Passports Office Reviews 

I’d give zero stars for deliberate incompetence, evident corruption, and total lack of customer awareness. A syndrome of staff working from home sans supervision being completely divorced from the reality needed to provide a customer focused service. Firstly I’m deaf so I cannot use a phone. The UKPO - discriminating against a common disability - do not offer a special phone service for deaf people. So I’m limited to emails.

In 2022 I applied for a new U.K. passport paying £175 for an expedited service. After a month of hearing nothing (it was during Covid lockdown) I kept getting requests for ‘documents.’ At the time I was going through severe mental depression. I didn’t need this harassment. I emailed asking what ‘documents.’ It was a simple renewal. They failed to respond. Eventually I received an email stating that they would terminate my application if I did not send the ‘documents’ requested. I emailed them again. No response. The next day I got an email stating that they had terminated my application with loss of all fees.

I approached my MP (Lab) who did nothing. This was at a time when questions were being asked in Parliament about the incompetence and complaints including about rudeness of staff at UKPO. He blocked my complaint.

Luckily I still had my New Zealand passport and could use that to travel to and from Europe with no problems.

Fast forward to 2023. I raised a complaint with UKPO about the termination. The response was a curt and rude email stating that this was because I had not sent them my New Zealand passport. I’m actually glad I didn’t because there are were and still are so many reports of them losing foreign passports.

I also wondered what had happened to my previous U.K. passport. It had unusual country stamps in it which I wanted to keep. I sent another email of enquiry. I was then told that it had been destroyed. I emailed to ask why and they said I had had to write in and request its return. No one told me that. No one warned me it would be destroyed, On the web site it proudly states that all documents would be returned. That’s a lie - as complaints here prove. And I had paid extra for it to be returned by express courier.

So now with the latest fiasco over the need for dual citizens to have to obtain a U.K. passport in order to be allowed to re enter the U.K. - aka to come home to one’s country of birth and residence - I actually cannot come home. My application in 2022 was terminated with loss of all fees; and they failed to return my previous passport. So I can’t even travel home on the latter - a special temporary emergency arrangement introduced by the equally incompetent U.K. Home Office due to the chaos of recent discriminations against dual citizens.

I currently am in the,line for a 48 hours call back from the support team who desl with vulnerable emergencies. Although I am stressed out I must still say thanks to Haroon who i spoke to tiday and the gent I spoke to on Thursday. They handled my concerns as if I mattered. I am stressed but Thanks goes a long way for these busy individuals. I started this journey on Wednesday. I stressed myself and staff at the office with calls. The system needs reviewing to support urgent matters. Got a call thus morning and a link to complete. However the,actionsvI am asked to do has been completed on Wednesday. Itvis saturday. I called and was advised to leave the cancelation no with them. They would put it on the system. I await progress.

I recently lost my passport, found out the strictest of attempting to replace the lost passport.

1 online, you need someone to verify your photo, must know you for 2 years.

2 offline you need someone to verify your photo, must know you 1 year.

Recently returned to UK, don't meet the above criteria, despite having a passport since 2008, renewed 2018, no issues, with HMPO use of AI, should verify quickly who I was or offer an appt to provide alternative ID which is government issue such as letters

Still had 2 years left on the lost passport, crazy if you have been verified, after all you are the only one who benefits as being the person on photo.

Come on HMPO time to update things, remember a time you went to police with photo they just stamped the photo.

Was advised to submit someone who closely met criteria, yet information for countersignatory says do not sign just to get a passport for someone, would I be breaking the law

no customer centricity.
I applied from abroad.
The embassy does not provide passport service so I had to send my original certificate of legalization to the UK.
They wanted me to send my other passport as well and they couldn't clearly explain why and they would wanted to keep it for 3-5 weeks which is crazy.
Clearly, unless you prove it, the HM passport office cannot tell from your personal details if you are British citizen or not.

All in all, it is just like any other GOV service: the process does not make sense. It's outdated, process driven not solution driven.
The people who should quality prove the process, they are not doing it.
The world and digitalization passed UK by.

Praise for an amazingly good service from the uk passport office . Whole process took less than a week, and updates received virtually every day. If only all government departments were as efficient.

