Passports Office Reviews 

I was expecting to be disappointed but the service was outstanding. Application, appointment and ease of reaching location.

I swear they don't understand how to read.
Sent multiple emails explaining in simple terms what I requested. Comes back to me with a completely different topic, nothing to do with the situation.
Weeks of this!

The British Passport Office, Corby. "Staff".Have been wonderful. They are very understanding, patient, polite, kind thoughts, and very helpful. Blessings and wellbeing throughout 🙏🏽

I did the online application on a Thursday which was a breeze bar getting a photo that would be accepted only to find all the efforts were wasted as once it was accepted it shrunk to just one's face anyhow (It took me 7 attempts with my phone) ... anyhow this needs looking into as this really frustrates your customers for sure.
But hey I paid the money and it went in with my old passport in the mail "signed for" that same day.
That was received next day !! Wow and one just has to wait for text updates ... I got it back today, 1 day less than 2 weeks with a note to remind me to sign it with a BLACK ball point pen - duly done. The old passport will come back in the next days for posterity. I know they get a lot of complaints but if you do it during a time period when you do not need to travel, then they are great. My problem was we were wanting to travel long haul next year and my passport would not have made the six month valid period after the return so it had to be done.

Six or seven weeks into my on line application I am no nearer seeing the end insight and actually getting the document

Just when you thought the civil service couldn’t get any worse, the incompetence and ineptitude of this bloated entity extends its reach yet further - this time to HM Passport Office....I paid nearly £120 for a passport renewal (including postage costs), only to be told four weeks later that HM Passport Office have lost my old passport, and zero progress has been made on my passport renewal.

After submitting my application online and hearing nothing for nearly four weeks, I rang the customer helpline. My experience trying to obtain an update on my application was, frankly, extraordinary.

On my first attempt, the HMPO staff member asked me to repeat the first line of my address five times. This was a very straightforward address, yet I had to repeatedly spell it out in full.

Having gone through this several times, I was then told that she was unable to assist me “due to the details I had provided”.

Naturally, I asked what that actually meant. Had one of my details been entered incorrectly? Was there some discrepancy in the information they held? Surely, if there was an issue with my personal information, I should at least be told what it was so that I could clarify or correct it.

Apparently not.

I was told: “I can’t tell you due to data protection rules.”

I’m sorry, what?

I was attempting to access information about my own passport application, having already provided multiple pieces of personal information to verify my identity, and yet I was being told that the very information I had provided prevented them from helping me; while simultaneously being prohibited from being told what the problem actually was.

If this is what passes for customer service and data protection at HM Passport Office, it is difficult to know whether to laugh or despair.

The combination of incompetence, bureaucracy and an apparent inability to explain even the most basic problem is quite something.

Cue another three painful attempts at attempting to call the passport office and speak to a human, one of whom's phone reception was so dreadful that she couldn't even hear me. Plus a good 5-10 minutes each time, having to sit through the extensive menu of options, including a Welsh transcript and someone asking me to press '9' to be told what the definition of a British citizen was, in case I didn't know if I was one (yes, really!). After a good 20 minutes of this charade, I finally got through to a real, live human being.

This staff member confirmed that my passport had been lost by HM Passport Office, despite me paying £10 for tracked delivery, and another staff member assuring me the previous week that my old passport had been received, and would be scanned through within two working days. This is beyond dodgy. No apology offered either, and now I have to wait around like a lemon for another 48 hours, to receive an email officially confirming the fact the HM Passport Office have lost my passport.

Thanks HM Passport Office for your complete ineptitudenon every level, plus your complete apathy towards the stress and panic you have caused.

If you're British and applying to renew your passport, I would honestly urge you to report it as lost instead. That way won't have to deal with this absolute shower of dodginess with your tracked passport magically disappearing into the ether. You will get a new passport much quicker that way. My case isn't unique - it seems HMPO has form for "losing" tracked passports.
Staff can easily find your old passport details on their system, therefore negating the need to send your the physical copy - and paying £15 for the pleasure for it to get lost/stolen.

Ok so after trying to get a passport and them refusing me it’s clear I should of just said I was a small boat arrival rather the a British born person which I am to get a passport or they just don’t want ppl leaving the country it’s as simple as that 🤷‍♂️

Peterborough passport office should be closed. They provide extremely poor service. Useless service, useless security, useless and unhelpful and rude staff. Don’t use the child fast track service. Over £156.00 and you don’t even get it within 4 days. Rip of Britain. Everybody trying to scam you

Applied online thinking it would be faster and cheaper. I use a shortened nickname in every day life, I now want my full name on my new passport. There are 2 additional letters in my full name. These people cannot understand that it’s not a documented name change. I’ve since paid twice to send more documents, then get accused of sending the same utility bill twice when I haven’t. The level of incompetence is appalling. It’s not hard, it’s like they can’t engage common sense and can only work from a script!
It’s 2026, this should all be automated, not post us this, post us that, something called secure send is actually in existence.

I advise people to use the post office service not the carbon dated online one if they don’t want to be bombarded with one sentence requests or pay £9.95 every time they request another document through the post.

