UK holidaymakers have been issued a '10 day warning' if they want to ensure they will not see holidays cancelled amid huge delays in passport delays.
Home Office minister Kevin Foster has already warned people hoping to travel abroad this summer should apply to renew outdated passports “as soon as possible”, a minister has warned as the Passport Office faces huge backlogs.
The British passport office has been inundated with applications as people look to book summer holidays after years of disruption amid the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: UK passport warning to one million Brits who face seeing their summer holiday cancelled
Wait times are up to 10 weeks as Kevin Foster told MPs in April: “To put that into context, we usually deal with seven million in a whole year.
“We would advise people this is a very, virtually unprecedented surge in demand, and if people are planning to travel this summer we would advise them to get their application in as soon as possible.”
10-day warning to Brits going on holiday this summer
The passport office currently advises applicants to give up to 10 weeks before their holiday to ensure they receive their passport.
Following this advice, the cut-off time to ensure you have passports in time for the school summer holidays is next week.
For many schools, the summer holidays begin on 25th July meaning to make sure you allow 10 weeks you will need to get your applications in before Friday, 13th May.
Average waiting times are currently shorter however with some travellers have reported much longer wait times so it will pay to get applications in early, especially given the change in passport rules.
Last month, Labour MP Stephanie Peacock, for Barnsley East, raised the case of a mother who submitted her daughter’s passport application in January – five months in advance of their holiday next week – but has yet to receive one.
Ms Peacock told MPs: “What is the minister doing to address the unacceptable delays in passport applications?”
Home Secretary Priti Patel said ministers would examine the case, noting: “That’s a very, very unusual delay. There must be a problem.”
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