Passport not returned after 10 working days - EEA2 applicati

[leandroisidoro]

Hi,
I applied for a UK Residence Card as the spouse of a European national (EEA2 application). I posted the application along with my documents on May 6th and payment was taken from my credit card on May 9th. On May 23th (after the 10 working days deadline) I requested my documents back using the link "https://www.gov.uk/visa-documents-returned" - without withdrawing the application. After 10 more working days the documents haven't arrived and I reported it using the link "Return of documents - documents not received form". On June 15th (i.e., 16 working days after my initial request) I contacted the Home Office and after 30 min waiting the operator informed that I have to wait for additional 10 working days before calling again.

1) Has anyone experienced something like this before? I have urgent matters in my home country which require my presence and I'm stuck here since I don't have my passport with me.

2) is this additional 10 working days deadline really true? I couldn't find it anywhere.

In addition to the procedure described at the Home Office website I have sent 3 emails to the Liverpool Passport Request and to the Home Office Public Enquires email addresses in order to complain and request my documents.

Important: I didn't choose to withdrawn the application, I just requested the documents back.

[leandroisidoro]

Hi all! After a considerable waste of energy I finally have good news! I thank all related subjects in this forum that helped me to find out the available options for expediting the return of the documents

After the additional 10-working days deadline was due I called the Home Office hotline 03001232253 twice and each operator gave me a different email address to report the delay: rodrequestsect@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk and liverpooleuro.passportreturns@homeoffice...
Surprisingly 2 hours later I got a reply from the Liverpool email saying the documents would arrive the next day via SD. (Obs: i have sent several emails to the liverpool address without reply).

It's worth to mention that I also involved my area's MP (westminster) and he was very helpful. I sent one single email for the two above address and copied the MP. In the end I honestly don't know who was the responsible to make it worked for me (the emails or the involvement of the MP) but at least I now have my passports back.

In summary the experience was very stressful and frustrating because my documents have been returned more than 20 working days after my first request and the home office simply ignored all my attempts during this period. Also, the operators of the hotline are not interested in helping you and sometimes they are very aggressive. Therefore my advice to anyone interested is to disconsider the 10 working days deadline.

[noajthan]

Good to know and thanks for sharing with wider community.

[rmn]

I contacted Home Office for similar reasons and they gave me the "ROD..." address. I have also included the "liverpool..." one mentioned above but I just got an automated reply saying that the email will be deleted. Could you confirm if it was from this second one where you got the answer from?
Any suggestion to solve the passport issue is very welcome, I have contacted my local PM but he does not seem very responsive...
Cheers

[chinkyjoana]

Hi all! After a considerable waste of energy I finally have good news! I thank all related subjects in this forum that helped me to find out the available options for expediting the return of the documents

After the additional 10-working days deadline was due I called the Home Office hotline 03001232253 twice and each operator gave me a different email address to report the delay: rodrequestsect@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk and liverpooleuro.passportreturns@homeoffice...
Surprisingly 2 hours later I got a reply from the Liverpool email saying the documents would arrive the next day via SD. (Obs: i have sent several emails to the liverpool address without reply).

It's worth to mention that I also involved my area's MP (westminster) and he was very helpful. I sent one single email for the two above address and copied the MP. In the end I honestly don't know who was the responsible to make it worked for me (the emails or the involvement of the MP) but at least I now have my passports back.

In summary the experience was very stressful and frustrating because my documents have been returned more than 20 working days after my first request and the home office simply ignored all my attempts during this period. Also, the operators of the hotline are not interested in helping you and sometimes they are very aggressive. Therefore my advice to anyone interested is to disconsider the 10 working days deadline.

Hi..

Me too is on the same boat here. I have requested my passport on the 14th of July and after 10days I still don't receive my passport along with my husband's (EU citizen). I emailed Liverpool office but I received an automated email stating my email will be deleted. Can someone help how I can make the process faster?i need my passport urgently as we have flights booked already.

Thanks

[frustrated_]

I am in the same place with family holidays and business trips emerging.

The internal process for the Home Office is more than questionable. I would rather they stated that there is a high chance that it would well exceed the '10 working days' they have quoted.

I sent my documents away on 10th March 2017 and shortly thereafter asked for a ROD. I wait 10 working days and nothing... get told to fill in the other form and wait an additional 10 working days... nothing. I get told to fill in the form again and wait a further 10 working days... I honestly do not know how anyone is able to get away with such an awful and inefficient process. I even told them I would like to cancel my application in which they replied that it would not change the process in the slightest for having my documents returned.

I got my local MP involved as of today and he has had a fantastic attitude towards this and empathises with the situation (unlike the people you call from the Home Office who are rude and are quick to turn around and say that they cannot help) <-- they can really learn a lesson or two from other businesses and agencies that deal with people.

Regardless, I have booked trips coming up (first one on the 20th April) and I'm really backing my local MP helping me out to ensure my passport is returned in time.

[rahmsye]

I am in the same place with family holidays and business trips emerging.

The internal process for the Home Office is more than questionable. I would rather they stated that there is a high chance that it would well exceed the '10 working days' they have quoted.

I sent my documents away on 10th March 2017 and shortly thereafter asked for a ROD. I wait 10 working days and nothing... get told to fill in the other form and wait an additional 10 working days... nothing. I get told to fill in the form again and wait a further 10 working days... I honestly do not know how anyone is able to get away with such an awful and inefficient process. I even told them I would like to cancel my application in which they replied that it would not change the process in the slightest for having my documents returned.

