U.K. passport renewal question

[Andrew Dwyer]

So, on Feb 18th I traveled to Bangkok ( VFS ) to apply for my U.K. passport renewal.

All went well, the lady gave me my receipt and an estimate of 4 weeks.

 

A week later the fee ( which i had authorised via my U.K. debit card) was debited from my U.K. account.

Another week passed and i received a text from “ HM Passport “ stating that they had received my application and would contact me if any more information was required, plus a reference number.

 

So, all well and good , and still early doors.

 

Yesterday i received another text from HM Passport stating “ we have emailed you about your passport application “, plus the same ref number.

 

These messages do not accept a reply and i received no email. ( checked junk mail folder also ).

 

Checked VFS tracking passport application by logging in using reference number ( tried both the ref number on receipt from VFS and on text from HM Passport ) and email address only to get “ something went wrong “ message various times.

 

Yep, i know it is far too early to panic but wondering if any other recent recipients of a U.K. passport renewal got the HM Passport text or succeeded in tracking their passport application ?

[brianburi]

Did mine in October last year and it took 17 days to come back.  I just got an email back saying come and collect it.  I was not aware you could track it.

I thought that new VFS set up in the Shoppes was good, much improvement on Trendy.....

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 minute ago, brianburi said:

Did mine in October last year and it took 17 days to come back.  I just got an email back saying come and collect it.  I was not aware you could track it.

I thought that new VFS set up in the Shoppes was good, much improvement on Trendy.....

 

Thanks.

You didn’t get any text or email from HM Passport then ?, only VFS ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

So this is the text I received ( presumably from the U.K. office) and my failed attempts to reply:

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

The VFS passport tracking form which only gave a “ something went wrong “ reply.

 

 

[brianburi]

28 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Thanks.

You didn’t get any text or email from HM Passport then ?, only VFS ?

No, I didn't, all my comms were with VFS.  I searched my gmail messages but had deleted all messages from 2024.   Apparently there is a helpline....   

[email protected]

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, brianburi said:

No, I didn't, all my comms were with VFS.  I searched my gmail messages but had deleted all messages from 2024.   Apparently there is a helpline....   

[email protected]

 

Thanks, just got an automated reply that it was only concerned with the visa side of the business, despite the name 🙄, and steered me towards the Gov.uk site for passports which only accept phone call queries unless you applied online or using Royal Mail in which case you have a specific reference number.

 

Going round in circles, will leave it a few days and see if there is a way to contact them or the passport tracking function decides to work !

[proton]

I do renew mine when at home, 4 hours same day service, no waiting or buggering about

[brianburi]

32 minutes ago, proton said:

I do renew mine when at home, 4 hours same day service, no waiting or buggering about

What home?? Thailand is my home........ further more how many hours does it take to get to this home.....

FTB.......

[proton]

9 minutes ago, brianburi said:

What home?? Thailand is my home........ further more how many hours does it take to get to this home.....

FTB.......

 

If you are not a Thai citizen it is not your home, you are an ' alien' 

[Andrew Dwyer]

3 hours ago, brianburi said:

No, I didn't, all my comms were with VFS.  I searched my gmail messages but had deleted all messages from 2024.   Apparently there is a helpline....   

[email protected]

 

Somehow i got to fill in a request on GOV.UK and told them the whole story, they should reply within 72 hours !!

[Andrew Dwyer]

Remarkably quickly the HMPO replied and cleared up the mystery, although they do still claim they sent the elusive first email !

 

As i have two valid passports i have to supply an accompanying letter from my employer explaining why i need two, where i will travel and for how long etc 

or

return the “second “ passport to HMPO.

 

I had made it known i had two passports on the application form, section 3, and supplied a photocopy of every page of BOTH passports but the lady checking the docs at VSF had failed to notice the missing letter .

 

One could say that I should have read the guidance notes more carefully but no lets blame it on her 😟

 

Anyway i chose to write an accompanying letter and post passport 2 back to Blighty .

[Andrew Dwyer]

So, my mystery has revealed itself ( the whereabouts of the first email still in question, I could have deleted it accidentally ).

Anyway, my main priority now is to get the second passport to them asap so they can decommission ( ? ) it and continue on with my application for renewal of first passport before it disappears into the system.

Probably already in the pending tray below many others on the desk of an intern who has just departed for 3 weeks in Ibiza !!

 

Anyway wish me luck 🍀 

[Digitalbanana]

16 hours ago, proton said:

If you are not a Thai citizen it is not your home, you are an ' alien' 

Complete nonsense from you as per. Citizenship and residence are not the same thing.

[proton]

1 hour ago, Digitalbanana said:

Complete nonsense from you as per. Citizenship and residence are not the same thing.

 

We know that mr pedantic, but both are living here

[Andrew Dwyer]

So, have been communicating with a HMPO helpline line via email for a month now.

They finally admitted that they had copied my email address down wrongly after sending me 5 SMS messages telling me they had emailed me ( to a wrong address ).

I had, since day 1, repeatedly informed them, via the helpline, of my correct email address ( via email 🙄) the advice number quoted on the helpline emails and the reference number quoted in the SMS’s.

 

Simply put, it took 1 month for the HMPO Helpline to inform HMPO that they were using the wrong email address, during which time i communicated with several helpline staff ( even though they only sign off as HMPO not their names) and had to repeat the whole 2 passport saga several times.

At one point they started a new email thread with the same advice number so i had to start from scratch.

 

Upon finally admitting their error in noting the email address they requested my second passport to be returned even though they have had it in their possession for 2 weeks !!

 

 

I sent a quite lengthy and colourful email explaining that they had my 2nd passport already for 2 weeks.

 

The next day, last Friday, i received an email from HMPO ( not the helpline this time ) accepting my application and stating my application has been accepted and that my passport is being printed.

 

Another email reminding me to sign it !!

 

Now waiting for VFS to get in touch, as they possibly noted my email down wrong or illegibly I will phone them in a week.

 

So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel but it is very dark !!

[brewsterbudgen]

57 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

So, have been communicating with a HMPO helpline line via email for a month now.

They finally admitted that they had copied my email address down wrongly after sending me 5 SMS messages telling me they had emailed me ( to a wrong address ).

I had, since day 1, repeatedly informed them, via the helpline, of my correct email address ( via email 🙄) the advice number quoted on the helpline emails and the reference number quoted in the SMS’s.

 

Simply put, it took 1 month for the HMPO Helpline to inform HMPO that they were using the wrong email address, during which time i communicated with several helpline staff ( even though they only sign off as HMPO not their names) and had to repeat the whole 2 passport saga several times.

At one point they started a new email thread with the same advice number so i had to start from scratch.

 

Upon finally admitting their error in noting the email address they requested my second passport to be returned even though they have had it in their possession for 2 weeks !!

 

 

I sent a quite lengthy and colourful email explaining that they had my 2nd passport already for 2 weeks.

 

The next day, last Friday, i received an email from HMPO ( not the helpline this time ) accepting my application and stating my application has been accepted and that my passport is being printed.

 

Another email reminding me to sign it !!

 

Now waiting for VFS to get in touch, as they possibly noted my email down wrong or illegibly I will phone them in a week.

 

So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel but it is very dark !!

What a nightmare!  Have you been charged for the helpline calls?  

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

What a nightmare!  Have you been charged for the helpline calls?  

No, the helpline contacted me via email, thankfully as I would have racked up a lot of time on calls.

help(at)customerservice.hmpo.gov.uk

[OJAS]

5 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

So, have been communicating with a HMPO helpline line via email for a month now.

They finally admitted that they had copied my email address down wrongly after sending me 5 SMS messages telling me they had emailed me ( to a wrong address ).

I had, since day 1, repeatedly informed them, via the helpline, of my correct email address ( via email 🙄) the advice number quoted on the helpline emails and the reference number quoted in the SMS’s.

 

Simply put, it took 1 month for the HMPO Helpline to inform HMPO that they were using the wrong email address, during which time i communicated with several helpline staff ( even though they only sign off as HMPO not their names) and had to repeat the whole 2 passport saga several times.

At one point they started a new email thread with the same advice number so i had to start from scratch.

 

Upon finally admitting their error in noting the email address they requested my second passport to be returned even though they have had it in their possession for 2 weeks !!

 

 

I sent a quite lengthy and colourful email explaining that they had my 2nd passport already for 2 weeks.

 

The next day, last Friday, i received an email from HMPO ( not the helpline this time ) accepting my application and stating my application has been accepted and that my passport is being printed.

 

Another email reminding me to sign it !!

 

Now waiting for VFS to get in touch, as they possibly noted my email down wrong or illegibly I will phone them in a week.

 

So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel but it is very dark !!

 

Not a word of apology from HMPO for their bungling incompetence and ineptitude, presumably?

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Not a word of apology from HMPO for their bungling incompetence and ineptitude, presumably?

 

Nope 👎 

 

But as if by magic i received an email from HMPO saying my new passport is ready for pick up and 2 hours later the same from VFS.

 

Hopefully i will get a “ rate our service “ survey from HMPO to fill in but somehow i think it unlikely.

[OJAS]

21 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Hopefully i will get a “ rate our service “ survey from HMPO to fill in but somehow i think it unlikely.

 If you don't, you might, instead, wish to lodge a complaint with them online by following this link:

 

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/help/what-do-you-want-to-do