UK Passport office. Passport for sixteen year old. Blunder on their part...

[beigebrownblue]

Not planning to go abroad, but DD will need a passport to go on A-Level field trip when it comes around so thought we would tick it off list.

She mainly did the application herself.
Went carefully through the list of people who could verify it online.

Lined up senior staff member who we'd asked for permission.

Verification email sent.

Rejected by passport office.

Explained once on the telephone last week.
Said they would get back to me in twenty four hours.

Sent again.
Rejected again.

Phoned up to complain.
Despite being a senior staff member who has known DD for the past six years in and out of school...as extra curricular stuff etc.

Passport office rep says 'no you can't use that as ...this person doesn't 'hang out with your DD out of school'.

I'm gobsmacked.

This application has now taken four months at least and they sent DD a letter saying if it is not verified in ten days we will lose the fee. (and have to start again presumably).

I literally don't have anyone else to verify.
Can't ask G.P as they are not doing it understandably due to Covid.
Dentist not doing it either.

Asked a few friends but can't use them as one doesn't have passport and the other does'nt have one of the professions stated on list.

Honestly, why isn't a senior staff member at secondary school good enough?

Do they assume everyone has a doctor or G.P in the family?

Anyone else had this,
it is a simple matter of clicking a link to verify photo.
I know the staff member at school said she had known DD for required number of years so

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

I remember my parents having this problem years after we moved from Ireland to the U.K. Then list of people was even smaller and they needed to have known you for 5 years. Head teacher couldn't because we had lower, middle and upper school (so 4 years max), GP wouldn't because we didn't need GP appointments and hadn't met him, the police station refused because we didn't know them (in Ireland everyone used to go there), they'd never used a solicitor so that was out. Eventually a friend of a friend asked her ex husband who was a police officer to help and he only agreed because we were desperate. Fortunately I worked at a solicitors when my last renewal came around but I have no idea what I'll do next time.

@CottonSock

You are being ridiculous now

Yep. I'm going to back off slowly. Though I do love an uppity OP blaming the civil servant for her own mistake.

I am agog that people can't see this being a clear issue of social exclusion and class privilege?

It is bizarre that people can think the OP is the difficult one here!

How does this system work for those who have to move due to domestic abuse, for those who are really socially isolated for any reason, for those living in very disadvantaged areas, in very rural areas etc. Can you honestly NOT imagine many many situations where you just don't have that level of social capital? In the UK, communities have been systematically decimated for decades, particularly working class communities. Social fabric has been deliberately eroded, faceless multi nationals or online replacing the local services. As a PP has pointed out, hairdressers are one of the very few services that haven't been replaced.

And then the fact her school would disadvantage her for not being able to attend the trip? More of the same where poverty is compounded by unthinking systems.

I hope your next person works out OP.

Many teachers won't sign anyway- they have had immigration/police arrive at school and on their doorstep which is rather off putting.

@Griefmonster

I am agog that people can't see this being a clear issue of social exclusion and class privilege?

It is bizarre that people can think the OP is the difficult one here!

How does this system work for those who have to move due to domestic abuse, for those who are really socially isolated for any reason, for those living in very disadvantaged areas, in very rural areas etc. Can you honestly NOT imagine many many situations where you just don't have that level of social capital? In the UK, communities have been systematically decimated for decades, particularly working class communities. Social fabric has been deliberately eroded, faceless multi nationals or online replacing the local services. As a PP has pointed out, hairdressers are one of the very few services that haven't been replaced.

And then the fact her school would disadvantage her for not being able to attend the trip? More of the same where poverty is compounded by unthinking systems.

I hope your next person works out OP.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting this.

Yes, there are many situations as you say, where that level of 'social capital' does not exist.

Also many situations where for many reasons some of us might not wish to answer some of the questions posted on here, such as

'how long have you lived where you live?

or indeed post on Facebook to ask these questions.

Thank you so much poster, I have had a reply back from my next try, who is not connected to the school who has said they would be delighted to compplete.

Let's hope that works out and that passport office accept it.

Yet another official group who have known and respected my DD for six years at least. Personally, professionally...etc.

Hope that is good enough for the passport office...

thank you previous poster for understanding.

There is some hope and humanity in the world...

Do you have any family friends who are accountants, work in a bank, financial advisor, etc. I used a friend of my mums for my elder dd, she knew me from birth so by default knew my dd. More recently we used university lecturers who are exh's friends

@MilduraS

I remember my parents having this problem years after we moved from Ireland to the U.K. Then list of people was even smaller and they needed to have known you for 5 years. Head teacher couldn't because we had lower, middle and upper school (so 4 years max), GP wouldn't because we didn't need GP appointments and hadn't met him, the police station refused because we didn't know them (in Ireland everyone used to go there), they'd never used a solicitor so that was out. Eventually a friend of a friend asked her ex husband who was a police officer to help and he only agreed because we were desperate. Fortunately I worked at a solicitors when my last renewal came around but I have no idea what I'll do next time.

For a renewal you do not need to get the pictures re-certified unless you look totally different from the previous passport.

Fortunately I worked at a solicitors when my last renewal came around but I have no idea what I'll do next time.

I've never had to get my photo signed that I can recall.

Has your daughter asked all her friends what their parents occupations are? I mean is she leaving it all to you ??

@VanGoghsDog

Fortunately I worked at a solicitors when my last renewal came around but I have no idea what I'll do next time.

I've never had to get my photo signed that I can recall.

Ah apparently it's the application that needs to be witnessed. The list of people who can sign seems to have improved at least but still quite exclusionary for people who aren't in the right circles.

www.dfa.ie/passports/how-to-get-your-application-witnessed/

Journalist is on that list! Who here would trust a journalist to get the name and person correct...?

You just need to ask everyone you know. There is bound to be a nurse or a business owner amongst your friends, they're such common jobs. Do you happen to know the local Scout Leader, even if your kids never went to Scouts?

Ah apparently it's the application that needs to be witnessed. The list of people who can sign seems to have improved at least but still quite exclusionary for people who aren't in the right circles.

www.dfa.ie/passports/how-to-get-your-application-witnessed/

Not sure that's right either. That's Ireland, not the UK. In the UK you do it online, don't think it's witnessed.

But I was talking about my experience of getting an Irish passport in my post

Thats ok. I work in a salon and my boss has done it a few times over the years . Never been a problem. If you've known them for a few years say its a family friend.

Good luck OP. I am a solicitor and I usually get asked to do this for friends and their children several times each year. This is a requirement that is very easy to meet for middle class people, but increasingly hard for people who don't work in professional circles - we don't all live in a 1930s Miss Marple village where the vicar, doctor, solicitor and postmaster know everyone in town from birth.

Hope your most recent shot works, but agree with PP that if not, your DD should be asking her friends what their parents do - might be someone among them who can help.

@beigebrownblue I was trying to be helpful and give an idea of who else you might be able to ask.

I also come from a shit area, wouldn't have a clue who else to ask if we didn't have said friend.

But thanks for the sarcasm, I hope you manage to get it sorted, remind me not to bother in future!!

Thanks all. No offence meant Ultimate, just a little run ragged with it all. To say the least.

Response to PP DD had done most of it bless her on her own but then got stuck with the last validation bit and so needed some help.

Good news is, as a result of this thread tried manager of club DD used to go to. She was amazingly and touchingly helpful. So different from the teacher I had asked at school who had spent five years with DD. I know teachers are busy but you would think that would have worked.

So it's on the way.
and I feel some on here made some really good points about middle upper class ness of system etc.

The validation system is a Beta test system so may be changed in future.

So glad it is nearly all over, just birth certificate to send off now!