It’s Enough Waiting Months to Get Your Replacement Passport

It’s Enough Waiting Months to Get Your Replacement Passport

Since August 1, 2011, all British passports issued overseas have been transferred from embassies to HM Passport Office in the UK. On paper, this centralisation was meant to “improve security” and “standardise services.” In reality, for many citizens abroad, it has made replacing or renewing a passport far harder, slower, and more frustrating than ever before.

This raises some obvious questions:

• What’s the point of centralising passport services if it creates bottlenecks?
• What’s the point of maintaining a network of British embassies and consulates if they are not used for one of the most basic consular functions?
• Why should British citizens abroad have to wait months when in most other countries the process takes just a couple of weeks?

A Scenario Many Travellers Fear

Imagine this: you’re on a three-month holiday in Southeast Asia. In the first month, your passport gets damaged — perhaps soaked in a tropical rainstorm or warped by humidity. You decide to replace it, assuming the process will take a reasonable amount of time.

Under the old system, you would walk into the nearest British embassy or consulate, hand over your old passport and supporting documents, and have everything verified on-site. The embassy would forward the application to HM Passport Office, and within about two weeks, you could either pick up your new passport at the embassy or have it mailed to you.

Under the new system, you must apply online, send your documents to the UK, and provide proof of your overseas address — often a much more complicated process than proving an address in Britain.

Centralisation vs. Practical Service

The shift removed the ability of embassies and consulates to issue passports — reducing their role to handling emergency travel documents only. In most other countries (Germany, France, Italy, Japan), embassies actively manage passport issuance, often delivering documents within just two weeks.

The Challenge of Address Verification Abroad

In the UK, verifying your address can be as simple as providing a council tax bill, a bank statement, or proof of voter registration. Abroad, it’s a different story:

• Utility bills must match your name exactly — if your bill says “31 Road” but your application says “31 Rd.”, it may be rejected.
• Translations must be done by an “approved” translator — if you use a non-approved translator, even if the translation is accurate, your document may be refused.
• Hotel stays or temporary rentals often aren’t accepted as proof of address, even if you have receipts and booking confirmations.

If HM Passport Office refuses to accept your documents, the process resets, adding weeks or months to your wait.

What Happens If You’re in a Remote Location?

If you happen to be on an island or in a rural location, things get even more complicated. You must not only gather all the necessary documents but also arrange secure international shipping for your old passport and application materials — and then wait for the UK to process them.

Where once you could hand over documents at your local embassy and receive your passport back within two weeks, you now must:

• Send everything to the UK,
• Bear complex documentation requirements,
• Navigate slow courier services,

Even if you’ve provided everything correctly, you could be looking at 8–16 weeks (or more) before getting a replacement. That’s a long time to be stranded, especially if your passport is your only legal form of ID abroad.

Why Did the UK Choose This Route?

Here’s the surprising fact: only three countries in the world do not issue passports through their embassies — the UK, Bhutan, and Lebanon.

Countries like Germany, France, Italy, and Japan all use their embassies and consulates to issue or renew passports overseas, often with a turnaround time of just one or two weeks. These countries understand that their diplomatic missions are not just political outposts but vital lifelines for their citizens abroad.

So what does the UK know that these other countries don’t? The infrastructure is already there — the embassies are staffed, secured, and capable. The refusal to utilise them for full passport issuance is baffling.

Key Milestones in the Transition from Embassies to HMPO

• August 2011
  Passport printing for overseas applications began to take place in the UK. However, some administrative processing still continued in regional overseas hubs ASEAN NOWWikipedia.
• During 2013–2014
  Administrative processing and passport issuance duties formerly carried out at regional overseas processing centres (in locations like Hong Kong, Düsseldorf, Washington D.C., etc.) were fully repatriated to the UK Profil BaruWikipedia.
• From April 2014
  All British nationals located overseas were required to apply directly to HM Passport Office in the UK. This meant that embassy or consular posts no longer handled standard passport applications Profil BaruWikipediaUK Parliament+1.

