To not counter sign this passport

[DirtyDancing]

I can counter sign passports.

A lady, call her Jo, at my DH's company has asked me to counter sign her sister's kid's passport.

I've know Jo for years & years. Never met her sister or sister's kid.

I've said no as I've never even met Jo's sister. Everyone saying ABU. just sign it she's clearly Jo's sister & not a terrorist.

AIBU?

YANBU. My friend of 20 years countersigned the form for my DS2. The passport office decided to randomly check the application (at least, I'm assuming it was a random check(!)) and phoned him up. They expected him to be able to say right then and there how long he'd known me for, and how, and then he had to write a letter to them confirming it all again (on his company's headed paper). Would you feel comfortable having to continue to lie in those circumstances?

Last one I signed was checked by the Passport Office.

I think if DP wanted a passport he might have problems. Coming up to 54 and has never bothered to get a passport. Has just had zero interest in actually going abroad.

a child renewal age 11 and under needs a countersignature. Also needs it if they have changed appearance or if a passport is lost or stolen

Well, you can be a pub landlord/lady, a nurse, a photographer, a teacher, a legal secretary, a travel agent, an auctioneer, or a Christian Scientist. Ok, not a milk person. But why not!?

I just signed for a friend and got called by the passport office to validate how I know him. I've known him for 13 years and we are business partners as well so was able to give all the right info but I wouldn't have wanted to be on that call if I'd actually never met him.

"they should get their kids teacher to sign it."

Why should teachers do it (on top of a massive workload), when GPs either charge for it, or refuse?

In fact, our Head Teacher has told the staff that they are not to sign them for children/parents at school, although I will do them for personal friends.

Our school has signs up saying they won't do it either.

I would...I've had mine countersigned by people I don't know.

so what? I used to think it was not important, and asked a stranger in the Post Office to do it. well they did contact him , and it all got sent back to me to start again.
It is just not worth the bother.

No, clearly you shouldn't be signing this passport.
I can counter sign too, but do it for only a few people and always within the rules

Just let 'Jo'know it's a no! Thanks on balance ANBU.

Would just be short and sweet...
what about: 'Sorry, no I would be committing fraud, and they frequently do random checks, I can't lie and say I've known the person 2 years'.

Our HT signed my DCs. But she's nice like that.

What is wrong with the teachers, it's not like they are going to get all 30 of their children wanting a passport in the same year let alone in the same week. (It's hardly a massive amount of work.)
It's really not too much to ask. (Some of them have such a self important attitude.)

Luckily my children's teachers signed for them. A lot of people don't know a professional in a capacity where they would have known them for any length of time. Teacher's are the obvious choice, I think one of the teachers even signed mine once.
I don't even think my children's GP would know what they looked like so I wouldn't ask them.

I have signed for friends of mine but only when I know their children. I certainly wouldn't sign for some one I didn't know. It defeats the whole point of the checks and is quite worrying really.

Sorry if this doesn't read well, I've not had much sleep, new puppy in the house.

Yanbu. And it's not all about terrorism. In our area it's mainly about illegal immigrants; from the phone calls we get it seems using their own photos but someone else's details. It's embarrassing when the passport office phone you up to check and you have to say 'I have known X professionally for 4 years and that was definitely a photo of his ds, but I have never checked his documents to see if the name he goes by is in fact his legal name.'

Doctors can sign but they took us off the list of specifically suggested individuals because it is not NHS work and a section of patients were using up gp appointments to get it done and/ or getting upset when asked to pay a fee for the service.

I've done loads all for friends. I've been contacted twice to verify. Once for a close friend's little boy which was easy. It was a UK passport and they wrote to me at work. It made me realise I'd know his Mum for a very long time (19years!).
The other time was funny in hindsight but a bit of a mess at the time. I filled in the form for another friend's American husband. He is also commonly known by the shortened version of his name eg. Tim/ Timothy. In addition she hasn't changed her name.
Months after I signed the form I got a call from his embassy in London asking if I knew Timothy smith. My mine went totally blank. And I denied all knowledge. They were obviously a bit surprised and provided more detail "you signed his passport application". At which point the penny dropped and I fumbled around like the village idiot.
"Oh Tim. Yes Tim. I've known him for years. Married to my really good friend. Can't believe I forgot his name..."
They asked me a few "security" questions eg. His address etc and all was well.
But I felt like a numpty for ages afterwards.

I'm a lawyer and I don't sign passports of people whom I don't know (I don't want to commit a criminal offence and don't want to get struck off). i will sign them for neighbours whom I know though but that's a different matter.

I wouldn't. Especially not for a child. It's pretty unlikely, but child abduction would cross my mind.

I can sign them and have done several times like this.

Some GPS charge money for this.

What a wank stupid list, a photographer could do it as that's professional but not a sound engineer haha

Occupations

Countersignatories must work in (or be retired from) a recognised profession or be ‘a person of good standing in their community’, eg:

accountant
airline pilot
articled clerk of a limited company
assurance agent of recognised company
bank/building society official
barrister
chairman/director of limited company
chiropodist
commissioner of oaths
councillor, eg local or county
civil servant (permanent), but not someone who works for Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO)
dentist
director/manager/personnel officer of a VAT-registered company
engineer - with professional qualifications
financial services intermediary, eg a stockbroker or insurance broker
fire service official
funeral director
insurance agent (full time) of a recognised company
journalist
Justice of the Peace
legal secretary - fellow or associate member of the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs
licensee of public house
local government officer
manager/personnel officer of a limited company
member, associate or fellow of a professional body
Member of Parliament
Merchant Navy officer
minister of a recognised religion - including Christian Science
nurse - RGN or RMN
officer of the armed services
optician
paralegal - certified paralegal, qualified paralegal or associate member of the Institute of Paralegals
person with honours, eg an OBE or MBE
pharmacist
photographer - professional
police officer
Post Office official
president/secretary of a recognised organisation
Salvation Army officer
social worker
solicitor
surveyor
teacher, lecturer
trade union officer
travel agent - qualified
valuer or auctioneer - fellows and associate members of the incorporated society
Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers

Why does only the insurance agent have to be full time?

I used to be able to countersign and had quite a few spot checks from the passport office. It's amazing who crawls out of the woodwork when they want a passport signed! My passport expired a year or two ago so that's my excuse for not doing any more, they are time consuming and I always feel a bit 'used'

I wouldn't. I can countersign and once I was rung up by the Passport Office to check and had to state how long and in what capacity I had known the person. Would you be comfortable lying like that?

I countersign a lot, but only if I have known the person for two years. It doesn't sound like you have known these people for that long.