Mummy in the foothills

Dh's arrived today via UPS.
They got it on Feb 11th and charged my CC over a week ago.

British Consul

Actually, no. That will just slow the process down. The OP has been given advice by Careline (i.e. the UK Passport Service will call once they experience difficulty with the original method of payment).

Dean

British Consul

Hopefully I can provide some advice to alleviate your concerns, but please also take a look at the UK Passport Service website at www.UKinUSA.fco.gov.uk/passports for all the information you need.

It generally takes about 4 weeks to process an application for renewal, so the Passport Service is still within target at this point.

The information given to you by Careline is correct; the Passport Service will call you if they experience difficulty with your payment method (providing you've given a contact telephone number on your application form).

Please don't call our Consulates about passport applications. They don't deal with them at all, and you will only be pulling staff away from their main role of providing assistance to British nationals following a death, hospitalisation, and arrest etc.

I note that you're not travelling until the end of May. There is more than ample time for the Passport Service to renew your applications before you travel, so don't worry.

Dean

AmerLisa

Wow! That's taking a long time then. My husband's was received on March 9th, I guess I won't look for it until well in to next month.

Eilowny

I sent off my passport, birth cert & marriage cert via UPS, as I wanted to change my last name due to my marriage.

It was recieved at Washington DC British Embassy on Feb 28th & the payment was taken from the credit card on March 24th but I still have not recieved my new passport nor the documents I sent along with the passport that needed tha name changed.

I need them all back so I can get on with applying for Canadian Residency.

Should I wait until next week thursday 14th of April as that will be 6 weeks of them recieving it or send a letter requesting the whereabouts of my passport just now?

SarahC922

Hi, just posted in another forum but this one seems to have more followers so perhaps I can get some help. Washington received my application for renewal due to name change on April 7th and we're scheduled to leave on May 13th to visit my father who has had a lot of health issues so he can meet my baby boy and so I can also visit my fiance. My son received his US passport within 8 days of it getting mailed so I'm not worried about his. I know it's only been 2 weeks but I'm wondering if there's any hope of getting it before we fly out or if theres anything i can do to speed up the process. I can't lose the money we spent on these flights - I'm a single mom and yadayadayada, I guess that's my sob story but I would love some guidance!

ian-mstm

While there's a hope, it's unlikely.


I'm not sure there is.


You could have changed the name in your passport at any time later on. Had you purchased the tickets in the same name as on the passport, you wouldn't now have this issue.

Ian

pTeronaut

Am I correct in assuming the I&PS will be observing the usual UK civil holidays and weren't open today & won't be until Tuesday or Wednesday?

Bob

I think that's the case.

SarahC922

Just wanted to send an update. It's been a very long week chasing every body but thankfully I don't live terribly far from DC so I was able to pay the embassy a visit. They hadn't so much as touched my passport yet - they're completely inundated with applications (I was told they have thousands they need to get to...thousands?!) so unfortunately if you're looking to travel soon, you're either going to have to go the ER passport route or rebook. They were kind enough to give me back my old passport, which hadn't been cancelled yet, and my marriage license, etc so I'm good to go. I had done this already (but forgot!) and there was no issue on either side of the pond so it looks like my father will get to meet my son afterall!

stixng

Any tips on getting through to Careline? I've tried twice now and been on hold for 20 min before giving up...once was in the morning, the other was at night...

Am hoping that finally getting through to Careline may escalate my baby's passport?!!

We applied on Feb 15 and our cc was charged on Mar 19...it's almost been 12 weeks!

ian-mstm

Well, it's not quite 7 weeks since the card was charged - and that's what triggers the processing countdown. Still, it's a long time.

Ian

ToonarmySK

Well, here's my tale of woe.

Application for simple renewal received in Washington 5 weeks ago. I am supposed to travel in 2 weeks so I gave myself 7 weeks, which while tight was certainly longer than the 4 weeks (poss 6) that the ukintheusa website listed.

Finally Called Careline today to see if they could update me. They could not accept my credit card because system will not recgonise numbers punched in on

a) VOIP Phone
b) Blackberry

So I drive home and have same lack of success on

c) Wireless handset attached to landline
d) landline

I hasten to add the CC is working, it's just the Careline system couldn't recognise the digits I was asked to type in on the myriad of communication devices I was asked to employ. i am told they can't enter the info manually so they cannot help me.

So, I call the 1900 number and for $3 per min, lo and behold, I get through (no need for credit card) to exactly the same individual (who was very pleasant I hasten to add) who can now help me.

Careline inform me that application has not even been looked at yet so they can't track it, so I have to call them back (and go through the same rigamarole as above) only AFTER my CC has been charged in Washington. So there ya go, 5 weeks down and 2 to go and I have no earthly chance of getting my renewed passport becuase as far as they can tell the envelope hasn't even been opened or my application looked at.

This is brutal. If a passport renewal takes longer than 4-6 weeks then we should be told this.

I may try the Emergency Travel Document Route (as ailing parent now in hospital) but my calls aren't being returned by them either! My mistake for calling on a Friday afternoon I suppose.

Singularly unimpressed by this. If they KNOW that it isn't taking the right amount of time then TELL US or do something about it.



T.A.SK

ToonarmySK

Any else got any timelines to share? Time it took for CC to be charged etc?

pTeronaut

It took six weeks for my CC to be charged. The charge showed up today