Workers at the UK passport office, known as HMPO, will be on strike for five weeks from 3rd April till 5th May and it’s rumoured to affect up to 1 million applications.
Image of a BRitish passport and application form Image: mundissima via Shutterstock
HMPO strikes and their impact
These strikes are the result of a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. Staff members at all seven branches of His Majesty’s Passport Office are due to walk out over these disagreements.
HMPO workers previously walked out on 1 February and 15 March during the union’s one-day strikes. More than 1,000 employees are expected to go on strike throughout April – roughly one-quarter of the passport office’s 4,000-person workforce.
Over 1 million passport applications are said to be affected and applications sent before and during this time may take longer than the usual 10 weeks.
If you’re planning on travelling anywhere outside of the UK, you need to make sure your passport is valid and has the correct amount of valid time left on it.
To travel within the EU, you need at least three months of validity on your passport
Travel requirements
For EU travel you need to have at least 3 months of validity on your passport from the date you leave that country.
For international travel outside of Europe (USA, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey etc.) you need to have at least 6 months of validity left on your passport from the date that you leave that country.
What if I have already applied ?
No matter. You can track your passport application using the government passport application tracker. You’ll need your application reference number to hand.
Urgent passports allow applicants to get a new one up to a week before you travel
Urgent passport applications
There’s nothing worse than forgetting to check your passport’s validity before travelling, but it does happen – trust me, I’ve been there. But all is not lost. You can apply for the Fast Track or Online premium services to get a passport if you think the usual 10 weeks is cutting it a bit too close to your planned trip.
Please note, you do have to pay to use these fast-track services.
You cannot apply for a fast track application if you’re outside of the UK or if you’ve already applied and not received it yet (in this case an upgrade is the best route.)
There are two paths to applying for an urgent passport.
1. Online Premium
This is the best choice for anyone renewing an adult passport. You get the passport at the appointment and appointments last up to 30 minutes. This is all done online and it costs £193.50.
2. One-week Fast Track
This pathway allows your application to fast-track past standard applications (a skip-the-line option, if you will.) You can use this service to renew an adult or child passport, change your name (e.g. marriage), edit personal details, replace a lost, stolen or damaged card and apply for a first child passport.
If approved, your passport will be delivered to your home within 1 week. It costs £155 for an adult and £126 for a child.
Check gov.uk to find out what to bring to your appointment