Some passport interviews suspended amid backlog
Interviews for first-time applicants for passports have been suspended in London as staff struggle to deal with the 30,000 backlog of applications, the Home Office has said.
Overseas passport applicants to get 12 month extension
Overseas passport applicants will be offered a 12 month extension while travelers with an urgent need to go abroad will have their passport applications fast-tracked free of charge, the Home Secretary Theresa May has said.In a statement to the House of Commons, she announced:
- People with an urgent need to travel abroad will have their passport applications fast-tracked free of charge
- Overseas applicants would also be offered a 12 month extension
- Two reviews - the first to ensure the passport office is working efficiently as possible, while the second will consider whether HMPO's agency status should be removed
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How to fast-track your passport urgently for free
The Home Office has outlined how people who are facing delays to their passport renewal can get it fast-tracked for free.
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What you can do to speed up your passport application
If you are worried about your passport application not being ready ahead of your holidays, there are a few options available to you.
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Passport Office 'in blind panic' as 'backlog' revealed
Photos shown to ITV News appear to reveal the scale of the backlog at the Passport Office, amid staff claims of "blind panic".