UK passport with Post Office Check & Send - support docs returned by secure delivery?

sugob

When renewing my UK passport using Post Office 'Passport Check & Send' service [extra £8.75], does include the £3 fee for the Passport Office to return my supporting docs using secure delivery [rather than the normal second class mail]?

Was going to pay the Passport Office the extra £3 to have my supporting document [i.e. old passport] returned by secure delivery. However the missus took my application to the post office and paid them £81.25 [72.50 + 8.75] for the 'Passport Check & Send' - as this sends application 'special delivery' [cost > £6 by itself] it doesn't look like it does. The Post Office counters guy said it would be returned special delivery but I think he may be confused by the new passport being returned by secure delivery [and he took out the credit card slip that I filled out with blank amount that came with the 'how to fill in application' guide ]

Also, while looking at Passport Office site, it says "Your previous passport will be returned with your new one." [see following link] - I was expecting them to come separately. Is this correct?

www dot gov dot uk slash renew-adult-passport

Thanks for any help

M

stephb34

My daughters old passport came back Friday by normal post and the new one came on sunday by courier and had to be signed for.

benjus

Yes, I'm pretty sure you get the supporting documents separately in normal post unless you tick the box and pay the extra fee.

Siren1974

I work for the PO. The £8.75 covers the cost of special delivery to get your application to HMPO which alone is £6.22. HMPO will send your new passport back securely by courier and the old is cancelled and returned by 2nd class post. Any supporting documents such as birth/marriages certificates are also returned as standard by 2nd class post. The extra £3 charge will get them back securely. The slip for payment should have been retruned to you or destroyed (for security) as full payment is taken in branch. Hope that helps

sugob

Thanks everyone

What I really wanted was to be able to use the 'Passport Check & Send' service at £81.25 AND pay an additional £3 to return my old passport securely - this doesn't seem possible.

I thought that may be able to pay PO the £81.25 and still include the payment slip for £3 that HMPO would then use to upgrade the return of old passport to secure post but [according to the missus who went to the PO] this was not possible [counter staff seemed unsure what was being asked]

Seems a bit mad that supporting docs are not returned securely - if the docs are important enough for HMPO to require to authenticate your application, then surely you'd want them back as securely as possible [and HMPO would equally not want them to be intercepted and possibly misused]

I suppose to get what I wanted, I should have used slip to pay HMPO £75.50 [72.50 (passport application) + 3 (return docs secure)] and pay the PO £6.22 to send to HMPO special delivery i.e. £82.72 total

M

Siren1974

The PO should have given you the option of paying to have your supporting documents returned securely. The £3 upgrade has to be answered before the process can complete. It's possible that the clerk may have assumed (if you had no birth/marriage certificates etc) that it was not required and just clicked through the option without querying it.

sugob

Thanks again Siren1974

On checking again with missus [who went to the PO], she seemed confused exactly what she asked for

Good to know there should be the option at PO of paying the £3 for secure docs return

Cheers

M