A British gay couple who paid a surrogate to deliver their baby boy in Cyprus has been stuck in the country for almost three months because of the passport office’s “insane incompetence”.
James and Ian Buckley-Walker spent more than £20,000 on hotels, flights and legal fees during their enforced stay after arriving in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus in March to collect their son Henry.
Henry was born on April 2, but the couple will not be able to fly home to the UK until he is issued a UK passport.
His parents have been torn between three different passport offices in Bootle, Corby and Durham, repeatedly asking for documents already received by staff processing their application.
Speaking to MailOnline, 39-year-old James said: ‘The insane incompetence of the passport office is simply breathtaking.
James and Ian Buckley-Walker spent more than £20,000 on hotels, flights and legal fees during their enforced stay after arriving in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus in March to collect their son Henry
Henry was born on April 2, but the couple will not be able to fly home to the UK until he is issued a UK passport
‘One time they rejected the application because there was no signature. I had to point out that it was an online application and so was an electronic signature. It was what they had asked for.
“We are just so frustrated and would like to go home with our son. Ian has been unable to work and I have been flying to and from Cyprus. It cost us over £20,000.’
The couple’s passport nightmare began days after their son Henry was born.
They only intended to stay in Cyprus until a passport was issued allowing them to fly back to the UK.
All necessary paperwork – including a birth certificate. documentation from their attorney – was filed on April 16.
Ten days later, they received confirmation that the application had been received.
The couple requested that the new passport be sent to their attorney who had acted for them during the surrogacy process and provided his address.
Three weeks later, they received an email informing the couple that the documents they had sent did not have an original signature.
The couple’s passport nightmare began days after their son Henry was born
They are shunted between three different passport offices in Bootle, Corby and Durham
James, a project manager from Clapham, South London, said: ‘It was just unbelievable that they asked for a signed document when they knew it was an online application.
“When I spoke to the office they said they use a letter template for replies, although that was irrelevant to me and Ian. The incompetence was staggering.”
In a later email, James, who is originally from Australia, was asked to send his naturalization certificate to another passport office.
He said: ‘That was at home and so a big problem. They already knew I was a British citizen and had a copy of my passport, but I had to fly back to London and send it in the next day.
“I just didn’t understand why they were asking for those documents now. They also asked for another £10 and said the figure on the application was wrong.’
Once they were told by an email from the passport staff that they had not received the documentation, even though it was sent by registered mail and signed for.
James said they are being forced to leave their hotel in Famagusta in Northern Cyprus because their 90-day visas have expired.
Ian, 49, has been unable to work as a fitness instructor and has already lost three months’ wages on top of the money he spent to stay in Cyprus.
“We planned to be here for only a few weeks, and we’re already 10 weeks out and no trace of a passport,” James said.
James and Ian have criticized the ‘staggering’ and ‘insane’ incompetence of the passport offices
James said they are being forced to leave their hotel in Famagusta in Northern Cyprus because their 90-day visas have expired
“We have contacted the British Embassy, but they have not helped. They say that since it is Henry’s first passport, they cannot issue an emergency travel document. We are at our wits end, incredibly frustrated and upset by how we are being treated with no regard for our or Harry’s health or well-being.
“We understand that passport applications can take up to 10 weeks, and Harry’s is one of the more complicated ones. If it took that long to process correctly, we would understand. But this isn’t processing time, it’s a catalog of errors and diabolical mess.
“This is not a question of Harry’s legitimacy for British citizenship as he is automatically owed it. It’s a question of an incomprehensibly incompetent government agency that lets its citizens down.’
MailOnline told last year how another couple using a surrogate in Cyprus is experiencing a similar delay in obtaining passports for their newborn twins.
Alex and Greg De Mario-Ellis got caught up in the passport chaos in the UK caused by Covid and home-based civil servants.
They spent three months in Cyprus before obtaining passports to fly home to their daughter.
The passport office has been contacted for comment.