Holidaymakers have been urged to not make mistakes on their passport application forms to ensure they receive the important travel document on time.
HM Passport Office has seen an ‘unprecedented demand’ for travel documents in recent weeks.
Figures released by the body revealed that it had processed more than one million applications in March - which is the highest monthly output on record.
It is expected that 9.5 million British passport applications will be sent through in 2022 as holidaymakers prepare to catch up on the last two years of missed holidays due to changing Covid restrictions.
People have been advised to get their applications as soon as possible, with the ‘vast majority’ being dealt with within 10 weeks, the Passport Office said.
But ‘incomplete’ or ‘missing information’ could result in travellers missing out on the important document.
Holidaymakers have also been urged to apply for their passport online and use a high quality photo with a digital code in their application.
“In preparation for the demand for international travel returning, since April 2021, HMPO has been advising people to allow up to 10 weeks when applying to for their British passport”, the Passport Office said in a statement.
“The vast majority of all passport applications are being dealt with well within 10 weeks.
“However, a passport can only be issued once all the checks have been completed satisfactorily and will take longer is applications are submitted with missing or incomplete information.”
The Passport Office also said that it is ‘prepared extensively’ for a further uptick in demand over the coming months.
This includes increasing staff numbers by 500 since April last year, while they are said to be in the process of recruiting a further 700 members of staff.
The statement adds: “And it is important to stress, you should not book travel until you have a valid passport – your new passport will not have the same passport number as your old one.”
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