A warning has been issued to holidaymakers using a trick to avoid passport delays.
The backlog at Her Majesty's Passport Office (HMPO) has been well documented as people have been faced with long delays to renew their documents. HMPO introduced rules in the wake of the post-pandemic spike in demand so holidaymakers can pay an extra £102 to upgrade their application if they can prove they need to use the passport within two weeks.
Some people have been booking cheap one way flights they don't want to use to exploit this rule in a bid to beat the queue. However, a travel expert who runs the Independent Passport Waiting Time website warned officials are "getting wise" to the ruse.
READ MORE: Warning issued for anyone in the UK with a red passport
Andy Anderson told Mail on Sunday: "It’s something I have definitely seen people doing. The Passport Office have started to ask for information about when people booked the flight as they’re getting wise to it. But there’s still so much inconsistency – it [the ruse] is working for some people but not for others."
Mr Anderson also said the trick is putting even more pressure on the agency. He added: "There just aren’t enough appointments and people are really struggling to book them.
"Even if you do qualify for an upgrade, you may be unable to secure an appointment to get your passport. I think we could definitely see worse to come, especially with the approach of the school holidays."
HMPO have said staff were processing around 250,000 applications a week, with 98.5 per cent completed within ten weeks.
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