Thousands of Britons here and in the UK could be facing summer holiday chaos after a growing backlog at the Passport Office means they may not receive their documents on time.
Palma.—Only recently, the British Embassy in Madrid issued a statement reminding expatriates that all passports are now processed in the UK and not to leave it too late to apply for renewal.
Well, it appears that the passport office can not even cope with the demand from Britons resident in the UK.
Some passport applications are taking as much as two months to process, with the backlog reportedly already reaching 500,000.
But, the Passport Office has denied that it is failing to cope with applications, despite claims of severe delays.
Chief executive Paul Pugh said more than 99% of “straightforward applications” were being processed within four weeks.
His comments yesterday followed earlier denials by Home Secretary, Theresa May and the Home Office of major problems in the system.
May said she “understands” the concerns of families hit by the passport crisis and has pledged to deploy more staff to clear the backlog.
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