I would like to reassure constituents that work is underway to tackle the backlog at Her Majesty's Passport Office. An unprecedented 9.5 million passport applications are forecast to be made this year against a normal demand of around 5 million a year which has placed huge pressure on the service.
I have been informed that additional staff have been recruited which has vastly increased capacity, with applications now being processed in record numbers. Between March and May, the processing of approximately three million passport applications were completed. To put it into perspective, more passports have been processed so far this year than in the whole of 2021.
Despite the challenges that some have faced, it is encouraging to see that between March and May, over 90% of applications made from the UK were completed within six weeks, with approximately 98.5% of applications from the UK were completed within the ten-week published processing time.
Constituents should continue to allow up to ten weeks from the date that any supporting documents requested by the Passport Office are physically delivered. However, it is important to note that the ten-week timeframe is not guaranteed.
While I am always happy to make enquiries to the Home Office on behalf of constituents, in the first instance you should make contact with the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000. This continues to be the best way for constituents to access help with their application.
