Fast Track Passport Renewal | Get Your Passport Faster

If you are looking to book travel plans in the next 4 weeks or have already booked and need some help and advice on getting your passport faster, you are in the right place. We have all the tips and tricks to ensure none of your upcoming travel plans are ruined by the lack of a passport.

Urgent Services

Using The Passport Offices urgent services are a great way to get your passport in a hurry, but it is important to know which service will be suitable for your needs as The Passport Office has strict guidelines set out to ensure the safety and security of all customers and travelers.

Fast-Track

The Fast-Track service offers customers a 1 week passport turnaround. These Fast-Track appointments are great for customers that are travelling within the next 4 weeks. You can use this service if you would like

• Lost or stolen passport, adult and child
• Renewal of adult 32/48 page passport
• Adult name change through marriage/civil partnership
• First child passport
• Renewal of child passport
• Renewal for a British national born on or before 2 September 1929

Please note this service is not available for customers needed a first time adult passport.

BOOK 7 DAY PASSPORT

Same Day Service

The premium services offer customers a 1 day passport turnaround. This service is great and efficient but you are limited to which services you can use it for.

• Renewal of 32/48 page passport
• Adult name change through marriage/civil partnership
• Renewal for a British national born on or before 2 September 1929

Please note if your passport is lost or stolen, you need a first time adult or child passport or any other changes you will not be able to use this service.

BOOK 1 DAY PASSPORT

Getting A Passport Appointment

Once you know which service suits your needs best, the next step is to make a passport appointment at your local office. You make appointments either online or by phone. Passport offices are available are the following locations:

The 8 main Passport Offices are located in:
• London
• Newport
• Liverpool
• Belfast
• Durham
• Birmingham
• Glasgow
• Peterborough

When you know what Passport Office you would like to attend it's quick and easy to book an appointment for these urgent services.

What To Do If You Can't Get An Appointment

With peak passport application times approaching rapidly the possibility of you not getting an appointment at your local office is now becoming a reality. Overall, The Passport Office does everything in its power to ensure customers attend appointments at their local office in a reasonable time frame but in peak times this can become very difficult and some customers may have to travel further a field to attend their appointment.

If you are travelling within the next 4 weeks the thought of not getting an appointment in your area and extended waiting period can fill you with dread and put your travel plans on hold or ruin them all together. However, if you are willing to travel an extra hour or two you may be able to get an appointment much quicker.

If you are told by a call centre agent that there aren't any available spaces at your local office ask them to check availability at the next nearest office, you may just find spaces are much easier to come by out of major cities. The agents won't always offer an alternative office so it's vital that you ask them or you could face missing out on an appointment.

Damaged Passports vs Wear And Tear

If you need to renew your passport and you worried about your passport being damaged it's important to clarify just how 'damaged' it actually is. Many people book a 1 week Fast-Track appointment believing their passport is damaged but 7 out of 10 people are finding that in fact their passport merely has wear and tear and they could have been eligible for the 1 day Premium service.

If you have travel plans in the next 2 weeks getting the right passport appointment is crucial. It is important to remember that the urgent appointments only guarantee the 1 week/1 day turnaround if your application is complete and correct and you have all of your relevant supporting documents, if this is not the case you could risk not getting your back in time.

What Is Reasonable Wear And Tear?

• Making sure the are no stains or water marks on any pages
• All the information is clear and readable
• The laminate on your photo page is securely in place
• There are no damaged or missing pages
• The chip is in place and undamaged
• The passport binding is secured and not disintegrated

What Is Classed As Damage?

• Personal details are indecipherable (non-readable).
• The laminate has lifted enough to allow the possibility of photo substitution.
• Discoloration to the bio-data page.
• Chemical or ink spillage on (any page).
• Missing or detached pages
• The chip or antenna shows through the end paper on the back cover for the new style e-passports
• The chip has been identified as damaged following investigation or you have been told the chip is faulty during a border-check

Countersigning Your Application

Some people can find it extremely difficult if not impossible to find someone to countersign their passport application, and this can cause a lot of stress especially with upcoming travel plans. If you are unsure of who can sign your application this could make your search a little easier.

If you are simply renewing your old passport you may be unaware that 95% of passport renewals do not even require a countersignature. Many people get told that they always need their photo and application signed, this is not the case.

However, if you are applying for a first time adult of child passport or you have lost your passport then will definitely need someone to countersign your application for you. Unfortunately there is no getting around that and it is important to understand which applications need what supporting documents.

Sending Multiply Applications

One last little tip we have for you involves sending multiply applications in one envelope. When you collect your passport application the return envelopes sometimes have different addresses on. For instance, if you are applying for applications for your entire family your return envelopes might vary, it might say London, Durham or any of the other Passport Offices. This is merely to evenly distribute postal applications around the country and will not have any affect on your application if your envelope says Durham and you send it to London.

If you are sending multiply applications we understand that even the applications are stressful but knowing all your applications are together in one envelope all going to one destination can give you reassurance. Also it helps if you want to send it via special delivery for that extra bit of peace of mind.


Applying or renewing your passport is an extremely important process and getting it right first time is crucial. Time delays and disrupted travel plans are things that nobody wants, and hopefully with our tips and tricks your applications will be a smooth and hassle free event.