With the summer holidays now in full swing, many travellers need a new passport. Anyone intending to go abroad will need the document, and there are specific criteria it must meet.
Passport Requirements for EU Travel
Following Brexit, anyone travelling to the EU using 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 intended departure from the Schengen area, which encompasses 29 countries, including Spain, Greece, France, and Italy.
Current Waiting Times
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 waiting 19 days on average 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, shared on the site that they submitted 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. A second applicant revealed they had applied for a first adult passport through the Hemel Hempstead passport office. They submitted their application on May 1 and received their travel document on June 6, 36 days later.
Possible Delays
Naturally, timescales can differ between applicants, and HM Passport Office notes 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.'
Urgent Services
Should you require a replacement passport as a matter of urgency, the one-day Premium Service is available to you. Bear in mind, however, that this comes at an additional cost, with an adult passport setting you back £239.50.
There's also a one week Fast Track service available for renewing or replacing an adult or child passport - or for applying for a first child passport. The price is £192 for an adult passport, or £156.50 for a child's.
