Jersey residents waiting up to 10 weeks for new passports as demand surges

A physical passport and phone.
The Government of Jersey says the processing times on the standard service have increased to about 50 working days or 10 weeks. Credit: ITV Channel TV.

Jersey residents are waiting up to 10 weeks for new passports as demand surges on the island.

The Government of Jersey says the processing times on the standard service have increased to about 50 working days, following the lifting of Covid travel restrictions.

Jersey Customs and Immigration Senior Manager, Andrew Allan, said: “We apologise for having to extend the turnaround times for standard passports.

"We are aware of the impact this has on the public. We are facing an unprecedented challenge with passport application volumes.

"This challenge is mirrored in many jurisdictions around the world where processing times have also significantly increased."

More resource has been drafted in to try to deal with the backlog, with staff working extra hours, weekends and bank holidays.

Those who have chosen the standard route can upgrade to the express route which currently takes 10 working days.

People who are not travelling immediately do not need to upgrade their passport to the express route, the passport office has said.