The office has issued a statement following media reports of holidaymakers having to cancel trips due to waiting times for new passports.
HMPO added that it was now “seeing unprecedented demand”, after more than five million people delayed renewing their passports over the past two years. This means that around 9.5 million people are likely to apply for new passports this year.
“In preparation for the demand for international travel returning, since April 2021, HMPO have been advising people to allow up to 10 weeks when applying for their British passport. This remains the case,” said HMPO.
“The vast majority of all passport applications are being dealt with well within 10 weeks. However, a passport can only be issued once all the checks have been completed satisfactorily and will take longer if applications are submitted with missing or incomplete information.”
HMPO stressed that it has added 500 staff in the past year and was currently recruiting another 700 employees.
The office also urged people to apply “as soon as possible to ensure their passport arrives in time for the peak summer season”.
“Customers can also help to ensure there are no delays with their application, such as using a high-quality photo with a digital code, applying online and applying for a new passport more than 10 weeks before they are due to travel,” added HMPO.
“It is important to stress you should not book travel until you have a valid passport – your new passport will not have the same passport number as your old one.”
