Anyone managed to get a child passport renewed without the required countersignature?

[ToodelooMarylou]

I need to renew my child's passport (dc will be 5 in a few months) and we don't know anyone from the list of acceptable professions to countersign. My dcs first passport was countersigned by our dentist but we have changed dentist since. Has anyone been in similar circumstances? Has anyone managed to get a child's passport renewed without being countersigned?

@SimpleShootingWeekend

weaselish of course it is and possibly systematically racist too as not many ethnic minorities who come to this country will know people from that list

I’m ethnic minority and “came to this country” and I barely no anyone who isn’t on the list. Minority ethnic workers are massively over represented in the NHS and care service as well as small business ownership or employment by small businesses. They may fall down on the holding a British passport but, to be fair, if you aren’t entitled to a British passport because you’ve lived here for less than 2 years then you aren’t going to be looking for someone to countersign either. The idea that ethnic minorities are all sitting in free council houses refusing to work or engage in society or get qualifications is racist bollocks. The fact that you haven’t just come to this country, speak perfectly adequate English, but can’t be fucked to talk to another living soul is on you. Ask the bloke in the chip shop or the place that fixes exhausts or a plasterer. Ask the manager in Tesco if that’s the only shop in your area. Ask the preschool head, the school secretary, the under 7s football coach, the rainbow or beavers leader. Ask a friend, someone you were at school with, someone from your old job, someone from your partners job or last job but don’t claim that it’s elitist or racist to have to know other people.

Exactly! Bloody cheek.

It's not elitist or racist to know other people. I think a decade or so ago (or maybe longer), it was more difficult as it had to be people like teachers or solicitors. But as it's been opened out so much now it's not as difficult (though sometimes you find someone and then find they don't have a valid passport). If I had a baby now, I'd start using my local library, befriend the library staff who work there and you might meet other parents at baby rhyme time and similar. (I know libraries get closed down all the time, but I live in a town where the town centre one would probably survive the next two years at least).

Remember retired people are ok too, so if you can find an ex teacher of yours on social media, you could ask them!