Hi there, been a long time lurker over the years of this great website and found it a huge help in undertaking my immigration process a couple of years ago.

I've a question if I may, I have just sent off - 7th Feb, my UK passport renewal and I'm wondering if anybody has any ideas how true the current processing times are. 4 weeks or so? I've a sick/disabled friend I'm Canada and would like to visit them for a week or so as soon as I receive my passport and would like an idea of when that would be if possible?

Also how soon is the money taken from my visa debit card ? Anybody help with a general idea there please?

I had trouble obtaining uk sized passport photos but eventually found a photographer who managed to do them, but cut the 2 photos away from each other. I did see - after the fact it says not to cut them so I'm possibly expecting contact to tell me I may need to send more. Hopefully not.

I used the live web chat from the website to ask current rough processing times and also if indeed usa sized passport photos would be accepted. They were less than helpful at best, only to repeatedly say 'I can't see the photos' even when I gave them the size of us photos.

I have used the search tool to try and find any recent info but can't find anything too recent.

Incidentally, I'm a brummie living in northern nj. And thanks I'm advance for any help or info given.

Regards

Rich

I would recommend that you let your bank know you're doing this. Last time I tried to renew my passport, my bank (PNC) automatically blocked the transaction - apparently on the grounds that "UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT" is a suspicious third party - and didn't bother telling me, so the application just got sent back to me a few weeks after I'd mailed it in. Needless to say, this slowed the process down quite a lot.

Thanks very much for that advice. I shall let them know today. When you sent yours back did it take long at all?

I have renewed my UK passport 3 times since I have lived in the US. Last time (2011) it took about 2 weeks, pretty fast

As I recall, it took about as long as they said it was going to take. (When I sent the package back with a money order it was treated as starting over, so that was another 4-6 weeks or whatever.)

Thank you for that. I know there were some delays a few months ago and I'm just wondering if they have been cleared up now.

There's been a longstanding passport timeline thread at:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...sport+timeline

I don't know if you want to resurrect it... then you'd get past data.

I did actually see this but as it wasn't current, I wasn't sure.

It's not Christmas or summer holiday time, so it'll probably be quicker than most of those timelines.

Thing is, expect the 4 weeks and be happy if it is less. The timeline starts once they take the money and this does seem to be fairly steady of anything from a few days to 10 days.

Let us know when you get it back! Yours will be the most up to date info.

When I did mine, a few years ago, it took about what they said it would, or a bit less. Since then they don't process in US anymore, so it no doubt takes longer, but I don't recall seeing many/any posts from people claiming it took excessively longer than they expected.

Thanks both for your information, and advice. Ill be sure to stick around and will most definitely update all when I receive it back.

I did consider calling the uk passort line during office hours in a week or so withy passport number to see if they can shed any light on us processing times. As they are processed in the uk perhaps they have more info than care line

Is there a rule of thumb regarding problems with the application ie a phone call or email do you know. Or is that random too ?

I sent my passport off about 2 weeks ago. They had taken the money within that time frame.

They took it after around 10 days?

my friend sent her daughters off just before xmas and had it back at 4 weeks. so that is quite current.

Again thanks for the info, much appreciated.