Can I be a passport signatory for my husbands child?!

[selflove]

I can definitely be a passport countersignatory, in that my profession is an approved one.

But my husband (separated but legally married) had a baby last week, and his partner wants a passport ASAP so they can bring baby to meet her family. They've asked me to sign the pictures - can I?!

It says:

Who can sign your form and photo
Your countersignatory must:
• have known you (or the adult who signed the form if the passport is for a child under 16) for at least 2 years
• be able to identify you, for example they’re a friend, neighbour or colleague (not just someone who knows you professionally)
• be ‘a person of good standing in their community’ or work in (or be retired from) a recognised professionn_
Who cannot be your countersignatory
You cannot ask someone to countersign your passport if you’re:
• related to them by birth or marriage
• in a relationship with or live at the same address as them

SO obviously I am related to Husband by marriage, but not to his child. But since it says in the case of the child I must have known the adult for 2 years, does the same apply to can't be related to the adult (even though the child is no relation to me).

Anyone know if I'm ok to sign it?!

your soon-to-be-ex-husband has had a baby with someone else, and they want you to sign the kids passport.

I think if he is not on the birth certificate you might be able to, but otherwise it would probably be better if they asked someone else, or waited till the divorce went through

@Smartiepants79

Surely it’s possible to understand that some people might have decent relationships with their ex-husband and therefore be willing to do them a small favour?! That’s going to cost them nothing except 5 minutes of their time?

It can cost you plenty if you get caught signing passport applications for people you are related to. I fear you entirely miss the point here.

The reason passports need to be signed by a professional or someone of good-standing is that these people are presumed to have integrity. They can be trusted. By ignoring the letter of the rules and signing a passport application for someone is legally your stepchild you would be proving you can't be trusted.

It's not just that they can be trusted. It's that falsely signing something could cost them their career. Which is why there is no way I would sign in these circumstances.

I think if he is not on the birth certificate you might be able to, but otherwise it would probably be better if they asked someone else, or waited till the divorce went through

No she can't.

When it is a child application, the countersignatory is attesting they have known the adult applicant for 2 years. And you cannot countersign for anyone to who you are related including by marriage.

OP has been married to the applicant for the whole two years. She cannot countersign his applications, whether its for himself or his chikd

@Smartiepants79

Surely it’s possible to understand that some people might have decent relationships with their ex-husband and therefore be willing to do them a small favour?! That’s going to cost them nothing except 5 minutes of their time?

I do understand this. Whilst I had an acrimonious divorce, my current dp has his dc 50/50 and they're working it out generally quite well.

However. OPs HUSBAND is asking her to risk her career/professional accreditation/qualifications/livelihood in order to fraudulently sign a passport application for - legally speaking - a child born to another woman whilst they're still married.

He's happy to be still married to op, she does not mention if this is any sort of issue, and seems to think it's OK to ask her to sign the paperwork for his illegitimate child.

I'd only be doing this if he was signing the divorce papers and financials in exchange.

Actually, no I wouldn't due to the ILLEGALITY of it and risk to my career.

Does he know it’s not allowed, that’s it’s against the rules?! That’s a lot of assumptions your making about his character and motivation.
He asked, she says ‘no, sorry, it’s against the rules’ ....end of conversation.

Would any of your colleagues be able to sign for him if they have known him through you? Depends on whether you have mixed business and family life at all.

He didn't know what he was asking me to do was illegal, no. Neither did I. That's why I asked if it was allowed.

It said you can't be a signatory if you are related by birth or marriage to the APPLICANT, and that you can't live with the applicant. And in our eyes, I'm not related by birth or marriage to his child. And I certainly don't live with his child.

But I needed to sign it to confirm I'd know him over two years, which is what made me unsure. Which is why I wanted to check if it the "can't be related" bit applied to him as well as his child.

I picked up the passport and drove it over to my best friend, who knew him from when we were married and signed it for him, so it's all sorted now anyway. Thanks all.

@Torvean yes you are wrong
OP is still married to him and he has not married the mother of the baby

And in our eyes, I'm not related by birth or marriage to his child. And I certainly don't live with his child

But you are, quite obviously, related to his child by marriage. It couldn't be any more obvious that you are.

“Related by marriage” doesn’t mean “married to”. Everyone he is related to, you are related to by marriage until you are divorced. So if he has siblings or parents or aunts or whatever, you are considered “related by marriage” to them and can’t do their passports either.

@selflove

He didn't know what he was asking me to do was illegal, no. Neither did I. That's why I asked if it was allowed.

It said you can't be a signatory if you are related by birth or marriage to the APPLICANT, and that you can't live with the applicant. And in our eyes, I'm not related by birth or marriage to his child. And I certainly don't live with his child.

But I needed to sign it to confirm I'd know him over two years, which is what made me unsure. Which is why I wanted to check if it the "can't be related" bit applied to him as well as his child.

I picked up the passport and drove it over to my best friend, who knew him from when we were married and signed it for him, so it's all sorted now anyway. Thanks all.

In the case of children, the parent is technically the applicant. You’re signing to say you’ve known the parent for two years or more (you can’t have known a newborn that long), and so, in that sense you are married to the applicant.

I’d just do it op, IME they don’t even check up on them. Between me, my partner and my girls in the last few years we have one passport countersigned by my mate who used to be a social worker but had been unemployed for 23 years (she still just put social worker on the forms). A friend of a friend nurse that I’d never met. Plus my next door neighbour (dentist) who we’d only known a month. They may check that their basic details are right, but they’re hardly doing full on investigations to check who’s countersigning passports.

Why not check with the passport office? Phone or online chat available.

www.gov.uk/passport-advice-line

Oh but you're all sorted now, so that's good. It thought it might help someone else.

@Mydarlingmyhamburger

I’d just do it op, IME they don’t even check up on them. Between me, my partner and my girls in the last few years we have one passport countersigned by my mate who used to be a social worker but had been unemployed for 23 years (she still just put social worker on the forms). A friend of a friend nurse that I’d never met. Plus my next door neighbour (dentist) who we’d only known a month. They may check that their basic details are right, but they’re hardly doing full on investigations to check who’s countersigning passports.

you may be fraudulently getting things signed by your dodgy mates, but don't advise others to do the same. OP could get into professional trouble.

IME they don’t even check up on them

They do. I sign I suppose, 1 or 2 passport/dbs applications a year, and have done for about 15 years. About a third to a half of those have been checked up on, and and my professional body has been contacted to check up on my chartership and membership of the organisation I claimed.