to wonder wtf we paid a fee at the Post Office to check DS#1's passport application when we just had the whole lot sent back

[OrmIrian]

because something was wrong?

£56 for a child's passport including a fee for checking to ensure it went through without a hitch. 2 set of photos because apparently his hair was in his eyes in the first one

We weren't sure whether we needed someone to sign the form to confirm DS#s identity or mine. We were replacing my passport with him as a named child so it didn't seem to entirely fit into any of the categories on their notes. So we paid for it to be checked!

What a waste of time.

[belgo]

Complain to the Post Office, they should have picked up on these things. I would be very annoyed at the application being sent back.

[OrmIrian]

I am intending to belgo! We were feeling quite pleased with ourselves for getting it all done properly in plenty of time

[Lancelottie]

We had this too. My daughter's was returned because she was 'too pale'. We sent them a second photo, in which her cream-blonde hair is darkened to an unrecognisable brown, and a note to say that she doesn't possess visible eyebrows. The final passport image has her lips highlighted (by their processing, not ours!) in weird bubblegum pink. God help us if they ever actually hold it up against her to check.

The post office has a get-out clause that says they can't guarantee that photos will be acceptable. Grrr (for us and you).

[FairLadyRantALot]

that is annoying and deffo complain, that shouldn't have happened....
I always let dh do it, as I always seem to get it wrong....the british passport forms are ridiculous...I may always have to go down to london to the german embassy, but the form is at least idiot proof

[OrmIrian]

We went through it several times ourselves too. it wasn't a 'replacement' as such as DS never had his own passport. He was a child but over 12 and that seems to make a difference. I had to countersign it and it seemed to say that I had to be countersigned by someone else to prove that I was who I said I was. And then it seemed to imply that it was DS who needed to be countersigned by the 3rd party - not me! As we weren't sure we took it to the Oracle to make sure....

[FairLadyRantALot]

Lancelottie...lol...

twas funny, when we came back from germany a few weeks ago, the guy held a passport up and looked at ys, saying so that is Sven...erm...nope, look at the date , pointing to es, that is Sven....guy...oh yes indeed....
admittedly ys is a spitting image version of es....and es passport picture was taken around about the age that ys is now....

[vinblanc]

====We weren't sure whether we needed someone to sign the form to confirm DS#s identity or mine. We were replacing my passport with him as a named child so it didn't seem to entirely fit into any of the categories on their notes. ====

A countersignatory is verifying that the photograph is a true likeness of the child, but they have to be known by the parent for at least 2 years.

You don't need a countersignatory if the appearance of the person hasn't changed much, but you would expect to have to for a child.

[piscesmoon]

I paid for the checking service and they came back with something incorrectly done (the very thing I was unsure of in the first place). I got a refund-I pointed out that that was why I had used the sevice and it had failed. They wouldn't have given the refund if I hadn't made a fuss.

[Eddas]

i'll never use check and send agin after the idiot at the post office ok'd dd's passport photo which promptly came back blank literally a white square where the photo should be, i'm not sure who was more stupid the person in the post office or the person issuing the actual passport.

[Squishabelle]

Eddas - im a bit confused - you took a blank photo into the post office which the clerk okayed?

[ClaireDeLoon]

They should refund - they won't refund if the photo is not good enough apparently but they didn't mention any other exclusions from the refund.

How long before you go?

[hocuspontas]

It really isn't worth it. They don't know half the time and still check the leaflet themselves. If you are unsure I'd go through it with a friend or phone the passport office - who I've always found to be friendly and helpful.

I sent dd3's passport off to be renewed with only one of her middle names on the new form (old passport had both middle names). The passport office phoned me and just asked me what names I wanted and changed the form themselves. Which I thought was excellent service!

[Eddas]

Squishabelle no the pciture we took in was quite faint but the Post Office ok'd it, but then we got the actual passport back and where the photo should be it wasn't visable at all just looked like a white square, so clearly the original was too light but the Post Office and whoever checks the passports had just let it go through anyway! I had to ring and tell them you couldn't see who's passport it was and send it back with new photos!!

[Squishabelle]

Oh I see now. To be honest I dont really think the PO should do the check and send service if they cannot guarantee to judge that the quality of the photo will satisfy the passport office.