I got my local MP involved as of today and he has had a fantastic attitude towards this and empathises with the situation (unlike the people you call from the Home Office who are rude and are quick to turn around and say that they cannot help) <-- they can really learn a lesson or two from other businesses and agencies that deal with people.

Regardless, I have booked trips coming up (first one on the 20th April) and I'm really backing my local MP helping me out to ensure my passport is returned in time.

Basically i got mine and my wife passport back but not after several calls. Basically they had sent my passport to me after the first time of asking but they sent it to another address and that person refused the letter so it got sent back to home office. It is only after I called the eea helpline number that I found out about this. Call 0300 123 2253 then option 2 then 2 then 2 again and tell them it has been more than 10 working days and it is a priority they will send them an email then home office should call you. Thats what I did then they resent it to me again. Also make sure you have visa to travel as a COA is not a travel document otherwise you will need to apply for a family permit from outside the UK. Don't take the risk.

[frustrated_]

That's the number I call and the options that I choose, but they refuse to speak to me as I have 'only complained once' i.e. I need to raise another form after an additional 10 working days and only then will they speak to me.

So they want me to have x2 ROD - documents missing forms. And I called the number for the fourth time today and they keep telling me the same thing. I am very tempted to call on Monday and simply just say 'yes - I have waited another 10 working days' if I don't, I'll miss my holiday!

Did everyone else fill in a Return of Document form once and then be told to fill in a Return of Document - Documents not Received form twice, before calling them?

[chrisdmd]

Hi, I am in a very similar situation. Have sent ROD end of April, send second form 10 working days later and now waiting but no response. I was wondering what happened in the end with yours? Did you get your passport back? Did it help involving an MP?

That's the number I call and the options that I choose, but they refuse to speak to me as I have 'only complained once' i.e. I need to raise another form after an additional 10 working days and only then will they speak to me.

So they want me to have x2 ROD - documents missing forms. And I called the number for the fourth time today and they keep telling me the same thing. I am very tempted to call on Monday and simply just say 'yes - I have waited another 10 working days' if I don't, I'll miss my holiday!

Did everyone else fill in a Return of Document form once and then be told to fill in a Return of Document - Documents not Received form twice, before calling them?

I am in the same place with family holidays and business trips emerging.

The internal process for the Home Office is more than questionable. I would rather they stated that there is a high chance that it would well exceed the '10 working days' they have quoted.

I sent my documents away on 10th March 2017 and shortly thereafter asked for a ROD. I wait 10 working days and nothing... get told to fill in the other form and wait an additional 10 working days... nothing. I get told to fill in the form again and wait a further 10 working days... I honestly do not know how anyone is able to get away with such an awful and inefficient process. I even told them I would like to cancel my application in which they replied that it would not change the process in the slightest for having my documents returned.

I got my local MP involved as of today and he has had a fantastic attitude towards this and empathises with the situation (unlike the people you call from the Home Office who are rude and are quick to turn around and say that they cannot help) <-- they can really learn a lesson or two from other businesses and agencies that deal with people.

Regardless, I have booked trips coming up (first one on the 20th April) and I'm really backing my local MP helping me out to ensure my passport is returned in time.

Basically i got mine and my wife passport back but not after several calls. Basically they had sent my passport to me after the first time of asking but they sent it to another address and that person refused the letter so it got sent back to home office. It is only after I called the eea helpline number that I found out about this. Call 0300 123 2253 then option 2 then 2 then 2 again and tell them it has been more than 10 working days and it is a priority they will send them an email then home office should call you. Thats what I did then they resent it to me again. Also make sure you have visa to travel as a COA is not a travel document otherwise you will need to apply for a family permit from outside the UK. Don't take the risk.

[Elizabella]

I can confirm the Liverpool email address deletes your mail. Let's see what the ROD email address does.

[Elizabella]

In the end I emailed a very long and detailed recounting of events to the ROD email address and CC-ed my MP and Mark Thomson (Director General). I received a reply later that morning from the Home Office File Management Team (LNCW) explaining that my passport had been lost in the post with Royal Mail and that they had received it back that morning. They sent it out by guaranteed special delivery and I received it a couple of days later.

It took 7 weeks total to get my passport and a lot of frustrating and possibly useless (?) phone calls and document return request forms.

My MP's assistant responded later after everything had been sorted to confirm that it was resolved. CC-ing him may have been useful, but he obviously had not had time to get directly involved before the Home Office stepped up and sent me my documents.

I think the email title may be important for getting attention as their inbox may be flooded. I used: "Outstanding return of documents request - Home Office - 34 working days"

My hope was that highlighting how over target it was would put up red flags for their performance tracking system.

[perafelix]

I share my experience, I had the same thing: requested to have the passport returned, didn't happen, 1st ROD, 2nd ROD, called many times and always told to wait 10 more working days.
I suggest you to contact your local MP asap and get his/her assistance. After contacting him i had the passport back in 1 day. However you must have the 2 ROD numbers therefore in any case you have to wait 10+10 = 20 working days before calling them and the MP to help you. I actually issued the 2nd ROD before the 10 working days have expired

[VaniElze]

Hi,

I'm writing you kindly asking your help because UK Home Office is keeping my wife passport since 25 Apr.
Could you please provide me with the link/instructions to download the referred ROD?
I do not have experience in regard.

Grazie
Vani