Application Timeline, first passport after naturalisation
Passport for: Adult
Method of application: Online
Passport office: Hemel Hempstead
Application submitted: 19/02/2025 (3:30 pm)
Email sent to person confirming identity: 20/02/2025 (8:06am ; the First person I asked was declined as he apparently didn't meet the requirement, even if on paper he did, and no justification was given)
Identity details received: 20/02/2025 (8:10 am)
Application received: 20/02/2025 (8:10 am)
Documents posted: 20/02/2025 (9:48 am ; Royal Mail Special delivery)
Documents delivered: 21/02/2025 (8:31 am)
Documents acknowledged: 24/02/2025 (8:14 am)
Application approved: pending
(Passport Advice Line mentioned there was a mistake in my Certificate of Naturalisation, the examiner asked for clarification to UKVI Office on 24/02/2025, 2 weeks later they have not heard back)
Passport printed: pending
Passport dispatched: pending
Passport received: pending
Documents returned: pending (Please look at my comments below)
Request for supporting documents to be returned on 27/02/2025:
I contacted the Passport Advice Line (PAL) to return my documents as I needed to travel on 07/03/2025 due to an unplanned critical business meeting. They mentioned that this should be possible by submitting a request to
CSMTupload@hmpo.gov.uk. I immediately sent the request and got an automated email saying that the request would be actioned in 2 working days, which should have been on 03/03/2025, giving me plenty of time.
After this, the CSMT (Customer Service Management Team) went silent. They acknowledge my email on 03/03/2025 in their internal system but until today (1 week later) they have not sent my documents. This is even calling twice per day to the PAL, and multiple agents messaging directly the CSMT Team saying this was urgent. PAL agents have been very helpful confirming that this is usually an easy process, but the CSMT has constantly ignored their messages.
On 05/03/2025 an agent raised an internal escalation, and the CSMT Team was supposed to call me directly that day or the following morning. I did not get the call until Friday (07/03/2025), the CSMT Agent told me that she would escalate further and ask for an immediate processing of my request. I called again and as of today (10/03/2025) at 3 pm, an agent confirmed that she can see the actioning request in the system but the documents have not yet been sent.
As you can imagine I'm incredibly frustrated as not only this should have been an easy request on paper, but given the CSMT Team inefficency, I lost a lot of money on plane tickets and further changes, not counting the fact that I have a contract at risk given my inability to travel these days. The CSMT offered a turnaround time of 2 days, and it's now more than 10 days without an answer. An agent advised me to raise an Official Complaint in the government's website, which I did last week, but they take up 15 working days to give an answer, which is useless in this situation.
)
(I paid for secure delivery). But overall, the whole process took just over a week, so I am happy.