Passport Office must be ‘better prepared’ for 2023 rush

A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that an estimated five million people delayed renewing their passports in 2020 and 2021 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a rush of applications as international travel opened up earlier this year. 

Forecasts suggest that at least three million of these people have still not renewed their passports, which will create another year of high demand in 2023.

NAO said that the Passport Office (HMPO) received 7.2 million passport applications between January and September 2022, with 95% receiving their new document within the 10-week target period. But 360,000 applicants had to wait longer with “possible consequences for their travel plans”.

While the Passport Office was able to process a record number of applications this year, delays were caused for “hundreds of thousands” of people due to several factors such as recruitment challenges, limitations in processing applications digitally and “unsuccessful efforts” to manage demand.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, urged the Passport Office to “learn the lessons from this year’s experience so it is better prepared for higher-than-average demand expected in 2023”.

“The NAO encourages HMPO to focus on improving how it manages customer expectations, improving its management information and working with the Home Office to develop a more flexible approach to managing higher demand for its services,” said Davies.

“HM Passport Office processed a record number of applications amid unprecedented demand. 

“But limitations in its systems, coupled with difficulties in keeping up with higher-than-average numbers of customers contributed to delays for hundreds of thousands of people, creating anxiety for those with travel plans and hampering people’s ability to prove their identity.”

HMPO is expecting another 9.8 million passport applications in 2023, which is still well above the pre-Covid annual average of 7 million.