An Edinburgh mum has shared how she may have to tell her young son his long-awaited holiday is cancelled if her passport fails to arrive in time.
Just days away from her planned trip to Greece, Rachel Johnson told Edinburgh Live how the getaway was set to be a well-earned rest for herself and her seven-year-old after an incredibly difficult year for them both.
Planned as their first holiday since the pandemic, the pair are due to fly out to the holiday destination on July 7, where they would be meeting up with her parents for a week in the sun.
Local early years teaching assistant Rachel shared how the holiday had been something for her son to look forward to, after he was recently diagnosed with a chromosome disorder which often laves him feeling so anxious "he doesn't want to go to school".
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The family had also experienced extreme heartbreak earlier this year when Rachel lost a baby and so were hoping the holiday would give them both some well-needed respite. Rachel ordered her passport on April 23 and it was processed on April 28, exactly 10 weeks to the date of their flight to the Mediterranean.
The UK Home Office advises allowing for up to 10 weeks for a new passport to be issued. Counting down the weeks to departure, mum-of-one Rachel heard nothing and so contacted the passport office but says she was given no clear answer on the progress of her application.
Watching her sister receive hers after only three weeks, she said: "I'm now at nine and a half weeks and there's no movement, it's horrible, I've called them every single day and there's nothing they can do.
"I've been going through a hard time, my son was going through a diagnosis for genetic testing, I'd already lost a baby and it was really really hard.
"My son was kind of exhibiting bad behaviour problems and we went to the genetic testing and found out he has the same chromosome deletion as my former partner so he's really struggling.
"So I thought okay we're going to get away and have a nice time so we booked it in April so I put my application through on April 23 and they received them on the 28.
"I'm due to fly soon and I'm so stressed, I've just had this diagnosis and had so much to contend with and I'm trying to take one step at a time but we're still getting his kidneys tested, checks for diabetes and dealing with the passport stress, it's so much to take on."
Unsure if the documentation will be able to arrive with just days to spare, Rachel shared she may be forced to tell her son the holiday to turn around the "worst year of their lives" might not happen.
She added: "I gave the time that they offered, I haven't been abroad for two years, my son and me have gone through a huge trauma, we lost a baby, he lost his sister, and my son is now really struggling at school, it's been a horrible year and it will be about two grand we will lose if I don't get this passport.
"We've been left on the edge of our seats for days and I haven't slept, I've tried to request an upgrade but no one is getting back to me I haven't heard anything."
"He's struggling at school, he's got kidney abnormalities, he's having such a hard time of it, how am I supposed to turn round to him and tell him this holiday he has been so looking forward to just isn't going to happen.
"I know it's just a holiday but to him it's so much more than that."
A HM Passport Office spokesperson said:
“Since April 2021, we’ve clearly stated that people should allow up to ten weeks when applying for their passport. Between March and May, 98.5% of applications were completed within this published processing time.
“However, a passport will not be issued until all checks have been satisfactorily completed, and we advise not to book travel without a passport that meets your travel needs.”
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