Lost passport- sent by first class Royal Mail, never received

[DonMev]

I sent my passport by first class Royal Mail on the 5th (first week) of February to the Security Industry Authority. They say that they haven't received it and now Im worried its lost in circulation. Its the 10th March as I am writing this.

It was my first time sending mail and the guy at the post office didn't advise me to send it through special delivery.

I checked the Royal Mail website and they said that all undeliverable mail gets sent to the National Returns Centre where they try to return to sender and if it's a passport, they will send it to the person's high commission/embassy. https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app ... my-mail%3F <<< the Royal Mail website FAQ section that said this.

Does anyone know if this has actually happened?

I don't want to have to spend £300 to get a new a passport. Im extremely worried and I have my mid-term exams on top of all this stress.

[seagul]

It was a costly mistake because you should have used the signed for recorded delivery. SIA may also accept the postoffice certified copy.

[DonMev]

It was a costly mistake because you should have used the signed for recorded delivery. SIA may also accept the postoffice certified copy.

Thank you. The last thing I need is condescension x

[seagul]

It was a costly mistake because you should have used the signed for recorded delivery. SIA may also accept the postoffice certified copy.

Thank you. The last thing I need is condescension x

Maybe you mean compensation. Yes you can if you have receipt/proof of posting.

https://www.royalmail.com/retail-compen ... ge#Summary

[Zerubbabel]

I spoke with someone who works at a passport office in an Embassy in London and he told me that they deal daily with people who lost their passport during an immigration application. Some are lost by Royal Mail but some are even lost by the Home Office.

You probably need to declare it lost and see with your Consulate/Embassy how to get a new one.

[Zerubbabel]

Also, I don't think that @seagul meant to be condescending.

You posted about your issue but many will Google and read it in the future. So it's important to point out what was the issue here.

The lesson here is to use a tracked and signed for passport.

I also recommend to use these silver plastic envelopes provided by Royal Mail or any reinforced envelopes. Normal white or recycled paper envelopes can get destroyed by the sorting machines especially when they contain something like a passport.

[seagul]

condescending (arrogant/patronising) seems an irrelevant word here and many phones have auto dictionary which triggers automatically many words itself. I wish the op have studied earlier on the sia website that notarised copies can also be sent:

Unless we explicitly say otherwise you must send us the original physical documents, not scans or photocopies.

We will accept a notarised copy of a passport from a suitably accredited notary in the country in which you reside. This is because in some cases it is impractical or illegal for passports to be posted outside of their country of issue. The notarised copy must be accompanied by a signed and dated cover letter from the notary​. The copy of the passport and the cover letter must both be stamped with the notary's official stamp.

https://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pages ... roups.aspx