An “extraordinary rise” in the number of people renewing their passports has caused significant delays in processing times, prompting accusations that the HM Passport Office is in charge of a “absolute disaster.”
The Times issued a warning that “millions” of vacationers’ summer plans could be jeopardized since five million people put off renewing their passports during the pandemic. According to the newspaper, the Passport Office is currently having trouble keeping up with demand and has “repeatedly exceeded” a new ten-week threshold for processing passport applications.
This week, Simon Hoare, the Tory MP for North Dorset, slammed the backlog as “absolutely” inevitable while Stuart McDonald, an SNP representative, claimed that voters across the nation have been forced to “schedule holidays, skip funerals, and postpone excursions.”
“My constituents tell me that their experience has either been fantastic or a complete mess. It is urgent that something be done to stop this, he continued.
The immigration minister, Kevin Foster, described the circumstances as “nearly unprecedented” and urged potential travelers to “get their application in as soon as possible.”
The post-Brexit EU travel regulations, which stipulate that Britons must have at least three months of passport validity remaining before they may enter EU nations, are considered to have put further strain on the system.
What you need to know about passport renewal and how Brexit has changed travel regulations for UK citizens is provided below.
Every ten years, adult passports must be renewed. According to UK government advice, this process could take up to ten weeks. Online transactions complete faster than postal ones.
You must pick up the application form from a post office that provides the Check and Send service or by calling the Passport Advice line in order to finish the process via mail. You must submit two printed images that are exactly the same. The fee for the paper application is £85, which can be paid by credit or debit card, check made payable to “Her Majesty’s Passport Office,” or both.
Additionally, the Post Office has a Check and Send procedure that can assist in making sure your application satisfies all requirements before being sent. Both digital and paper applications can be processed as part of the service, which has an additional £16 fee. However, you must first confirm that your local branch provides the service.
