Passport Office workers across the UK will strike for five weeks next month, meaning anyone in need of a new document could experience delays.
More than 1,000 members of the Public Commercial Services (PCS) union in Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport will walk out from April 3 to May 5, while those in Belfast will strike from April 7 to May 5.
The union warned that escalations in long running disputes over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security will likely have a "significant impact" passport deliveries in the lead up to summer. As of now, officials are offering a two per cent pay rise for workers, but union bosses are asking for this to raised to 10 per cent.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This escalation of our action has come about because, in sharp contrast with other parts of the public sector, ministers have failed to hold any meaningful talks with us, despite two massive strikes and sustained, targeted action lasting six months.
“Their approach is further evidence they’re treating their own workforce worse than anyone else. They’ve had six months to resolve this dispute but for six months have refused to improve their 2% imposed pay rise, and failed to address our members’ other issues of concern.
“They seem to think if they ignore our members, they’ll go away. But how can our members ignore the cost-of-living crisis when 40,000 civil servants are using foodbanks and 45,000 of them are claiming the benefits they administer themselves?"
Last April, the Home Office said that passport services were met with "unprecedented demand" for applications as travel resurged after Covid lockdown restrictions were lifted. At this time, the Home Office has not responded to claims made by PCS.
Read below to find out how the fresh strikes could impact your summer holidays.
How long could my new passport take to arrive?
The government advises that applicants should allow up to 10 weeks for a standard passport - which costs £82.50 - to arrive after all documents are received.
With five weeks of strikes, this could mean that anyone who applies for a new one early next week, around April 24, may not receive it until the last week of June.
Can I apply for a fast track passport?
As of now, services that can fast track the process, which can produce a passport in one week, should still be available during strike action.
However, this option costs significantly more than the general application - £155. Premium passport applications offer the quickest turnaround with a new passport in one day, but that will set you back £193.50.
It is also likely that strike action will delay these more costly methods, all though the Home Office have not confirmed specific delays.
On February 2, 2023, the Home Office raised passport application fees by around 9 per cent, with extra revenue going towards improving government services.
A standard online passport renewal remains the cheapest option, going from £75.50 yo £82.50 for an adult and £49 to £53.50 for a child. The price to apply for a passport through the standard paper form rose from £83 to £85, while increasing to £54 from £58.50 for kids.
Fast-track passports, which renew them within a week, prices rising to £155 for adults and £126 for children. This is £13 and £4 up respectively from the current price of £142 and £122.
For those who need the quickest turnaround, the premium passport services, which get you a new passport within the same day, are going up by nearly £20 to £193.50.
The same fees apply regardless of whether you're applying for your first passport, renewal or to replace a lost, stolen or damaged passport.
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