What a poor service they offer, they must surely be humiliated by the service they provide

PASSPORT APPLICATION- It was a shambles from beginning to end. I paid for a check and send service. 2 weeks later they contacted us saying that they needed the person who had filled in the form to provide proof of identity ( a different name to my son) They had taken one of his middle names and used it as his first name n the application. We had sent original birth certificates ( with his full name )at the time and it was checked by check and send, for an additional fee, so it was correct then. We found out that they had put the wrong name in to the system so the person that was to provide proof did not exist. Many phone calls later stating they had made a mistake with no solution or correction ( 9 rude and unpleasant phonecalls) We were asked to then send in a signed letter stating that they had made the mistake. This letter was not good enough and they sent a letter stating that his application would not be continued until they had received proof of id documents from the incorrectly named person. Our fee would not be refunded. They then asked for an online interview. This interview was extremely personal, difficult, even humiliating at times due to my sons learning difficulties. We got asked if we were recording the interview? Can someone explain why my son needs to describe what computer system he has and where exactly in the house it is, for a passport application?. Also his favourite teachers name and directions to the nearest train station, what both his mother and father does all day, to go a typical day, if his dog is registered to a vets and what vet it is??? I am his carer and was with him for support. he is only 16 with Autism. My son did not know what the interviewer meant by- 'Where is his computer?' He replied to him that it was in his room, and then he asked another 3 times and then to help my son I said, ' Upstairs ' and was told to be quiet or they would reschedule. This was humiliating to both of us. Then I was told if I was in the room I was to be on camera but not allowed to talk. My son has difficulties with directions and processing due to his Autism, several of the questions were asking directions to and from areas??. This meant my son struggled answering and started stuttering. I had to sit in silence watching him struggle all due to their mistake. Shocking stressful experience from beginning to end. I will be putting my complaint to my MP as the passport office have ignored all of my complaints so far. My son is a vulnerable adult still a teen. Your staff should be properly trained to encompass this. This will not be the last you hear from me!

Called hm passport office today, yes they were speedy on answering the call, but the FOREIGN lady who I spoke to was extremely rude and abrupt to me when asking a question regarding my sons passport, didnt give me any answers just got told to wait and she put the phone down! How is this acceptable they work for the home office? Absolutely disgusting

I tried to get a priority renewal by visiting office in dockland. They wouldn’t let me in because I didn’t manage to complete the on line application.

Credit where credit’s due. I applied online to renew my passport. I used a photo shop to provide the photo and got a code to use during the application process. I submitted my application last Friday and I sent my old passport by signed for delivery on the same date. On Monday, I received notification that my old passport had been received and later that day that the application had been approved. The new passport was received Wednesday so 4 working days start to finish.

Amazing how an Online subbmitted Photo taken at Photo Booth can be instantly approved like 2 seconds later I get approval. I assume the Government must be receiving a percentage of the cost. Wonder what percentage, if any of Photos taken at Home actually get approved. It cost me £30 today to get these done as I have to travel by Taxis.

I am a Brit living in South Africa and am so impressed with my experience of renewing my UK passport.
The initial online application was very easy to complete.
Then having sent my current passport to the UK Passport office via courier, they kept me advised of its receipt and each step of my application until they couriered my new passport back to me.
The whole process took just three week with not a single hitch.
Exceptional stress free service.
"BRAVO HMPO"

I was disappointed with the identity confirmation process for passport applications.

When I initially completed my child application, I selected the option for my identity confirmer to verify identity via email. However, I thought to check what form-based looks like, but this changed the confimer channel from email to form-based. Unfortunately, there was no option available within the application to switch back to the email method.

When I contacted customer service for assistance, I was advised that it is not possible to change the confirmation method once it has been altered. This was frustrating, as the form-based method was less convenient for both myself and the person confirming the identity of my child. It also created unnecessary delays and inconvenience during the application process.

Suggested Improvements:

Allow applicants to change the identity confirmation method within their application before submission.
Provide a clear warning explaining that changing the confirmation method is permanent and cannot be reversed.
Enable customer service representatives to reset or amend the confirmation method in exceptional circumstances.
Improve guidance throughout the application process so applicants fully understand the implications of selecting or changing their preferred confirmation method.

A more flexible and transparent process would improve the user experience and help avoid unnecessary frustration for applicants.

Required urgent passport renewal.
Online form very clear and simple.
Passport photo in Asda Booth very simple producing photos and code.
Rapid appointment at Durham. Easy to find.
Clear instructions.
Very pleasant staff at all stages of appt.
Excellent experience.

Amazed, applied for a replacement passport online 02/06 using standard service. Posted old passport next day. New passport received 06/06. Regular Email updates during the process. Far too efficient for a government department. Now if only they could sort out the HMRC and rest of government like that we might have a chance

Peterborough. Good points: well organised, good queue control (near military efficiency!), good communications on application progress, staff polite helpful and friendly, very easy car parking about 200 yards away (Pleasure Fair CP takes cards, cash, apps), replacement passport arrived in 2 days via 1week fast track).
Area for improvement: be clear on timings. It’s made very clear that arrivals earlier than 10 minutes before will be turned back until their stated time (saw it happen). However I suspect that many, like me, will have travelled a considerable distance and, worried about traffic congestion (A14!), overcompensate. It’s not made clear what would happen if delayed. (Advice : If v early, cross river, several coffee shops etc in arcade on L about 300 yards away).