AIBU Why is applying for a passport so tricky.

[sarahd123]

Hiya, I've recently applied for passports for me, my husband and my 3 oldest dc, it's the first passports for all of us, I've just received a letter from the passport office asking me to send my birth certificate for my oldest dc (he's 9) and my husband got a letter asking him to send his mum and dads birth certificates and their marriage certificate...we don't speak to his parents so can't get these, is this normal? My brother didn't have to do this when he applied a few years ago. We were all born in the U.K. As we're our parents. Thanks for any help.

Ally it's all online - you even upload the photo online now so no probs with writing. I pay a fiver extra to get my pic done at a local photographers which means someone else is checking its withing guidlines, iyswim.

Thanks - it expired a good long while ago and there's no hope anyone would recognise me from the picture. I've tried looking it up a few times but never got very far and left it as it wasn't pressing. DC don't have one either and I wondered if things would be more straightforward for them later if I had a current passport.

I'm not sure whether I've missed something but I don't understand why they can't process an application without your parents' marriage or civil partnership certificate.

Surely an increasing number of people don't have those?

I'm another one who's very concerned about the odd English on the form.

I agree that renewing has definitely got easier - my DS did his own at age 16 without any problems at all - and it came within a couple of days.

The application for a new passport has got more complicated especially if you were born after a certain date. But I found having the paper version where you can have the guidance notes out next to the form as you fill them in makes it easier. I have never used check and send and have never had an application returned for errors.

Twistmeandturnme This kind of thing is why I always use the post office check and send service: they go through everything before it gets despatched so the passport office generally whip them out really quickly.

Just to caveat that. The PO say they will check it all, but have very important small print that says "but it ain't our fault and we take no responsibility if it gets rejected". Check and Send is NOT a guarantee of acceptance.

They also have "free re-check" T&Cs which have timescales that are almost impossible to meet, so tough tits on that too.

They may almost definitely will try and tell you that PO applications get dealt with faster than regular ones too. That is a flat out lie as well.

In my experience, you are better off getting someone very methodical and unrelated to sit down with your application and go through it step by step. Their fresh eyes will more easily spot spelling errors or typos you will not see.

Brecon it will be a standard renewal but you would need a photo countersigned on the back if you can't be recognised from the old picture. And you'd need to send your marriage certificate

The extra info is to prove you are a British citizen as it is not automatic through being born here. If born after January 1983 then you need to show that the parents/grandparent were British citizens in order to make you a British citizen

Brecon I got a passport last year after my old one lapsed years ago. I had also lost the expired one. It was really straight forward. I got the photos taken at Max Speilman (the woman obviously knew what they needed as she rejected my first ones) and did check and send at the post office. I needed my birth certificate, my parents birth and marriage dates (but not any of their certificates) and the photos counter signed. I also had an interview but it was all done within a fortnight I think. There was a space where you could write an explanation if I remember rightly . I was born in 1979 if it makes a difference.

But I have a feeling it's not that simple if your passport has actually expired before you go to renew it. I expect the Gov passport site can give you the right info.

SIL just redid hers after it had lapsed. It was straight forward.

Hi I fill in tons of passport forms for work and have become the 'office expert' so here goes.

What the passport office are looking for is a history of three generations in your family. So considering you and your husband are both named on the passport forms and you were both born after 31/12/82 they will need both you and your husbands birth certificates and grandparents. They will need you and your husbands marriage certificates because both grandmothers surnames will be different on their birth certificates because they will be registered in their maiden names. It also helps massively if you and your husband put your passport numbers on the children's forms.

If you know the date, place and parents names of your PILS you can apply for thier birth certificates to the relevant registrars office without them knowing.

Sorry that should read 'they will need you and your husbands parents marriage certificates

If you need to send copies for all applicants link them all so you only have to send one copy off. As for those saying that the forms are easy the check and send ballsed ours up

I'm not sure whether I've missed something but I don't understand why they can't process an application without your parents' marriage or civil partnership certificate.

I applied for my first passport last September and I certainly didn't need my parents' birth or marriage certificates. I did make sure that their full details were on the application though - that lets the Passport Office check up on them without any effort. I can't imagine why they'd want the actual certificates (or why anybody would have their parents' certificates to start with) since they can easily check the details anyway.

I had my letter telling me to arrange my interview within 2 weeks of applying for the passport, arranged the interview for a Saturday a week or so later and had the passport in my hand by the following Wednesday.

Because Tuckers you are an adult. Parents birth certificates (and grandparents if parents are born after 31/22/1982) are required for children.

Am I going to have this issue when I renew dds passport? It'll be her first adult one but she has had child ones previously.

Because if so I'm panicking. I have no contact with any family members and don't even know stuff like dates of birth or towns born for my parents and have no way of finding out.

We've just renewed ours. It was simple. So once you've gone though this rigmarole, next time should be a lot easier.

Depends how old you are Possum

If she's held a passport before you won't have to provide the evidence.

possum no you won't need all that as she already has a passport and hers will be done as a renewal not as a first passport

That's great, thanks. There's no way I could find the info out about my parents never mind my grandparents.

My point about them needing parents' marry or civil partnership certificates wasn't that people might not have them to hand, but that many people's parents were never married (or at least not to each other). I find it a rather odd assumption tbh.

Marry = marriage, bloody autocorrect!

You need marriage certificates if it is the fathers details you give. Afaik you don't need it if you are giving the mothers details

www.gov.uk/types-of-british-nationality/british-citizenship - sounds quite complex. Glad I'm old!