted their application on May 1 and received the travel document on June 6 - 36 days later. Naturally, timescales may differ between applicants, and HM Passport Office clarifies that: "It may take longer than three weeks if we need more information, or we need to interview you.
"We'll tell you this within three weeks. There are different turnaround times if you're applying from another country."
Should you require a replacement passport as a matter of urgency, the one-day Premium Service is available. Bear in mind, however, that this comes at an additional cost, with an adult passport priced at £239.50.
Additionally, a one-week Fast Track service is available for renewing or replacing adult and child passports, as well as applying for a first child passport. This option costs £192 for an adult passport and £156.50 for a child's passport.
