Travel question of the day: Simon Calder on fast-track passport renewals

Have a travel question that needs answering? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Rules for first passports have become stricter, but renewals should be simple (Shutterstock)

Q We’re flying on our family holiday on 18 August. I applied two weeks ago for a fast-track renewal for my son’s passport – his third. The Passport Office keep saying they’re conducting a security check. What can I do?

Name withheld

A This is puzzling. Although the rules for first passports are now stricter, if it is a renewal then the process should be straightforward. Earlier this year ordinary applications (i.e. without payment for the fast-track service) were going through in a matter of days, and even at the height of summer I am not aware of any particular problems.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the best plan is to call the Passport Office again and ask if the "security check" is connected in any way with the person who countersigned the application. I understand that in a number of similar cases, staff have not been able to contact the referee and and applications have been stalled. This can be for a reason as trivial as a digit wrong in a phone number or a letter adrift in an email address.

If that isn't the sticking point, consider contacting your MP. During the passports crisis two summers ago, when the backlog of passport applications reached half a million, it appeared that cases in which MPs became involved were fast-tracked. While that was beneficial for the families involved, it actually slowed things down overall – because staff were deployed to trace individual applications rather than helping clear the backlog in order of receipt. However, there is no such crisis this summer, and therefore there will be no significant detriment to other families. So I suggest you contact your MP’s office and ask them to get involved. And, assuming the new passport arrives in time, you might want to ask for a refund of the Fast Track fee.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder