People used to walk into a passport office directly and submit their applications. However, as the spread of the pandemic in the past few years, applicants gathering at offices increased the risk of infections. Moreover, walk-in service might lead to a long queue during busy hours. Therefore, more and more countries are requiring applicants to book passport appointment to reduce waiting time and improve efficiency. In this passage, we are going to talk about whether it is necessary to make an appointment for UK passports and how to book it.
Do You Need to Book UK Passport Appointment?
According to Her Majesty Passport Office (HMPO), British citizens can apply for or renew their passport online or with a paper form. Whether a passport appointment is required or not depends on how fast you need the passport.
Standard Service
It takes 3-10 weeks to receive a new passport. When applying online, you will complete an application form and fulfill payment on GOV.UK, and mail your supporting documents to the HM passport office. When applying with a paper form, you will post the completed form and supporting documents to the HMPO or ask for Passport Check and Send service at the post office. No matter which method you choose, the authority will contact you and book an interview after applying.
Urgent Service
If you are in urgent need of a passport, you can pay extra fees for expedited service. As part of the application, you are supposed to book passport appointment and then present at the nearest passport office at the scheduled time.
- 1 week Fast Track Service
This service is available to quickly renew passports, update information on passports, replace lost/stolen/damaged passports, or apply for the first child’s passport. You can get the appointment up to 3 weeks in advance and the new passport will arrive within one week of the appointment.
Do you want the passport even faster? This service allows you to make an appointment up to 2 days beforehand and collect it on the date of your appointment. You can only use it to renew an adult passport issued after 31 December 2001.
Book Passport Appointment Online
After finishing your application form, you can visit the official website of HMPO to book passport appointment. To get the new passport within 1 week, please do as follows.
- Go to GOV.UK.
- Answer some questions about the applicant, such as name and date of birth which determines the application type you can choose.
- Learn about the application fees and general information about the service.
- Choose a passport office and date for your appointment. You will see the number of appointments and address of each location. If you have no idea which one to choose, click on “Where is my nearest passport office?” and enter your postcode to find the nearest office.
- Choose the time for your appointment. It is suggested to arrive 10 minutes in advance, so make sure the time is convenient for you. When choosing an appointment time earlier than 12:30, your passport will be delivered within 7 days of the appointment. When the time is after 12:30, it will be delivered within 8 days.
- Check the appointment details, and enter the name and contact details of the person who is attending the appointment.
- Review the passport appointment booking summary. If there is anything wrong, click “Edit” to change.
- Decide whether you need “secure delivery” or not. This paid service is optional.
- Read the declaration and check the box “I agree”.
- Proceed to fulfill payment. Accepted payment methods include VISA, MasterCard and Maestro credit and debit cards.
Book Appointment for Passport Renewal
To renew passport quickly, you can choose either 1 week Fast Track Service or Online Premium Service. In this section, we will talk about the latter.
- Go to GOV.UK.
- Answer the listed questions, such as where you live, date of birth, etc. They aim to confirm your eligibility to use this service.
- Select the date and location of your appointment.
- Get your digital passport photo according to the instructions. You can enter a photo code to retrieve the photo or upload it from the local file.
- Finish the application online and pay renewal fees with a debit or credit card
- Attend the appointment and collect your new passport, which takes about half an hour.
Book Passport Appointment by Phone
It is also possible to make an appointment by calling the Passport Adviceline for urgent travel and pay over the phone on the following conditions.
- You need medical treatment.
- Your friend or family is badly ill.
- Your friend or family has passed away.
- You are taking an urgent official trip on behalf of the government.
Call 0300 222 0000 within UK, +44 (0)300 222 0000 outside the UK, and 18001 0300 222 0222 for people with hearing problems.
The line will be available from 8:00 am – to 8:00 pm from Monday to Friday, and 9:00 am – 5:30 pm on weekends and bank holidays.
Change or Cancel Appointment
After booking an appointment, the authority will reserve the slot for you, so please make sure to show up on time.
In the case of Fast Track service, you can amend or cancel the appointment through the link in your confirmation email while in the case of Online Premium service, you should call the Passport Adviceline.
When it is more than 48 hours from the appointment time, you are allowed to change to another day or cancel it, which is free of charge.
When it is less than 48 hours away, you can only cancel it and get a 70% refund.
When you miss the appointment and take no action, the passport fee will not be returned.
In the case of Fast Track service, you can ask someone else to attend the appointment on your behalf. He/she should bring your completed paper application form, supporting documents, and two UK passport photos.
Summary
Let’s make a summary. You don’t need to book passport appointment when you are applying for the first adult passport or when you are using standard service. However, an appointment is required when requesting to get the passport within 1 week. Fast Track service allows booking up to 3 weeks in advance while Online Premium service allows 2 days. To successfully book passport appointment online, make sure you have a credit card or debit card to pay the application fees no matter which one you choose.
Erin Lo