London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Passport delays force long queues in heatwave

Passport delays force long queues in heatwave

Mounting delays at the Passport Office have forced would-be holidaymakers to queue for hours to receive their documents during Monday's heatwave.

Officials have previously said that people should allow 10 weeks for approval of a new passport.

But many of those who spoke to BBC News in London said they had been waiting much longer.

The Passport Office said 98.5% of the 3 million recent applications were completed within 10 weeks.

Those queueing in the heat on Monday were handed bottled water by staff.

Long queues had formed around London's Passport Office on Monday - one of seven national centres - with a number of people having been there for hours.

There were two separate queues - one for those with appointments, and one for those without.

Staff hand out bottles of water to help people in the queue deal with the heat


Many of the people who spoke to BBC News had been waiting longer than the 10 weeks flagged by officials as the expected response time.

They spoke of their frustration at having to attend London's Passport Office with just days before they are due to leave the country.

Shehraji Nessa, a nursery manager, said that she had been waiting for two hours outside the building in Victoria.

She had made an online application on 8 May, but is yet to receive her passport.

"I'm due to fly out next Monday and I'm worried I'm going to lose out on my family holiday," she said.

Some, like Baleegh Nawaz and Kevin Siu, have queued outside the office multiple times as they aim to get their passports.

"They don't really give you any answers," said Baleegh. "They usually tell you to come back if there's 48 hours or less before your flight.

"I've got a flight tomorrow to catch. It's an emergency case, I need to get my passport".

Kevin said that he had applied for his passport on 26 May after his passport was stolen, but that this was his third time queuing outside the building.

"But today is an extra hot day, so you can see that people are suffering especially elderly men."

Charlotte Evans says she might have to spend her birthday alone, as she is still waiting for her passport


Charlotte Evans, a healthcare assistant, had been waiting for an hour after growing frustrated as she did not get anywhere when phoning the passport helpline.

"I thought the only option I had was to come. I'm meant to be going on holiday on Saturday with my family for my birthday, but I might be spending my birthday alone now".

A HM Passport Office spokesperson said: "Between March and May, we processed approximately three million applications, and 98.5% of applications were completed within 10 weeks. But we cannot compromise security checks and people should apply with plenty of time prior to travelling.

"For the small percentage of customers whose applications take longer than ten weeks, there is an expedited service at no additional cost to help ensure that they receive their passport ahead of their travel."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×