Since 2006, Her Majesty’s Passport Office has been issuing UK passports to its citizens, giving them access to the rest of the world. In 2017, allowing British citizens to have visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 173 countries and territories, the British citizen passport was ranked the fourth most powerful passport in the world, preceded by the German passport and citizen passports of Italy and Spain. However, according to an article published by the Independent, the UK did share pole position with the Germans, from 2013 to 2015, before it started slumping in 2016.
UK Passport Renewal Online
Like any other passport, if a UK passport is about to expire or has already expired, the passport holder is expected to renew it before travelling overseas. Moreover, if the passport holder was using a child’s passport in the past and needs to apply for a First Adult Passport, this should be done before planning any foreign trip.
Most individuals find passport renewal a very painful process and end up waiting for hours at the Post Office and Her Majesty’s Passport Office, including facing awkward photo booth sessions. According to an article published by Express.co.uk in March 2017, the UK government has come up with a smooth application process for straightforward passport renewals, which is an online passport renewal service in which the application form reportedly takes just 10 minutes to complete and applicants can upload a digital photo clicked from their smartphone or tablet.
On completion of the online form, however, it will take the standard length of time of around three weeks for your application to get processed and a new passport to be sent to you. Moreover, those who are applying for a first passport, interested in making name changes in their current passport or a new passport after their old passport has been lost or stolen, will not be able to apply online. Are you wondering whether there is a fast track method of passport renewal? Read on.
Emergency Passport Renewal
Do you need an emergency passport renewal? Rapid Passports is an alternate passport service that can get your passport renewal application processed on the same day, the next day or in one week’s time. You would be able to download the UK passport renewal form from their website.
On completion of the application form, you can send it to the agency from your local post office or by courier, along with your current passport, two passport photos, authorization letter and an order form. They will check your documents for accuracy before sending them to Her Majesty’s Passport Office in order to avoid delays and rejections.
The aim of Rapid Passports would remain to get your urgent passport renewal application processed at the earliest bookable appointment date by HM’s Passport Office.