Here's exactly what happens when you order a new UK passport.
Staff at Merseyside passport office are planning to strike for five weeks from today (Monday, April 3) to May 5, 2023. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union have confirmed that workers across the UK will walk out over pay, pensions, and redundancy terms, which is likely to have a significant impact on the delivery of passports.
The government website says to allow up to 10 weeks for a new passport to arrive after sending in your application, but this could be extended due to the industrial action. You need to order a new passport if yours needs to be renewed or replaced.
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You need to renew your passport before you travel if your passport has expired or you do not have enough time left on it before it expires. Most countries require you to have around six months left before your passport expires to travel there, but that varies from place to place.
You can renew your passport via an online form, a paper application from a post office, or by calling the Passport Adviceline. The service costs £93 and you’ll need two new and identical printed photos of yourself.
If your passport has been lost or stolen, you need to cancel it and order a new one, or if it has been damaged beyond reasonable wear and tear. You may not be allowed to travel with it if it has been seriously damaged. This service can also take up to 10 weeks.
If you need to fast-track a passport, the UK passport service offers a one week fast-track service to renew your passport, change personal details, replace a lost, stolen, or damaged passport, or apply for a first child passport. If you've applied for a new passport with a different service, you can also upgrade your existing application to a fast-track application.
However, during the strike period, and afterwards, it is likely this service will be delayed, so it's best to get an application in as soon as possible if you're hoping to travel this summer. The PCS warned on Friday that the strike action is likely to have a "likely to have a significant impact on the delivery of passports as the summer approaches".
You can track your passport application here.
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