'I beat the three week passport renewal date with four-day delivery, here's how'
As many of us start to plan our 2024 summer holidays there's one crucial thing that could prevent you from jetting off..... your passport. Whether it's down to the new post-Brexit 10-year rule, you've run out of clear pages, or you simply forgot to check the expiry date.
I found myself in that situation, after excitedly booking an overseas holiday for May of this year I realised that my passport wouldn't be valid at the time of travel. And against advice shared regularly by Gov.uk Passport Office and consumer sites like Travel Supermarket, I'd already gone ahead with the pricey flight booking (something that is NOT recommended).
Travel Republic, the site well-known for launching seven-night holidays for under £150 per person as well as family-friendly Easter holiday trips, also share crucial advice. It urges all bookers to check both their 'passport issue date and expiry date' before they pay.
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Why? It's all down to how long it can take to process your passport. Once you've snapped a new photo, applied for a new passport, and sent off your soon-to-be-expired one, it can take weeks to get back to you. Even with more than three months before my trip, I was getting nervous that I may not get it back on time.
A faux-pas many consumer experts warn about, and rightly so, but after a flurry of rushing to get a new application in online, I think I may have found the best time of year to renew....... and it's now February 2024. That's because I sent off my application on a Monday afternoon and got it back early on a Friday morning - a fraction of the stated time.
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It took less than four full days for my shiny (and new dark blue) official travel document to drop through my letterbox, despite warnings of week-long waits. This is why I'd urge anyone who needs a renewal this 2024 to do it now instead of waiting until closer to your expiry date - you may miss out on a few valid months, but it'll cut your wait time.
UK passport renewal: How long does it take
The Passport Office currently states all new applicants should allow up to three weeks for an online passport renewal, and if you opt for a paper application form this can take up to three weeks from when your old passport is received by HM Passport Office in the post - so any delivery times are not accounted for.
The Passport Office website states: "You’ll usually get your passport within 3 weeks. It may take longer than 3 weeks if we need more information, or we need to interview you. We’ll tell you this within 3 weeks."
Although, in recent times it's not been unusual to see much longer delays. In fact, during peak times last summer the wait time was boosted to an average of 10 weeks, so you had to renew way in advance if you wanted your passport back in time for the summer.
UK passport renewal checklist
Having just been through the surprisingly quick process myself I jotted down some the the key things you'll need before you send off a new UK passport application. Having this ready to hand will only help speed up the process.
First off, you'll need your old UK passport as well as any other passports (if you have dual nationality). If you've lost your UK passport then you have to declare it lost, here, on the Gov.UK 'cancel a lost or stolen passport' page.
Next up, and arguably most important, is an updated digital photo. Photo retailers like Max Spielmann take the photo for you in-store as well as checking it online (to make sure it's approved) before you pay. I got a digital code so all I needed to do was paste it into the online application form and my paid-for passport photo appeared straight away.
The final step is paying, online applications are the cheapest and cost £82.50 per adult compared to the Post Office form price of £93 per person. When paying online you have to pay with a debit or credit card (apps like PayPal and ApplePay aren't accepted).
The requirements on UK passports do vary depending on your final destination, as different countries have varying rules when it comes to validity. Countries including Botswana, the British Virgin Islands and the Philippines require you to have six months left. While the likes of Greece, Spain and New Zealand only need three months.
To find more information including UK passport validity depending on your destination you can read our Mirror roundup, here.
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