I’d like to commend the passport office for their outstanding customer service. Communication was clear, timely, and consistent from start to finish, and I received my replacement passport in under a week. It’s an impressive level of efficiency — one that many other government departments could learn from. Well done to the whole team; it’s refreshing to experience this standard of service in today’s world.

From posting to renewed in my hand 72 hrs. The online renewal was straight forward but always clunky when you do something for the first time. I used a shop for the photo to guarantee it would pass, posted secure by 1pm the following day. The updates from the passport office worked well and delivered. I was amazed how quick the turnaround was, I guess time of year helped.

I had a passport problem - so called the helpline on a Sunday morning. I was amazed that I not only got through to someone in the Passport Office fairly quickly - but the lady also said she could easily resolve my problem. Thanks Paula - you made my weekend!

Ordered online Monday very simple. Being delivered today Friday. This was standard non urgent.
I was kept informed throughout.
Cannot fault service, easiest passport I've ever applied for.

I was late for my appointment and stress as it had taken 3 hours to get there. The staff were so kind and helpful I wanted to say how much I appreciate there frienlyness . Thank you

These imbeciles refused to return my UK birth certificate and US Passport. I was informed on the telephone, by a non-english speaking clerk, my documents were going to be destroyed. Excuses after excuses they will not take reponsibility. In what demented and incompetent world does any other government retain your passport and refuse to return it. This is disgusting and abhorrent behaviour. Typical of today's broken Britain.

I sent a about expired passport, but they lost the document. Their reaction was virtually so what not my problem.
Attempting to get a response from them was met with silence. No care that I'm exposed to identy theft or the breach of Data Protection. Tgey even attempted charge me twice for a new passport after the loss/theft of my old one.
I'm now struggling to get a new passport and they are only interested in blocking new applications.

Update:
I had to pay the passport office a few of £107 again! Because they wouldn't accept my postal order that was paid for in cash, so if you are applying for your first ever passport, DO NOT get a postal order, they don't accept them and was told that on the phone, you have to pay by card, despite what the official website states, the information on there is clearly not up to date.

Luckily I'll be getting my postal order back and it can be refunded, so if you are applying for your first ever UK passport, please take note to avoid the trouble that I had to go through.

01/02/2026:
I have sent off a passport application on the 01/02/2026 with a postal order which by the way got crossed, that was inside along with a bunch of paper work to apply for my first ever UK passport, a few weeks later, I get a text and email stating that I need to pay the fee.

Myself and my friend who has helped me out with the application and sent off the passport with a postal order which was paid in cash at a post office, so we made multiple phone calls to the passport office over the last 3 weeks.

The first time we phoned, an Indian person who answered the phone said I needed to pay, myself and my friend have explained the situation, which by the way, the Indian person couldn't understand and clearly didn't knew what we were talking about, only to then say we got nothing to worry about.

It was quiet then, heard nothing, a week after, they sent another email and text stating I must pay, so we phoned again, explained again, but a British person answered this time, they said that I needed to pay, so I've explained the situation and then they give a lovely excuse that they lost the postal order now, great stuff so I am over a £100 out of pocket, plus the cost to send it off.

So we sent off a receipt from the post office of proof of purchase of the postal order, guess what? I am told I need to pay again.

What's going on here? It clearly states on the government website that a postal order is accepted and they would need to bank it, but nope, I need to pay and I am £127 out of pocket to be precise, brilliant, over a month of applying and waiting with endless phone calls, just to end up being stressed all over a passport this is.

Clearly the UK Passport Office which is owned by the UK Government are a bunch of scammers, trying to make another £107 from me, not happening, I am looking at seeking legal advice and action, this is absolutely disgraceful and clearly the people who work there are incompetent and need training, absolutely disgusting service and the place needs to go into administration.

They have probably scammed loads of people over the years, what do you expect from the government, all I can say is if you are applying for a passport, don't get a postal order, they clearly don't accept them and the information on their website is clearly out of date and needs updating.

It took nearly 6 months to get first baby passport born in UK as a British citizen. 'Ordinary' British referees been not accepted because not holding required position in the society. The birth certificate was returned ruined-creased, wet from rain, pushed through the front door letter box even I sent the original document as a recorded letter in a hard envelope in protective cover.

Returned a damaged citizenship certificate and haven't responded to my complaint despiete regular follow ups. It's been 6 months.