Here's a concise comparison of passport processing times and services in France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, highlighting the efficiency of their systems compared to the UK's centralised approach:

🇫🇷 France

• Processing Time: Typically 3 to 7 weeks for passport issuance.
• Service Model: Embassies and consulates handle passport applications directly.
• Example: The French Consulate in Los Angeles states that passport issuance is by appointment only, with processing times varying depending on the specific circumstances. migrando.de

🇩🇪 Germany

• Processing Time: Standard processing takes 7 to 8 weeks; expedited service (Express Pass) can reduce this to 4 to 5 days.
• Service Model: Embassies and consulates manage passport applications, with an option for express processing.
• Example: The German Embassy in Washington, D.C. indicates that the express service is available, and applicants should submit their application at least 3-4 weeks before their departure date. migrando.deTravel State

🇮🇹 Italy

• Processing Time: Generally 3 to 4 weeks for passport issuance.
• Service Model: Consulates handle passport applications, with the process often involving an online appointment system.
• Example: The Italian Consulate in Toronto mentions that passport applications are typically processed within 3 to 4 weeks. constoronto.esteri.it

🇯🇵 Japan

• Processing Time: Approximately 1 month for passport issuance.
• Service Model: Consulates manage passport applications, with a standard processing time of about a month.
• Example: The Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco states that passport processing takes about a month.

Contrast to the UK's centralised passport processing system, these countries maintain efficient, embassy-based services that ensure timely and accessible passport issuance for their citizens abroad.

Although other countries generally do not publish such detailed figures, making direct comparisons difficult

The Human Impact

Right now, I am personally dealing with this situation, and the HM Passport Office has effectively stopped responding to my case. It has now been over 17 weeks, and I am still without a valid passport.

I submitted a translated and certified utility bill as proof of address. To my surprise, it was not accepted. Instead, I have been asked to provide additional documents, such as a signed letter from the property owner and evidence of their name and address.

Here is what they emailed me:

Why does the property owner need to know whether I have applied for a passport or not? And why is evidence of their name required? Who is actually applying for the passport here, and why would they provide such documents to me?

Obtaining these documents would cause further delays in receiving my passport. I requested that my passport be sent to my registered UK address, where I live when I am not abroad. Now, after months of waiting, I am being completely ignored.

I have since moved to a different country, where I own property. I decided to obtain all the documents originally requested for my previous address and sent them all, along with a formal letter explaining the difficulties caused by not having my passport. Yet, I have received no response. There has been no update on the tracking website either.

What is happening at HM Passport Office? Are they not concerned about leaving British citizens stranded abroad? This is extremely frustrating and reflects very poorly on the country.

I’m far from alone. Many British citizens abroad have been left stranded, unable to travel, sometimes unable to work, and in some cases facing difficulties with local immigration authorities — all because the UK chose a system that prioritises centralised control over practical service.

For a country that prides itself on looking after its citizens, this is nothing short of a disgrace. Instead of projecting competence and reliability, Britain is making its people wait in limbo, embarrassed and powerless, thousands of miles from home.

Real-life Case Studies & Complaints

1. Official Tracking Site Report:
A user from Thailand reported applying on 29 January, but only received the passport on 4 April, taking 9 weeks, despite the GOV.UK claim that overseas applications take around 4 weeks passportwaitingtime.co.uk.

2. Expats in Thailand:
Some applicants were told their renewal would take 10–11 weeks, but after five months, they still had no passports, no answers on document whereabouts, and no backup from embassy assistance Thaiger.

3. Passport Waiting Time Feedback (Austria):
One person wrote: “Waiting 3+ months… stuck in processing… seemed like overseas applications are bottom of the pile,” unsure when—or if—they’d regain their passport passportwaitingtime.co.uk.

4. Mixed Experiences (Reddit):

• From the Philippines: “Applying… since… May… still ‘under processing’ at 9 weeks,” later asked to submit bizarre extra documents (photos from four years prior) Reddit.
• Success stories exist too: “From Finland… almost exactly 2 weeks” turnaround passportwaitingtime.co.uk.
• Another: “Renewal from Australia—2 weeks 3 days total from start to finish” Reddit.
• And more good news: several Reddit users report 5–10 day turnaround within the UK Reddit+2Reddit+2.

It’s Time for Change

Reintroducing embassy-based passport services wouldn’t just be convenient — it would be a lifeline for Britons abroad. It would make use of an existing, taxpayer-funded network. It would reduce processing times dramatically. And it would restore confidence in the UK’s ability to serve its citizens, no matter where they are in the world.

Until then, British nationals overseas will continue to face the same question every time they look at their worn or damaged passport:

“How many months will I have to wait this time?”

Conclusion: A System That Needs Urgent Reform

Tales of prolonged delays, bureaucratic roadblocks, and missing correspondence are becoming all too common overseas. While some cases do end smoothly, the inconsistent, discriminatory, and stress-inducing experiences of so many justify real concern.

By re-enabling embassies and consulates to issue passports—or at least to handle document intake and verification—the UK could:

• Dramatically reduce wait times.
• Leverage existing infrastructure and diplomatic networks.
• Restore confidence that British citizens abroad will be supported effectively.