Thousands of holidays could be at risk, after a private memo revealed that passport delays could get even worse this summer.
The Passport Agency's "creaking" IT systems are struggling to cope with the current 500,000 passport backlog and are "not fit for purpose", it claims.
Many Brits have reported waiting more than ten weeks for their passports, with some having to cancel their holiday as a result.
Pre-pandemic, the estimated waiting time was five weeks.
The Times has obtained leaked messages saying that it is only the "beginning of a lengthy scenario."
It comes as the number of Brits travelling abroad edges closer to pre-Covid levels.
An estimated 4.5 million Brits saw their passport run out during the pandemic and many waited until most restrictions had been lifted to renew, causing an unprecedented demand on the Passport Office.
As The Mirror reported earlier this month , people have stood in queues for hours waiting to sort their documents.
According to the memo, digital systems to help people get new passports were "rolled out too quickly" and now staff have had to resort to slower methods - adding to the backlog issues.
Among those affected by the passport chaos is the McLean family, who have had to cancel their £3,000 trip to Disneyland because of renewal delays.
Stuart McLean, his wife Claire and their two children told The Sun they were due to fly to Paris to celebrate their five-year-old daughter's birthday but had to cancel their five-day trip at the last minute.
Despite applying for the young girls' passports months in advance, unexpected delays meant the family could no longer go on holiday.
The family had been given an estimated wait time of five to seven weeks when they applied for the passports in February, but only one of the passports arrived.
Another family said they applied for their kids' passports as early as January this year - and incredibly still haven't received them.
Passports can be renewed online or via your local Post Office and cost between £75 and £85.
Even if you passport doesn't need renewing checking it's not damaged or missing pages as this could cause problems when you go through passport control.
Also, if your renewal date is coming up and you're planning to travel, bear in mind that some countries require you to have at least three or six months left on your passport before you enter.
