British Passport Renewal Timing Improved

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, prakhonchai nick said:

When contacting HMPO. he will need to provide the reference number supplied by VFS when he submitted

Now that is a bit of a puzzle, because he copied me the "receipt" he got from VFS and it had a number on it, preceded by a few letters, but when I tried to enter that into the online form as previously suggested, it was far too long and the space allocated on the form only allowed about 50% of it, so I left it blank, however I did put it in the comments/other box which was on the form – – best I could do at the time.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, xylophone said:

Now that is a bit of a puzzle, because he copied me the "receipt" he got from VFS and it had a number on it, preceded by a few letters, but when I tried to enter that into the online form as previously suggested, it was far too long and the space allocated on the form only allowed about 50% of it, so I left it blank, however I did put it in the comments/other box which was on the form – – best I could do at the time.

If that ended with TH it was probably an EMS tracking number for the eventual return of the passport 

[jacko45k]

On 12/20/2022 at 1:48 PM, Mahseer said:

Good news. Tell me when you apply for replacement passport are you allowed to hang on to the existing one until the new arrives?

 

Thank you.

I was but I used an agent..then I had to return it when the new one was to be picked up.

[ukrules]

On 12/20/2022 at 1:04 PM, hotandsticky said:

It is pleasing to report that I have heard of 3 cases this week that were all back at Trendy within 6 weeks.

It is pathetic that it takes 6 weeks to renew an essential document.

 

This level of service is simply unacceptable.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, ukrules said:

It is pathetic that it takes 6 weeks to renew an essential document.

 

This level of service is simply unacceptable.

6 weeks, you should be so lucky.

 

11 weeks is the minimum advised time.......recently it has been shorter.

[OJAS]

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, he hasn't, he used his Thai card with no problems or special authorisation/activation.

 

It's blindingly obvious that cards must be valid for any proposed transaction, that does not mean that Thai cards are likely to be invalid/unusable for a UK payment.   Do any Thai banks issue Visa/Mastercard cards that are not valid for payments outside Thailand, OJAS?   Perhaps you've overlooked that aspect of modern banking.

I take very strong exception to the way in which you are seeking to apportion blame to me personally and exclusively for overlooking a particular aspect of modern banking, Liverpool Lou, in the typically superciliously and patronisingly arrogant tone which IMHO you have chosen to adopt in the vast majority of your posts on this forum. Did it not ever dawn on you that, by your supposed reasoning, the finger of blame should be far more appropriately directed at HMPO instead? If it is so blindingly obvious to you that cards must be valid for any proposed transaction as you suggest, then why have you also not, in the interests of 100% consistency, come to the conclusion that their advice to those completing their credit/debit authorisation form to check with their card provider that their card is valid for a transaction taken in the UK is completely superfluous, right?? ????

Edited December 24, 2022 by OJAS

[OJAS]

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

UK passport are actually the property of the Crown, not necessarily the Queen.

 

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...but current passports still refer to "Her Majesty"".

They also refer to the passport being the property of the Crown.

 

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Note 5 on the Notes page of Series B passports states that "the passport remains the property of the Crown...".   the back page of the passport is the page for emergency contact details.

Splitting hairs in a pedantic manner, I think.

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by OJAS

[steve187]

On 12/21/2022 at 9:37 AM, hotandsticky said:

I agree that it is necessary to be able to show ID........but that does not need to be a passport.

isn't your passport the only document you have that confirms your permission to stay in Thailand

[prakhonchai nick]

12 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

If that ended with TH it was probably an EMS tracking number for the eventual return of the passport 

Not so. Don't forget VFS do not return the new passports either by EMS or courier.. They have to be collected

[hotandsticky]

55 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

Not so. Don't forget VFS do not return the new passports either by EMS or courier.. They have to be collected

My bad.... getting confused with the UK visa process.

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

 

Splitting hairs in a pedantic manner, I think.

