Get your passport on time

Councillor Butler said: “So often when people are looking forward to their ideal holiday, it can all turn into a nightmare simply because people have overlooked if their passports are in order.”

To combat this passport chaos, Mr Butler has issued some advice for those planning to travel abroad this summer.

“Amid the chaotic enjoyment of holiday planning, it’s easy to overlook the issue of current passport validity,” he said.

“There is a need to ensure that correct and up-to-date information is recorded and that the passport has sufficient time left on it before the date of expiry, which is of upmost importance.

“I have personally known individuals make it to the airport, only to be refused entry to the flight due to expired passports.

“You can only imagine the pain and annoyance that this type of situation can cause someone.

“Recently, I have become involved with passport dispute issues and am thankful that the constituents have alerted me to their issue in good time to resolve the matter.

“Had they left the issue another number of weeks, then their planned trip would have been put into jeopardy.

“The current turnaround time for postal applications is about three weeks,” he concluded.

and I applaud the passport office from my own experience as having used its online postal combined service and receiving my items in under the three-week target.”