Passport application - 2nd request to confirm identity

[aadubaal]

I am applying for first adult passport after naturalisation. Application was submitted on 2 November 2021, and my referee confirmed my identity on the same day.

Now, well into the fourth week, I received another email from the Passport Office saying "Your passport application is on hold because we need to confirm your identity. We can’t print your new passport until your identity is confirmed."

I am slightly worried. What happened here? Is a second request normal? Why wasn't the first identity confirmation accepted? Is this going to delay the process?

Does the line "we can't print your new passport..." mean that passport is effectively approved, but the Passport Office, for some reason, needs a second confirmation before they send it to me? Am I reading too much into the line?

Will it help if I call the passport helpline and ask them what's going on here?

[chssvi]

Hi. We recently had the same issue with my wife's passport application (1st passport after naturalisation). reading some of the previous posts here, even when people asked HMPO they weren't given a reason.

We just asked someone else to do it and, to our surprise, the next day we got another request to confirm identity again. Went for a third, completely different person and this time it went ahead and the passport application was approved the next day.

I assume that it is because the original person did not meet some of the criteria (although we were convinced that they did). I think I saw an older thread of someone who had been asked seven times.

In any case, we already had three more people lined up to help in case the third got rejected again. I suggest you (and anyone applying) does the same. Rather than wasting time trying to figure out what happened and worrying, just have more people lined up to confirm you identity immediately after the request to avoid any further delays.

I really don't understand why they can't give feedback on why someone else is needed, but can't do anything to change the process so best just to do as instructed.

[aadubaal]

I really don't understand why they can't give feedback on why someone else is needed, but can't do anything to change the process so best just to do as instructed.

Thanks - this is the exact conclusion I reached today morning. Yesterday was more of a righteous anger kinda thing, because I too, am convinced, and have documentary proof that the first person ticked all boxes. So, I have got the other person do it for me now. I will try and line up others as well.

THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!

[chssvi]

Yes, I know. First time we worried a bit wondering whether there was something wrong with the application and whether the whole process was going to start all over again. The second time we were more frustrated but we already had the third candidate so got them to verify identity pretty much within an hour of receiving the new request. We were already preparing for the third request but then we got the approval.

Good luck and hopefully there won't be too many iterations left to go!

[Alandiego]

I’m the same boat… documents received on 11/11 asked to confirm again since last Thursday and nothing.