Passport application has failed

[TodaysFishIsTroutALaCreme]

My friends passport application has failed due to me not meeting the requirements as a counter signatory.

Thing is, I do have a profession that is on the list...almost. I have a profession that is very close to one of the ones listed but I have Registered in my title as I am governed by a professional body. I've signed loads of passports for people. My passport is in date etc so I don't know why it has failed. My friend doesn't really know anyone else who can countersign it for her and we go on holiday in 3.5 weeks. (She was a last minute addition to our booking)

Had this happened to anyone else and us there anything I can do to help? I'm going to be calling the passport office but I doubt they will speak to me.

Tia

They don’t need to know you “well” they are just confirming that (to the best of their knowledge) the photograph is a true likeness of the person known to them as Sam Smith and that they have known you for x years. DH (civil servant) signed one for our neighbours daughter. He knew her name and had know her to say hello to for about 10 years. That’s all he knew about her and that’s all he still knows. She applied online and gave his contact details, passport office contacted him with picture and asked him to confirm name of person and how long he’d known her and in what capacity “daughter of neighbour” as well as give his details (which are not passed to the applicant). All okay. It’s different if you do the paper form only as you both get to see all the info but it’s quicker online anyway.

It's actually quite onerous, I knew someone who was struck off after countersigning for someone who he had met at various social events and a few business meetings ( about 8-10 times in all, if I recall) who turned out not to be who they said they were. He had known them, for a period exceeding 2 years, and had no reason to doubt who they were, but the ruling body took the view that he hadn't known them well enough to be able to vouch for their identity.

So I would say that the owner of the local shop or wife of an acquaintance who who works at the council, or the plumber who runs their own business and does work for you occasionally over a period of a few years shouldn't be signing your passport application unless they know you very well.

You are either meeting the requirements as a counter signatory or you're not, no 'almost' about it.

Just get her to ask her GP- (they often charge these days, but are definitely on the list).

@Laurmolonlabe they are specifically excluded from the list unless they know you personally

They only have to have seen you for an appointment, they don't have to be your best friend.

Local councillors will normally do it for you, even if they don’t know you

This happened to me, got my next door neighbour (company director) to countersign for my kids passports. First one went through fine, wouldn’t accept it on the second. No explanation given! Ended up getting a family friend in the army to do it instead.

@Laurmolonlabe this is from Gov website

Professions that are not accepted
Your countersignatory cannot:

• work for HM Passport Office
• be a doctor, unless they state that they know you well (for example they’re a good friend) and that they recognise you easily from your photo

I applied for my son’s UK passport recently from Australia and I remember feeling that the UK passport photo countersignatory system was class based and out of date. I also felt it restricts the ability of those who don’t have a big network for whatever reason to travel.

we are dual nationality and the Australian passport system no longer has a list required of professions. The countersignatory must either be on the electoral roll or have a passport themselves - so Australian citizens basically. I have no trouble at all finding someone and always pick someone who has known us well for several years.

Also just adding another ridiculous requirement - if I used an Australian professional to countersign the passport, the UK passport office expected me to send a photocopy of their passport in the mail to the UK. No one is ever going to agree to that in this day and age of identity theft (rightly) so I had to find an old friend in the UK to do it.

That goes back to the olden days when GPs likely knew all their patients. They won't do it now as most won't know the the difference between patient & a bowl of custard. Accountants are a better bet.

So what do you do if you dont have acquaintances that are middle class? Doctors, teachers, dentist won't do them for you. Say you are a hermit? They need to change the system.

Last time a local councillor signed ours. Do you know any (I knew mine)? Google your local authority and you might be surprised who you know.

How can they? They need to have known you for two years

Then they shouldn’t be. They have to have known you for two years.

I used to work in a bank and signed a couple for friends and they were approved and fine.

I did wonder how that could be though as, as far as I was aware there were never any checks done to make sure I worked there. Surely that means anyone can write anything?

But the counter signatory in this case does know the passport holder well.
I'm intrigued why they rejected it, and love to know what you found out OP.
I also sign a fair few, probably one or two a year.

Try dentist or pharmacist instead then.

What’s the data protection issue here?

I don’t think it can be number- I’ve lost count of the ones I’ve done. Never had a problem.

Dont forget the "2 year rule"

https://www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applications

Couldn't she get her boss to sign it or a friend, neighbour?

I meant in as much as my profession is similar but not quite to one listed. The list had Accountant but I am a Registered Bookkeeper. But, I am a fellow of a professional body so that alone should have made me eligible. Gah, its all very frustrating

That’s probably it then. You haven’t got the same profession as listed, a bookkeeper is not the same as an accountant. If you meet one of the other conditions (member with professional body for example) then make sure that’s clear on it instead.

I am pleased to report that my friend was able to ask someone else and thankfully that has gone through this time and her passport has been approved. So so long as she gets it back in the next 20 days, we can take her away with us. So, I am still holding my breath but not too hard.

Its been a lesson in not assuming anything. We did take a risk adding her to the booking but thankfully, it was only a couple of hundred pounds and we were willing to take the hit if she didnt get a passport in time.

My friend did struggle to get someone else. I do agree with PPs that it can be very hard. I wont go into her circumstances as they are not mine to share, but sometimes, there are people who do not know enough people for the required length of time who also have a current UK passport to countersign for them.

I'm glad I don't be the only one to experience problems with this. The frustrating part was not knowing why.

Fingers crossed all is well that ends well.