Published on Wednesday, April 7, 2021

HMPO urges people not to delay in applying for new passports

Her Majesty's Passport Office is urging people who require a new passport in the coming months to apply without delay.

Applicants should allow for more time for it to be processed as HMPO expects a surge of new applications before the summer.

During the pandemic, the Passport Office has seen a significant drop in the number of applicants.

It processed just over four'million passports last year, which is well down on the seven million passport applications it receives in a normal year.

While all applications will be processed as quickly as possible, they should expect delays with up to 10 weeks' wait.

To help manage the flow of passport renewals, the Passport Office will send out text messages to people whose passport is nearing expiration.

As the per the government's roadmap, international travel will not be allowed until 17 May at the earliest, and quarantine-free travel will likely be to a limited number of destinations initially .