Can I go out of the country during the processing period of EEA residence card?

[niloy]

The given waiting period is 6 months. About 3 months have passed since I applied. However, something big came up in my home country and I need to urgently visit there to resolve the issue. I have a second passport with me (one without the UK visa attached). If I leave the country with that, will it affect my application? I have family members in UK who can receive the card if they decide to give it to me, so that isn't a problem. I am more concerned about the status of my application. Will it get cancelled if I don't stay in UK during the waiting period?

[kamoe]

The given waiting period is 6 months. About 3 months have passed since I applied.

From latest timelines here, 6 months seems to be the timeframe for the more complex cases, the average seems to be between 1-3 months.

I have a second passport with me (one without the UK visa attached). If I leave the country with that,

WIthout a visa, and if you are an otherwise visa-required national, you will need to apply for a EEA Family Permit abroad to get back into the UK again.

will it affect my application?

No. You application will continue normally, the issue is how to get back into the UK again without a visa.

I have family members in UK who can receive the card if they decide to give it to me, so that isn't a problem.

I have a number of different experiences while receiving passports and documents. When using prepaid envelopes, for example, sometimes you have to show a photo id to receive it or pick it up at the post office, sometimes you don't. If you have an extra valid photo id of yourself, like a UK driver's licence your family can show, this will be ok (But this might not be necessary, again I have sometimes needed this, sometimes not).

I am more concerned about the status of my application. Will it get cancelled if I don't stay in UK during the waiting period?

No. You application will continue normally, the issue is how to get back in again without a visa.

[kamoe]

Forgot to mention that another option to avoid having to apply for a Family Permit abroad is to request your other passport back (if the visa in it is still valid) while your EEA is in progress here (note you need to specify that you do NOT want to withdraw your application!!!): https://www.gov.uk/visa-documents-returned