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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Gary Bainbridge

Are you still waiting for a new passport after 10 weeks? Let us know

The Passport Office is seeing "unprecedented demand" because of a post-Covid backlog.

More than 5 million people delayed applying for passports during the pandemic. The eyewatering figure was revealed as the Passport Office responded to "considerable press coverage of people facing holiday cancellations or travel disruption due to waiting times for passports".

Since last year, the Passport Office has been advising people to submit their paperwork 10 weeks in advance. But some people say they have been waiting longer than the advised period, leaving them at risk of cancelling their holiday and losing hundreds of pounds.

READ MORE: Gogglebox’s Ellie Warner breaks silence after boyfriend Nat's horror crash

The huge demand for passports following the Covid pandemic has been worsened by complicated rules following Brexit which mean some Britons cannot use their passport if it is near its expiry date.

Jenny Craig's family face losing £1,000 (Submitted)

Mum-of-two Jenny Craig, 43, told our sister paper the Mirror that she sent off the renewal of her son Isaac's passport 12 weeks ago. This was so he could travel with the rest of the family to Italy in around four weeks' time.

However, they are now facing a race against time as three months after sending off the paperwork, the family still have not had Isaac's new passport arrive. If the trip does not happen, the family stand to lose just under £1,000.

She said: “Each time I call, there is an average time of an hour and a half on hold. I don’t know how many calls I’ve made now.”

And many others have said they are facing similar issues to Jenny.

Are you in the same boat? Are you waiting for a crucial passport, with no idea when - or if - it's going to arrive?

If you have thoughts you want to share then add it in the comments and we'll highlight the best ones as they come in.

The ECHO will be discussing the news with you below in the comments section - and you can take part.

All you have to do is sign up is submit your question, register your details and you can then take part in the discussion. (You can also sign up by clicking on the silhouette on the top right-hand corner of the screen).

Join the conversation with other ECHO readers here.

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