Urgent passport warning for families heading abroad this summer

THE summer holidays are 12 weeks away, which means anyone who needs a new passport should apply to get it renewed sooner rather than later.

Passport office strikes have increased the chances of a delay for anyone looking to renew ahead of a summer trip, with some taking as long as three months.

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Nearly 1,800 staff members at the Passport Office have staged walkouts that started earlier this month.

Brits needing a new passport have been advised to give themselves 10 weeks to get it sorted, but some applicants have said it has taken even longer than that.

The usual waiting time is around five weeks, but due to the circumstances, holidaymakers have been warned to allow double that just to be safe.

However, one mum said she had waited more than 12 weeks for two passports for her kids, and faced having to cancel her £2,400 holiday this month.

She wrote on the website Passportwaitingtime.co.uk: “Applied for my two children’s renewal 17 Jan and currently still in the processing stage.

“I have phoned on a weekly basis for the last month as we have a holiday booked for 19 April. I made four applications in Jan and have received two out of four of them.”

Another woman complained on Twitter: “I have allowed 10 weeks and my daughter’s passport still has not come back! We fly in a week.”

With school summer holidays starting in 12 weeks’ time, on July 21, now is the best chance to get passport applications in to make sure the documents are ready in time for the break.

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) who represents the striking passport office workers has said it is “inevitable” that delays will happen, and urged people to be prepared for their holidays.

Not helping matters is a rise in the number of applications, with more people travelling once again for the first time following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Director General of HM Passport Office, Abi Tierney, said: “Now that international travel has resumed, we know people will be looking at going away on holiday and yet many people are leaving applying for a passport too late.  

“The summer holidays are fast approaching so if you need a new passport, we urge you to apply now.”

According to the Times, the Passport Office claimed they processed more than one million applications in March alone, 13 per cent more than March 2019, the last record high.

Although some applications are taking longer to process, the government has said that 99 per cent are being processed within the advised 10 week.

They also insist that they are prepared to meet increasing demand and aren’t going to change the recommended waiting time for passport renewals.

A spokesperson said: “We are working to manage the impact of this strike action, whilst ensuring we continue to deliver vital services to the public through our comprehensive contingency plans.

“There are currently no plans to change our guidance which states that customers should allow up to 10 weeks to get a passport.”

Here is the exact date you need to order a new passport for it to arrive in time for the summer holidays, when factoring in the 10 week waiting time.

And we’ve explained what to do if your passport doesn’t arrive in time for your holiday.

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