Renewing my British passport - HMPO totally lost the plot and the I lost the will to live!

[Blueman1]

2 hours ago, cliveshep said:

Update - there is none. Over a week since they received the original birth certificate from DHL, not a peep from them. I'm going to call their phone line to check progress later today when they open.

 

Looking back over the last 40 years and noting the milestones in my life when I did foreign travel this application is almost certainly for my 5th passport which makes HMPO's behaviour even more stupid and unnecessary. If only someone with a brain could see that.

 

 If only someone with a brain could see that. I Wonder IF The SAME People work at The DWP ?? Sorry @cliveshep

[cmsally]

I found this page, which is basically a guideline for their staff. If I were you I would get in contact with your nearest British Consul and explain the situation. Considering your age and need for the passport to get a Thai visa, I can't see why they would be unable to process everything, maybe with an interview with the Consul or someone at the embassy. 

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-documents-not-available/supporting-documents-not-available-accessible

[cliveshep]

2 hours ago, cmsally said:

I found this page, which is basically a guideline for their staff. If I were you I would get in contact with your nearest British Consul and explain the situation. Considering your age and need for the passport to get a Thai visa, I can't see why they would be unable to process everything, maybe with an interview with the Consul or someone at the embassy. 

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-documents-not-available/supporting-documents-not-available-accessible

Thank you for your concern, as I said elsewhere my current passport doesn't expire until next January so there is no immediate urgency but googling before the advice was to apply 6 months before expiry in case of c**k-ups. Clearly good advice. Phoned them this morning - automated check line which said they are looking at the application. I confess the waiting is very stressful.  I don't think the issue is one of identity and given the fact I have had 4 passports to date the only thing they queried was my address now we fled here to avoid my wife being deported under Theresa May's pogrom it is not as before - in the UK. I explained all that and even gave them the old UK address since when it has gone quiet.

[cliveshep]

UPDATE - A really nice Yorkshire guy phoned me just now from HMPO in Hemel Hempstead, UK to ask about my passport application. According to him because I put Herts UK as place of birth that apparently differed from a previous application and all he wanted to ask was did I mind if he changed that to England? So I laughed and said of course not, Herts is in England anyway isn't it. He said he thought given my age and circumstances it was better to call me on a private phone than yet more emails and he would changed the place of birth to England and the passport would then be sent for printing and issuing and posting back. 

 

So we had a little chat about - the weather of course being English, and he asked me to confirm my Thai postcode - no problem - and date of birth. Told him we only came here because of Theresa May - he didn't seem to know about her so I had to explain why we got forced to leave the UK. All in all a really good phone call with a nice guy and bearing good news in the end.  

 

All I got to do now is wait for it to arrive in Bangkok, hopefully in a few days.

[chickenslegs]

2 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

UPDATE - A really nice Yorkshire guy phoned me just now from HMPO in Hemel Hempstead, UK to ask about my passport application. According to him because I put Herts UK as place of birth that apparently differed from a previous application and all he wanted to ask was did I mind if he changed that to England? So I laughed and said of course not, Herts is in England anyway isn't it. He said he thought given my age and circumstances it was better to call me on a private phone than yet more emails and he would changed the place of birth to England and the passport would then be sent for printing and issuing and posting back. 

 

So we had a little chat about - the weather of course being English, and he asked me to confirm my Thai postcode - no problem - and date of birth. Told him we only came here because of Theresa May - he didn't seem to know about her so I had to explain why we got forced to leave the UK. All in all a really good phone call with a nice guy and bearing good news in the end.  

 

All I got to do now is wait for it to arrive in Bangkok, hopefully in a few days.

Great news!

[josephbloggs]

19 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

UPDATE - A really nice Yorkshire guy phoned me just now from HMPO in Hemel Hempstead, UK to ask about my passport application. According to him because I put Herts UK as place of birth that apparently differed from a previous application and all he wanted to ask was did I mind if he changed that to England? So I laughed and said of course not, Herts is in England anyway isn't it. He said he thought given my age and circumstances it was better to call me on a private phone than yet more emails and he would changed the place of birth to England and the passport would then be sent for printing and issuing and posting back. 

 

So we had a little chat about - the weather of course being English, and he asked me to confirm my Thai postcode - no problem - and date of birth. Told him we only came here because of Theresa May - he didn't seem to know about her so I had to explain why we got forced to leave the UK. All in all a really good phone call with a nice guy and bearing good news in the end.  

 

All I got to do now is wait for it to arrive in Bangkok, hopefully in a few days.

Excellent news, and good on him for following up personally. But ridiculous that something so small and trivial could cause so much drama and stress. So stupid. But all's well that ends well.