Passports Office Avis 

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.

If any MP’s out there that can be bothered to read all the negative reviews maybe you could use your powers and sort this shambles of a department out. The positive reviews are down to the excellent on-line service. If you need a name change then it’s a very stressful experience. The department is not fit for purpose.

Outstanding speed via online renewal. Texts sent for every stage of progress.
Used photo box ID. Easy. This a new and invigorated passport office service.
Congratulations !!
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Posted my application 2nd class post a week ago.
From receipt the Passport office kept me advised of progress throughout the process.
My new Passport arrived yesterday .Too less than a week, and this was standard service 2nd class post

Great service. We renewed our passports quickly and efficiently. We were kept informed and updated at every stage of the process. Why can't other government departments and processes be this efficient?

Sent all documentation for a surname change, I had called ahead an confirmed that the documents I was sending would be acceptable and told yes there would be no problems.
Then received an email to say one of the documents weren't accepted.
Then sent a different piece of documentation and now no updates on application, have checked the online process updates and there haven't been any for weeks.
Called today and a lady wouldn't tell me anything, kept saying we can't say if documents been received, you will receive an update on your application in your online tracker when necessary.
Poor customer service and poor tracker with no updates for weeks.

I was needing to get my passport done for the first time since I was a child. Plus I live overseas in America. Once I got the photo figured out, there are no places here in America that do passport photos to UK standards. I did the online application, got confirmation and then sent my documents to the passport office. From the time I submitted the application to the time everything was done and back in my hands, was 9 DAYS. Fantastic job! 9 days and i had my new passport in my hand! Unbelievable service, and it was during the Christmas holiday time.

I was quite anxious about our passport issue. It is a formal and quiet environment so can feel quite tense. I was dealt with a lovely lady called Rosa. She was kind and reassuring and put me at ease. She also went out of her way to let me know someone in the London office was looking at our case, which she didn’t need to do and kept me hopeful for the passport’s arrival!
I’ve done 4 stars as despite being pretty empty I waited a while.

First class service over the holiday period

Could not have been better. We can only hope that this level of service could be rolled out all over the UK!

Past guideline times, customer service unable to give any information. They can keep the application as long as they feel like as well as payment for the passport application and your documents. I thought getting this passport sorted will be quicker, however I should have made alternative arrangements. Massive fail and awful service

Very very good - fast, informative throughout process. Very impressed

Brilliant service for a routine passport renewal. Completed form online including digital photos from a local supermarket Photo Booth on Thursday. Posted old passport same day. New passport popped through letterbox on Tuesday!!! Well done the passport office and thank you!

The online renewal process was quick and easy. 5 days to get a new passport and I was updated on progress at every stage. I don’t normally write reviews but I felt that this deserved one

Excellent service.Updated us on all stages of process.Quick and very efficient...highly recommend!

Absolutely spot on 5* service. We applied via the Gov.UK website on Thursday 13th November. Immediately receiving confirmation of our completed application, & payment. A request, with full instructions to return our old passport followed, which would be linked to our new passport application once it was received. On 17th November we received text & email confirmation of receipt of our old passport. Followed on 19th November for a further image. As the original passport image was not suitable. Within 20 seconds of uploading the requested image. We received confirmation that the image was acceptable. And our new passport would be with us within 5 days.
On 21st November we again received text, & email confirmation that our passport was in transit, via Royal Mail tracked delivery.
The following morning 22nd November. We received our shiny new passport. With further instructions of our old passport to follow separately in the post.
On 25th November our process was complete. With our old passport dropping through our letterbox.
12 days including the Saturday & Sunday. Our application was completed.
Throughout the process we were informed by text & email of every stage of the application.
Well done to all the staff involved.
An exceptional 5* service, which included the super easy online application process.