Anyone applied for a passport recently?
Discussion
hogfisch said:
This. Just applied for a first-time passport for my daughter. Received the passport exactly 2 weeks later.
Thanks, that's good to know.Gotta get to the PO tomorrow. I see it's £8.00 odd to use their checking service. Is that 'per passport' so x4 for me?
I know what you mean about the cost. Me, the wife and two kids is £300!
The other (slightly misleading) aspect of the Post Office Check & Send service is that there's still no guarantee that the passport office won't reject your application for some obscure reason - it just means that another set of eyes has been passed over the application and that in the event that the passport office does reject the application for some reason, you get to use the Check & Send service again for free.
This is all very well, but won't help you if you're on a tight schedule and they *do* choose to kick your applications back to you for some reason...
This is all very well, but won't help you if you're on a tight schedule and they *do* choose to kick your applications back to you for some reason...
My fiance and I renewed our passports recently - it took less than 2 weeks from the point we posted our forms to receiving the new items through the letterbox.
As stated already, the 'Check & Send' service is expensive for what it is. No guarantee it'll get to it's destination any quicker or that it won't be returned for you to correct a mistake which both you and the post office employee missed - not a dig, just saying it could happen. Ask a friend to have a look at the form once you've completed it and then send it by recorded delivery. At least that way you can monitor the status and you've saved yourself a few quid.
As stated already, the 'Check & Send' service is expensive for what it is. No guarantee it'll get to it's destination any quicker or that it won't be returned for you to correct a mistake which both you and the post office employee missed - not a dig, just saying it could happen. Ask a friend to have a look at the form once you've completed it and then send it by recorded delivery. At least that way you can monitor the status and you've saved yourself a few quid.
If its time sensitive and you MUST have them back, just bite the bullet for the express service. I know plenty of people who have had to change plans because they havent arrived in time, and even by special delivery stuff gets delayed or goes missing.
I always use the same day service for renewals now, takes the hassle factor out of it as you know exactly when you will have it.
Even when i took out my second passport (which cant be done using the same day service irritatingly) i made an appointment at the nearest passport office, did the interview and it was on my doorstep 36hrs later.
The post orifice check and send service is basically paying for the old biddies to check it, and is a waste of time imho. Its not exactly a complex form to fill out.
I always use the same day service for renewals now, takes the hassle factor out of it as you know exactly when you will have it.
Even when i took out my second passport (which cant be done using the same day service irritatingly) i made an appointment at the nearest passport office, did the interview and it was on my doorstep 36hrs later.
The post orifice check and send service is basically paying for the old biddies to check it, and is a waste of time imho. Its not exactly a complex form to fill out.
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