New Passport - Freeking Out!!

[Mummy Bean]

ARGH so i was stupid and booked a holiday with out first obtaining a passport for my son - so i know it my fault but still FREEKING OUT!

so we sent the application of on the 31/08 via post office, was told i would need to send them stuff on mine and OH parents so did that 5 days later.

i was told if i waited 10 das from when they first got it, i could pay extra to get it rushed through.

So i rang on Monday to 'upgrade' and was told they had sent a letter to the countersignature (my friend). so i asked her but she hadnt got it - she was sure she had put her home address down.

So day in desperation i asked her to phone and it turns out she put her office address - but she moved offices this week ARGH!

So now having to wait for 4 hrs for them to ring back to see what they can do.

i am hoping they can courier the letter to her so she gets it tomorro then i can get in sent back to them for saturday, given them a week to get the passport printed. but i have no idea if they will allow is.

meh i am so worrying about this it will £2000 down the drain.

Again i know it my fault by i never thought it would take more then a moth for a passport (and yes it says 6 weeks on the website - but i never had it take more then two weeks!)

 

[xcharx]

Could you not go to the nearest passports office? Then they could do the passports then & there

Cx

 

[Mummy Bean]

they cant do that as a) it a first passport and b) there already a existing application so i cannot start again. so annoying.

 

[xSophieBx]

I'm surprised u need all that stuff.. I never did when I applied for my daughters passport!! They didn't write to the counter signature or anything... & I didn't even have FOB's info!!

When are u going on holiday?

Fingers crossed it gets sorted!!

 

[Mummy Bean]

next sunday. I just spoke to the most rude woman ever. even though i said it was urgent and offered to pay they re sent the letter by second class...so seems like there no chance of us getting it back in time. alas

 

[morri]

I am sorry for evernone thats a british passport holder. it is insane what they charge and how long it takes.
(for comparison, a German passport(32pages) costs 60 euro(biometric with chip)
takes about 2-3 weeks

My oh had a new passport take about a year, but then he is southafrican the most unefficient country I know when it comes tothat kind of stuff.

btw I think if there arent there by the date, you can also apply for an emergency passport i reckon.

 

[Abz1982]

Arem babies no longer allowed to travel under the mothers passport then?

 

[Mummy Bean]

nope i think the law changed in 2005, also if you were born after 1982 you are no longer automatically british...you have to prove that at least one of your parents is...so annoying!

(although i do understand the change in law...just annoying to go through the process)

 

[morri]

wow the british law never ceases to amaze me. You actually have to prove your nationality?? Also kids passports are much faster than the adults procedure described above

 

[Mrs R]

Not sure about British passports, but with the Irish passport office, sometimes in a situation like this you can give them your flight details to prove you really are flying next week and they will process it for you right away (obviously it costs more but I've heard of it being done a few times).

Any chance you could try speaking to a few people til you get somebody nice to rush it through? Or tell a fib about the reason for your trip.... family wedding, funeral (God forbid but desperate time, desperate measures!)

 

[RachA]

I fell your frustration. When Esther was nearly 3 months old i booked a holiday with my mum and sister. It was only 1 week before that it occurred to me that Esther didn't actually have a passport. Thankfully i was able to go to the passport office in London and have an appointment but they weren't able to give me the passport on the day but sent it out in the post - i was told that it would take 7 days from my appointment. 7 days was the day i was flying out at 6am!!!! Thankfully the passport came the day before!


I think i would try phoning the passport office again and seeing what can be done. I think if they are pushed they should be able to sort it for you.


Just as an aside - as much as it makes it more hassle i do think that not having the child on the parents passport is a good idea. If DS was on mine then my OH would never be able to take him away, or my parents for that matter, and then he'd miss out on stuff.

 

[holly2234]

wow the british law never ceases to amaze me. You actually have to prove your nationality?? Also kids passports are much faster than the adults procedure described above

It would be madness to give a passport out to anybody without them proving their nationality. Anybody could get one!