I applied for passport on 13 January 2026 from Australia and received it o 26 January 2026, a toatal of 13 days including postage to the UK for suppirting documents and return postage. Every stage of dealing with my application was communicated clearly. Excellent and surprising service

We applied on line with the standard service for £94.50 each and we did our own photos with a mobile phone and and uploaded them. We applied on the Friday and sent our old passports in the post that same day. We received a email and text message on the Monday to say our old passports had been received. Then on the Wednesday we were advised that our application had been approved and the on the Thursday were told that our new passports had been printed and had been handed to the delivery service and they then turned upon the Friday. An amazing service from start to finish and all within one week…….well done all involved

HM Passport Office, Corby Office did a very swift and efficient turnaround on renewal of my Passport - 6 days from an online application in January to safe receipt (tracked mail) at my home! I was kept updated throughout the renewal process by email which saved me worry and wonder.
Thanks and well done Corby Office.

I recently spoke to 3 separate people at the HMPO about not being able to send my passport. I explained that I recently relocated to the USA and need my passport and immigrant VISA stamp as proof of immigration status for ICE. They have been less than helpful. I was told I either send in the expiring or write a letter cancelling the application and reapply when the passport expires or when I no longer need the visa stamp. I cant do either as immigrants have been advised indefinitely to leave their home with proof of immigration.

The non identifiable people I have spoken to have not been helpful or understanding and no procedures to deal with any situations or circumstances are in their workflow.

I am writing this as a husband who has watched his wife break down in tears at an airport, while a government system hid behind “policy” and destroyed something we can never get back.

My wife was previously an Indian citizen. We followed every rule, every process, and every cost the UK system required. We went through settlement visas, extensions, and finally naturalisation — all of which cost thousands of pounds and took years of paperwork, checks, and waiting. At every stage, her name was known legally, consistent, and accepted.

When her Certificate of Naturalisation was issued, her full name was recorded in a single field instead of correctly separating her first name and surname. This single administrative decision — made by the Home Office — created a chain reaction that no department would later take responsibility for.

HM Passport Office then issued her British passport under an “uncommon name” policy, inserting “XXX” into the given name field and placing her actual name entirely in the surname field, with an observation stating she has “one name”. On paper, the passport looked valid. In reality, it was a ticking time bomb.

On the day of travel, my parents and sister boarded the flight. My wife and I were denied boarding at the airport. The airline refused the passport outright. We stood there powerless while our family left without us to the UAE.

This trip was not a holiday we could “rebook later”. It was planned months in advance for my father’s 60th birthday, which is two days from the time of writing this review. A milestone that only happens once. My parents are already abroad. My wife and I are at home, devastated.

We lost thousands of pounds in flights, hotels, activities, parking, and transfers. But the financial loss is secondary to the emotional damage. My wife felt humiliated, helpless, and blamed for something that was entirely outside her control by HMPO call centre staff.

What followed after was even worse.

We contacted HM Passport Office, escalated, complained, booked a premium appointment, involved Citizens Advice, and begged for urgency. Eventually, HM Passport Office confirmed what became painfully clear: this was not their fault. They are legally bound to issue passports exactly as the Certificate of Naturalisation is written. The problem, they said, lies with whoever issued the certificate.

And yet — there is no emergency correction process. No fast-track. No human discretion. No ownership. Just departments pointing at each other while real people absorb the damage.

At no point were we warned when the certificate was issued that this naming format would cause international travel failure. At no point were we contacted in a meaningful way to explain the consequences. At no point did we consent to my wife being treated as a person with “one name”.
Once the error existed, the system washed its hands of us.

This experience has shown us something deeply unsettling: once a mistake enters the Home Office system, the citizen pays the price, not the system. There is no accountability proportional to the harm caused. There is no safety net for urgent, real-life consequences.

We did not ask for special treatment. We asked for a correction to an obvious administrative issue that had already caused serious harm. Instead, we were met with rigid scripts, delays, and silence.
This has caused: • Denial of international travel
• Family separation
• A ruined milestone birthday
• Severe financial loss
• Emotional distress and anxiety
• A complete loss of trust in the system

If you are a naturalised citizen — especially from a country where naming conventions differ — scrutinise your Certificate of Naturalisation before you ever book travel. Because if it’s wrong, you may only find out when you are standing at an airport being told you cannot leave the country.

This system did not just fail administratively.

It failed us as living people.