Our daughter's foreign passport is stuck on a Home Office application. What are the options if we need to travel soon?

Our daughter's foreign passport is stuck on a Home Office application. What are the options if we need to travel soon? - White Two-story Concrete Building Under Blue Sky

We are about to travel from the UK to Greece on holidays in the next 10 days. 5 ½ months ago we submitted our documentation to the Home Office to register our 2 year old as British citizen which included her Greek passport. We‘ve already submitted 2 official requests for her passport to be returned and also send 2 letter with the request reference numbers to the department dealing with our daughters application. We haven’t heard anything back from them as of today.

Our options are limited and none is really ideal:

  1. Withdrawing her application would probably trigger a faster return, however this means a cost of approx. £800.
  2. Getting emergency documents from the Greek embassy requires us to declare the passport lost which could potentially also harm the application as it will be triggered as cancelled if they check following cancellation.
  3. Getting in direct contact with the Home Office is also not possible until 6 full months have passed.
  4. Getting emergency documents from the UK could in theory be possible if the Greek embassy denies to issue a passport, but somehow “We will not issue a passport because you already have one” doesn’t strike me as a valid reason.

Do we have any other options? Till now, the best option I can see is to declare her passport lost and travel on emergency travel documents.






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How do I get an emergency passport UK?

How can I get a passport urgently?
  • Telephone: 0300 222 0000.
  • From outside the UK: +44 (0)300 222 0000.


  • Can you travel without a passport UK?

    Passports. You will need a current passport if you are travelling abroad and for many domestic flights within the UK. It is your responsibility to ensure your passport is up to date. Some countries require UK passports to be valid for at least six months after the date you are due to leave their country.

    How long does it take to get an emergency passport UK?

    How long it will take. Your emergency travel document will normally be ready 2 working days after you apply. It may take longer because of coronavirus (COVID-19).

    How long does it take to get a travel document UK?

    How long does it take to get a Travel Document in the UK? After submitting the online application form for a Travel Document and sending two passport-size photographs in the post, you should normally receive your new Travel Document within 3 months.



    To Our Daughter




    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Mark Dalton, SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS, Alex Cooper, Kaique Rocha