Isabella17

We are relocating to the UK and have just had an offer put on our house. However, looking at the passport processing times, I am worried about our children's passport applications. Our cc was charged this past Monday. According to the website, first time passport applications are taking at least 7 weeks. We may have closed on our house by that time.

Does anyone know if there is a way to have the passport shipped to another address? Or will DHL forward them to another address? (We will be traveling to Texas to visit family for a few weeks before heading to the UK).

Or better yet, is the 7 weeks time a padded processing time and usually they come sooner? Our children have US passports but from what I understand, they need to travel into the country on their British passports since it is not a visit.

Thanks!

oxonlad

I would call the Embassy, to see if they can update the return address to Texas, so that even if you aren't there - your family can hold it for you:
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...ly/usa#contact

Nicholeml

I just realized my counter signatory signed the photo wrong. He only signed his name, he didn't put the whole bit about the likeness. I hope that won't be an issue. After reading so much and making sure I had more then enough documentation I can't believe I missed that. It has been 4 weeks since they charged my card and so far I have nothing, however if they are saying 7 weeks for a first time applicant I will give it another 3 weeks before I worry.

oxonlad

I wouldn't worry too much. If there are any issues, you'll receive everything back - and once you send it back in, they're usually pretty quick about finishing the process (you're not placed at the back of the queue).

When I submitted my passport application a few years ago, all of my paperwork was sent back... because I forgot to initial one of the small boxes on the passport application :-)

Nicholeml

Thank you moadikim, that is good to know. I hope it doesn't get sent back. I am traveling to the UK on the 26th of June and I would like to use my UK passport instead of my US.

Isabella17

Well, British hubby tried calling the embassy and just got the run around. Everyone pointed him to the helpline to call. So I think we will wait a few weeks for the passports to be further along and then call to see about possibly changing the address to return them.

I am hoping that people will start posting that the passports are getting processed quicker than 7 weeks for first time applicants. Ridiculously long.

We will be mostly likely leaving the house when they have only been there for 5 weeks though. So we will definitely need the address changed if they are still on the same timeline.

ian-mstm

I don't see it posted anymore, but there used to be a note indicating that a first time passport takes 10 weeks to process.

Ian

Isabella17

Right now it is posted as 'at least 7 weeks'. I hope they catch up...like yesterday.

Peachbythebeach

A few folks have posted that if something was missing, they received an email telling them what they needed to send instead of receiving the entire package back.

So fingers crossed for you.

Brigette

Trying to call the Embassy in DC is an effort in futility unfortunately. Hopefully if the pic is not properly documented you'll hear from them soon. Fingers crossed

joyce373

Daughter sent her application via Fedex April 22nd, money taken out of acct May 3rd passport received in California May 30th so its approx 7 wks like they say on website.

Isabella17

Umm, that is not even 4 weeks from payment date until she received it. So much better than the 7 weeks they state.

We spoke with the British Embassy as there was in issue with the passports (they couldn't find 2 of the 5 in the system when we called so they sent a note to the embassy to call us). Apparently, tho it doesn't say to do this, the countersignature didn't print his name on the photos, just sign it. It is, however, printed on the application. So not sure what was up with that though they were unable to get hold of him (he goes out of the country a lot).

We were able to change the address to ship the passports since we will be leaving out house here in a few weeks. (payment taken on May 9th, first time children's passports). She also said if the photos looked ok (one got a bit of a smudge on it), they would go out at the end of this week to the UK to get printed and that takes about 3-5 days. So if she is right, we should be getting ours within the next 2 weeks.

So they might be going just a bit quicker now.

Nicholeml

It has been just over 7 weeks since my card was charged and 11 weeks since I mailed my application, granted the card taking so long to be charged was my fault but they didn't even make the first attempt at charging the card until 2 weeks after receiving the application so it would still be 9 weeks now since they received it.

When I sent my application it was still saying 6 weeks for 1st time applicants so I thought I had plenty of time since my travel wasn't until June 26th, more than 13 weeks from when I sent it. I have not heard anything from them. I know my counter signatory was done wrong now but I haven't even heard anything from them that there is a problem.

I will not be at the delivery address now for another two weeks and then a couple days after that I will be in London for a month. Does anyone know if they are able to forward to a different address. Also if I am in London can I have someone else sign for it? I read on DHL worldwide's website that all US deliveries are sent the the Post Office for delivery, is this the case?

Luckily I have my US passport. I only sent them a copy of it because I knew that I would be traveling on June 26th and didn't want to risk not getting it back in time. Now I am glad I did that. Maybe that is part of the problem though.

I was trying to be patient and understanding because I know they are busy and I am applying for my passport via descent but now I am getting frustrated. Everyone I have spoken to from the Embassy previously has been very polite and helpful but that was when I was just trying to work out the cc charge.

Is anyone else having problems receiving their first time passports?

Nicholeml

Sorry I just wanted to make sure I was clear that I did send all the supporting documents needed for british by descent if not more then I needed.

I sent:

My US birth certificate
My dads UK birth record
My parents US marriage license
My marriage license
My grandmothers UK birth record
My grandparents UK marriage license
a copy of my US passport (as I said above I could not send the original because I am traveling)
a copy of my US drivers license
a copy of my student ID

My counter signatory signed the paperwork with all his information he just didn't put all the info on the back of the picture that was needed he just signed it.

So I don't think it is a matter of missing paperwork that is holding it up, hopefully.

Isabella17

Call the helpline and they can give you some specific info on your passport.

We sent in our 5 children's first time applications in mid April and our card was charged on May 9th. We were in the sticky situation in which we are moving in a week and were worried where we would be at the time they were sent out. I called the helpline and they could not find 2 of my children's passport applications. So they put in a request for the embassy to call.

I received a call from the embassy about 1.5 weeks ago. They had trouble figuring out the countersignatory's name (ummm, look at the application not the picture where he only was supposed to 'sign' his name). She mentioned that once they had that they would send the applications to the UK to then be printed.

I was also able to change our address (decided to send it to my parents in Texas since we would be visiting in a few weeks) via email with the lady I spoke to at the embassy. I was told by the helpline that they needed written confirmation of an address change.

I got a call from DHL on Friday that they were trying to deliver 3 packages (my parents weren't home the day before and on Friday). We told them someone would be home on Monday as they were out of town. They have no neighbors to drop it off at (they require a signature) but they said my parents could pick it up at the airport (which is over an hour away). So I guess they do not drop it off at the post office but you could pick it up from one of their offices. He was not happy about going out to major rural land 2x. I apologized and did tell him there would probably be more packages though.

Hopefully you will get yours soon. The helpline is expensive but it can give you some piece of mind.