As we head into the summer holidays, I wanted to provide an update on passports.
Since April 2021 HM Passport Office (HMPO) has been advising people to allow up to 10 weeks to receive a passport following making their application.
This means if you are thinking of travelling this summer do check your passport before booking to ensure you will have enough time to renew it if necessary before you travel. That said, there are ways you may be able to get a passport more quickly than 10 weeks, although this is not guaranteed. These include:
- Apply online, especially if an adult renewal. Postal applications will take longer.
- Carefully check your form for any mistakes before submitting.
- Use a photo from a photobooth or professional photographer with your online renewal.
If you need a passport to travel for urgent reasons which are compelling and compassionate, eg a relative taken seriously ill abroad, or to attend a funeral or an essential work trip. If it possible to get an application expedited. Similarly, if you have been waiting over 10 weeks and are due to travel my team and I are also happy to help chase down your passport. Yet if your application has been with HMPO for less than 10 weeks, especially under 6 weeks, and relates to a booked holiday it is very unlikely we will be able to get it expedited.
You should also check your passport’s validity ahead of any summer travel. There are two rules your passport should meet:
- Your passport should have at least 6 months left on it
- any extra months on a passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed. A passport may have extra months if the holder renewed their previous passport before it expired.
Previously, the UK transferred time remaining (up to nine months) on soon-to-expire passports to newly issued passports. This meant that the UK offered passports which were valid for more than 10 years. By no longer transferring remaining time, the UK is aligning itself with the International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines that state passports should not be issued with over 10 years' validity for adults, and five years for children. The UK was the last country in the world to carry over excess validity.
It is worth checking the entry requirements of the county you’re travelling to, which you can do here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice