Re: Passport Delays
 

Hi everyone,

So my time line was as follows

travel dates March 4th to London

application for a renewal received Jan 27th
payment taken Feb 17th
Feb 25th called Careline who escalated service 5 days prior to flight
weekend PM to Dean asking for any assistance as was uncertain if passport was truly escalated after reading other posts on here.
Dean replied over the weekend offering help - very impressive :)
Passport was received Monday morning, March 1st before 10am - kissed the UPS man
Passport was actually issued Feb 26th - the day after I called Careline.

By the way it seems Careline operate 24 hours a day after I asked them their operating hours - I think the website says something different. I called 10pm PST last Thursday and they picked up.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Yes I know and I was referring to a renewal in the first sentance, but it would be nice if someone in Washington could put on the website a maximum time frame for a first-time passport application. Currently it's like saying it could be ready between 4 weeks (previously 10 days) from debiting the fees to forever which is very unprofessional in my opinion. I already have a British passport and it doesn't seem like my one year old with a British birth certificate would need a massive background check.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Here's my timeline.

got the information a few weeks ago that an aproved US work visa wont be issued without two adjacent clean pages in the passport- despite being previously told this was not true.
Travel date- March 7th.
The last pair of pages has one entry stamp from a few weeks ago.
Drove to UK Consul Toronto to get advice- told to send to DC with a covering letter expaining circumstances and date of travel and it would be looked on favourably.
Sent my passport, not due to expire till Nov 2013, to DC Feb 10th, signed for Feb 12th.
As of Friday no charge on appears on credit card. Called Careline friday to escalate. No change. Sent Dean a PM Friday. Called Careline again monday- no change.
Monday evening- Got a message from Dean that passport was printing and would be mailed following day.
Passport arrived this morning at 10:30am.

my guess is that without the intervention of The Honourable Dean mine and many other passports would still be gathering dust in DC.

Enormous gratitude to His Excellency in Orlando.

Re: Passport Delays
 

He really is worth his weight in gold, is our Dean! :thumbsup:

Now, it occurred to me that there must be other Consuls dotted around the country. If so, who are they, where are they - and why aren't they hanging their hats at BE? :confused:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Sent mine off end of Jan with also the birth registration app.

Feb 3rd, amount for the birth reg taken from my credit card. Apart from that, not a peep out of them.

YESTERDAY (yes, a month!) receive an e-mail to say my credit card has been declined. This was due to a possible fraud threat so my number got changed as a precaution.

Little did I know they'd be so slow and they would do the passport at another time.

Inquired just to make sure we're on the same page and that the 3rd Feb transaction was something else.

Get told that charge was for my son's birth reg but they still need payment for my daughter's passport.

I e-mail back a little incredulous, since I hadn't filled out any forms about my son. Plus he was born in Frimley in Surrey!

Get a response to say that was a mistake.

I provide the new credit card number and said just to e-mail they got it ok and it went through.

A few hours go by. I e-mail again and again ask for confirmation.

Get a one word e-mail to say "Yes".

Charming :rofl:

Over a month later, a few hundred dollars down, and only a few stroppy e-mails to show for it :rolleyes:

Hopefully I get something in the mail soon!

Re: Passport Delays
 

No I didnt even get a email or phone call to say it was filled out wrong. It was like it was on hold. It was considered a first time application because I havent held a passport since I was a teenager. If it was filled out wrong shouldnt I have some indication months ago??? Basicly I applied, they took the money out on Oct 14/2009 then nothing.
Good news is I got a phone call from Washington yesterday:)

Re: Passport Delays
 

There's one for Abu Dhabi and Aus I think hanging around...

Re: Passport Delays
 

Hey what more do you want, 2 words and the passport doubles in price. A sentence and you'd have to take out a loan for it. :p

Passport Delays
 

Dean Please Help
I mailed my daughters British Passport Application on the 7 January. It was signed for on the 13 January. Money taken out on the 26 January. I'm leaving on a trip to see family on the 17 March 2010 and I'm really getting worried about not receiving my Passport back in time. I sent my passport as varification that i'm a British Citizen. I was unaware that it would take longer than 4 weeks.
Please is there anything you can do?

mcurrie

Re: Passport Delays
 

Hindsight is 20/20, but you're only required to send a copy of your passport.

Not the actual passport.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Just called the careline for the second time (was told to call if I hadn't received them by today with my case number)
Was told that they're still waiting to be printed and then the nice scottish lady started jabbering on and on about the dates I'd sent, the snow etc. etc...not giving me any new information, but keeping me on the line for quite a long time until in the end I interrupted her and told I'd call back on Monday with my travel details.....hmm....am I being cynical about this "care"line :rolleyes:

Re: Passport Delays
 

The Embassy has charged my credit card! So at least I am a bit further on. So my timeline is:

Feb 9th (day before the storm): Renewal Application received at Embassy
Mar 4th (Day 23): CC charged

Re: Passport Delays
 

G'day everyone, my first post to the forum. What better way to start then to add my two pence about my passport renewal so far. Posted 12 Jan by UPS Ground, received 19 Jan.(i was in no rush to get it there because i assumed it would be quick). My money order for $225.80(the extra for insurance) was cashed on 29 Jan., and guess what as of today NOTHING! I was suppose to travel on 15 March however i do not see that happening.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Ugh. Reading of this is making me feel dreadful. I was really hoping it would only take the five weeks mentioned on the website.
My father was born in England in 1954 and didn't become a Canadian citizen until 1973. He had a British passport that expired in 1981 which he never renewed. Due to the fact that it was an old 'blue' passport, he had to apply as a first time applicant.
I have called careline about 6 times in the last 3 months trying to make sure I have everything in order; birth certificates, marriage certificates ect.
It is also my first time applying for my British passport as I was born in Canada.
Our applications were sent in together.
Please tell me it doesn't really take 12 weeks! I'm planning on traveling in May with the intention of working in Europe for the summer months.

My timeline begins:
Febuary 25th - Application signed for in Washington.

Re: Passport Delays
 

quick question.

can i assume that photographs can be countersigned by somebody in the USA?

the Uk site does mention needs to have a british passport number but i guess its different rules for passports renewed abroad.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Yes someone in the US who meets the criteria for time they have known you and are of suitable standing.

Re: Passport Delays
 

That is insane! 5 months since they received your application?
There has to be a faster way. I am also applying for my first passport out of Toronto. Is there no email inquiry to Washington? I can't have those kind of delays as I am traveling in May.

Re: Passport Delays
 

There is... return to the UK and renew it there. While it's certainly not convenient, it is much faster.

Ian

Re: Passport Delays
 

Hi Everyone,

Mr UPS just dropped off my daughters passports :eek:

I applied for one childs renewal and one childs first-time passport.

The time frame:

Our application arrives in Washington 19th Jan.
Credit card debited 4th Feb.
New passports delivered 5th March.

Hope you all get your passports on time. :fingerscrossed:

Re: Passport Delays
 

That's great LostinMex, what a relief! Not good news for me though, if I applied that timeline to me my passport wouldn't be back before my flight :(.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Got passport back. :)

Re: Passport Delays
 

Great to hear about people getting their passports! I'm still waiting for my credit card to be charged.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Maybe they should work on saturdays to try and clear some of the applications?

Re: Passport Delays
 

.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Yeah, your probably right mate, what was i thinking.

Re: Passport Delays
 

knock the cost up even more? :lol:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Wonder if Dean could assist me with mine, i dread calling that careline number. :fingerscrossed:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Dean, hope you received the PM that you requested.
Thank you

Re: Passport Delays
 

Hi everyone thought I would let you know I GOT MY PASSPORT!!!!! only 5 months and 6 calls to the Careline and 70 dollars in calls I finally GOT IT!!!:rofl:

Re: Passport Delays
 

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

congrats...we're still waiting...due to go on vacation on Saturday! Dean's on the case though so I'm very hopeful.:)

Re: Passport Delays
 

related....i find conflicting info on countersignature of photos, currently you dont need countersignature if appearence is similar to previous pp photo? anybody ou there got their PP back and didnt have countersigned photos?

so i assume 10 years of ageing doesnt count then, thats nice to know!

Re: Passport Delays
 

Partial timeline

Feb 10 - Mailed passport application
Feb 15 - Received delivery confirmation from USPS (snowstorm delayed delivery)
March 8 - Still haven't charged my credit card.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Shauny, if their backlog hasn't increased you should have your card charged this week. My application was received Feb 9th (just before the storm) and my card was charged last Thursday.

Bugman, I had mine countersigned just in case. The last 10 years have not been kind...!

Re: Passport Delays
 

Mine was mailed January 31, but not received until February 16. I'm hoping my credit card gets charged, soon, too.

Re: Passport Delays
 

whats annoying is the ambiguity of the requirement. My first PP i could almost pass for a girl, second, a young guy, now for my third i shall just look like some old bloke!! the 10 year snapshots of ourselves are a bit disconcerting!

Re: Passport Delays
 

I'm guessing once you get to "haggard," which I fear I have reached, the photos are going to look much the same every decade! Maybe the same works for "old bloke!"

Re: Passport Delays
 

Just arrived home and there it was in a UPS mail flyer, my passport at long last.:p

Re: Passport Delays
 

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Wow, lots of good news, today! :thumbup:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Best start the application now for it's renewal. :)