 

That's just your opinion of my 100% accurate comments.

Edited December 25, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

I take very strong exception to the way in which you are seeking to apportion blame to me personally and exclusively for overlooking a particular aspect of modern banking, Liverpool Lou, in the typically superciliously and patronisingly arrogant tone which IMHO you have chosen to adopt in the vast majority of your posts on this forum.

I couldn't care less, OJAS, "take" whatever you like, that's your choice, as it is mine to post whatever accurate comments I choose here.

[BritTim]

19 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

...but current passports still refer to "Her Majesty".....

What you omit (important at the current time of political correctness) is evidence of the preferred pronouns King Charles III wants used.  How do you know "he" or "she" or "they" do (or does) not want to be referred to as "she" and "her"?

 

[Cannot resist contributing to this silly discussion]

Edited December 25, 2022 by BritTim

[OJAS]

20 hours ago, xylophone said:

Thanks for your advice, and his credit card has not been debited with the payment, although he applied for the passport renewal on 22 September??

 

Thanks again for your help which I have passed on to him. 

Is he certain that his application docs have actually been received by HMPO in the UK? VFS should have given him an 11-digit DHL tracking code at his initial appointment, and following is a link to the DHL tracker into which he can enter this code in order to establish his docs' current whereabouts (IMHO he should definitely check this before contacting HMPO unless he has already done so):-

 

https://www.dhl.com/th-en/home/tracking.html

 

In my recent case, my application docs were sent on their merry way to Liverpool on Tuesday 18 October and safely received there 2 days later. So 2 working days (allowing for weekends and holidays where necessary) would, I think, appear to be be the norm - unless, of course, others' experiences differ!

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by OJAS

[xylophone]

9 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Is he certain that his application docs have actually been received by HMPO in the UK? VFS should have given him an 11-digit DHL tracking code at his initial appointment, and following is a link to the DHL tracker into which he can enter this code in order to establish his docs' current whereabouts (IMHO he should definitely check this before contacting HMPO unless he has already done so):-

 

https://www.dhl.com/th-en/home/tracking.html

 

In my recent case, my application docs were sent on their merry way to Liverpool on Tuesday 18 October and safely received there 2 days later. So 2 working days (allowing for weekends and holidays where necessary) should, I think, be the norm - unless, of course, others' experiences differ!

 

Thanks again for your help with this OJAS, and I have forwarded a copy of your post onto him, but he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and sometimes I'm tempted to just give up trying to help him, because it is so frustrating.

 

They did give him some sort of "receipt" and the number on it doesn't match anything, and it is certainly not a DHL tracking number, so I've gone back to him and asked him to search around to see what he can find.

 

Once again thank you for your sterling help, it is much appreciated.

[ukrules]

19 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

6 weeks, you should be so lucky.

 

11 weeks is the minimum advised time.......recently it has been shorter.

Yeah it took about 3 months when I did mine last year, good job I did it about 9 months before I really needed it - because I know just how lousy the service is.

[OJAS]

26 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Thanks again for your help with this OJAS, and I have forwarded a copy of your post onto him, but he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and sometimes I'm tempted to just give up trying to help him, because it is so frustrating.

 

They did give him some sort of "receipt" and the number on it doesn't match anything, and it is certainly not a DHL tracking number, so I've gone back to him and asked him to search around to see what he can find.

 

Once again thank you for your sterling help, it is much appreciated.

He should have been given a document receipt checklist with the magical DHL tracking number entered in manuscript at the foot of the first page (if my recent experience is typical) - see attached example.

 

I only hope for his sake that he hasn't mislaid this checklist since VFS will not release his replacement passport to him (when it eventually turns up) without it!

 

 

Document receipt checklist.pdf

[OJAS]

19 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Yeah it took about 3 months when I did mine last year, good job I did it about 9 months before I really needed it - because I know just how lousy the service is.

By way of comparison our American cousins receive their replacement passports 3 weeks after submitting their renewal applications according to reports on here, because the State Department prioritises applications from Americans living abroad over those living domestically. Whereas we expat Brits, on the other hand, are probably placed at the back of a lengthy queue by HMPO.

 

And neither are our American cousins required to make a couple of physical trips to a rundown office building in Bangkok (or its Chiang Mai equivalent) at passport renewal time (or fork out an extra 5,000 THB for an agent to perform the "honours" for them). The furthest they need to travel is to their local post office in order to submit renewal docs by snail mail, with replacement passports subsequently showing up on their doorsteps in due course!

 

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

He should have been given a document receipt checklist with the magical DHL tracking number entered in manuscript at the foot of the first page (if my recent experience is typical) - see attached example.

 

I only hope for his sake that he hasn't mislaid this checklist since VFS will not release his replacement passport to him (when it eventually turns up) without it!

 

 

Document receipt checklist.pdf 2.01 MB · 8 downloads

Hi OJAS, I am catching up with this friend tomorrow and he's bringing along whatever paperwork he has, however he has sent me a copy of something he received and it is this: –

VFS Global     

Dear Sir or Madam,

The UK Passport Application for ref no. HMP/BKK/260922/0011/01 was forwarded to HMPO on Sep 26, 2022.

Regards,

VFS Global

 

Will learn more tomorrow. Thanks yet again!!

[blackcab]

Moved to the UK forum.

[theoldgit]

On 12/24/2022 at 8:42 AM, theoldgit said:

I submitted an application yesterday, in and out in ten minutes.

The VFS lass said applications are normally still taking eleven to twelve weeks, but added that some are being returned somewhat quicker.

As a follow up l’ve just checked my online bank statement for the account used to pay for my new passport and l note that the card has already been debited, that’s a week after l handed in the authorisation form with my application.

Not sure that means anything, but at least I know the application has been received, and allays my fears due to the card expiring in February.

[hotandsticky]

7 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

As a follow up l’ve just checked my online bank statement for the account used to pay for my new passport and l note that the card has already been debited, that’s a week after l handed in the authorisation form with my application.

Not sure that means anything, but at least I know the application has been received, and allays my fears due to the card expiring in February.

That is a good sign and is the 'normal' timeframe for taking the card payment.

 

You are 'underway' and I hope that another 5/6 weeks will see you in possession of a shiny black new passport.. ????

[xylophone]

Follow-up to a previous post I made with regards to friends UK passport application which seemed to have gone missing and to say thank you to @OJAS for his help.

 

I managed to get hold of the passport people in the UK for him and because he is not too flash on the computer, I managed to get an email from them which said that they had received the application but that there was a problem with payment?? They also said that they had tried to contact him on the telephone number we had given?? Then they said they had sent a letter to him a couple of months ago, which he had never received??

 

Something was wrong and it wasn't from this end, however I did manage to make contact with them and put both of these people in touch with each other (again), and this friend arranged for his daughter in the UK to pay the fees applicable, and I do believe that they were "not willing to accept a Thai bank card" for payment!

 

Quite why they couldn't have contacted him earlier with regards to this problem, I don't know, rather than leaving him in limbo right up until the last minute, and worrying the C.rap out of him.

 

Anyway it all seems fixed now and he is less stressed, so thanks to all of the folks who helped and in particular OJAS.

[hotandsticky]

2 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Follow-up to a previous post I made with regards to friends UK passport application which seemed to have gone missing and to say thank you to @OJAS for his help.

 

I managed to get hold of the passport people in the UK for him and because he is not too flash on the computer, I managed to get an email from them which said that they had received the application but that there was a problem with payment?? They also said that they had tried to contact him on the telephone number we had given?? Then they said they had sent a letter to him a couple of months ago, which he had never received??

 

Something was wrong and it wasn't from this end, however I did manage to make contact with them and put both of these people in touch with each other (again), and this friend arranged for his daughter in the UK to pay the fees applicable, and I do believe that they were "not willing to accept a Thai bank card" for payment!

 

Quite why they couldn't have contacted him earlier with regards to this problem, I don't know, rather than leaving him in limbo right up until the last minute, and worrying the C.rap out of him.

 

Anyway it all seems fixed now and he is less stressed, so thanks to all of the folks who helped and in particular OJAS.

I think that you will find that the issue WAS at this end. It is not uncommon for mail not to arrive (I know of a few cases where mail HAS arrived from HMPO). They should routinely use email as communication is immediate. I don't know why the phone contact didn't work.

[xylophone]

23 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

I think that you will find that the issue WAS at this end. It is not uncommon for mail not to arrive (I know of a few cases where mail HAS arrived from HMPO). They should routinely use email as communication is immediate. I don't know why the phone contact didn't work.

Also, thanks for your help "hotandsticky", however he did receive an email after I had managed to make contact with them and they said that they had sent him a letter with regards to the payment problem, in October, and also telephoned him then, so they had received his application, but "appear to be" tardy with regards to the contact with him, because neither the letter nor the telephone contact were received by him?

 

Anyway it's all done/sorted now (I hope) and he is much happier – – thanks again????.

[In the jungle]

"The government has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ cash after being forced to pay record levels of compensation to people affected by disruption at the Passport Office.

New figures show that £3.1m was paid out in “reimbursements” in the seven months to December 2022, significantly more than the £2.2m paid out in the whole of 2021-22.

The £448,000-a-month spend is more than four times the average monthly figure before the pandemic and comes after a period of severe disruption for His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO), with hundreds of thousands of people affected by application backlogs over the summer.

A report by the government’s spending watchdog in December said the delays were caused by a surge in demand after Covid travel restrictions were lifted, and the inability of HMPO to cope. A lack of staff and limitations in government systems exacerbated the problems, the National Audit Office said.

Documents show ministers were alerted to several issues with key contractors before the increase in demand, with the Observer revealing in July that one outsourcing firm was failing to meet targets for responding to calls and emails as early as May 2021.

HMPO does not routinely pay compensation where applications take longer than the published time frames. The payouts include the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by customers because of operational errors and refunds for fast-track applications that were not processed in time.

HMPO also makes payments for emotional distress caused by its mistakes, although it says this is not routine, with claims assessed on a case-by-case basis. “Exceptional” circumstances where consolatory payments may be made include a missed wedding or funeral due to an error, or where irreplaceable documents were lost."

From today's Guardian

[hotandsticky]

23 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

"The government has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ cash after being forced to pay record levels of compensation to people affected by disruption at the Passport Office.

New figures show that £3.1m was paid out in “reimbursements” in the seven months to December 2022, significantly more than the £2.2m paid out in the whole of 2021-22.

 

The £448,000-a-month spend is more than four times the average monthly figure before the pandemic and comes after a period of severe disruption for His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO), with hundreds of thousands of people affected by application backlogs over the summer.

A report by the government’s spending watchdog in December said the delays were caused by a surge in demand after Covid travel restrictions were lifted, and the inability of HMPO to cope. A lack of staff and limitations in government systems exacerbated the problems, the National Audit Office said.

Documents show ministers were alerted to several issues with key contractors before the increase in demand, with the Observer revealing in July that one outsourcing firm was failing to meet targets for responding to calls and emails as early as May 2021.

HMPO does not routinely pay compensation where applications take longer than the published time frames. The payouts include the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by customers because of operational errors and refunds for fast-track applications that were not processed in time.

HMPO also makes payments for emotional distress caused by its mistakes, although it says this is not routine, with claims assessed on a case-by-case basis. “Exceptional” circumstances where consolatory payments may be made include a missed wedding or funeral due to an error, or where irreplaceable documents were lost."

From today's Guardian

 

I doubt that much (if any) of that was paid out for so called delays.

 

The processing timescales can be increased with impunity.