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.

I didn't find it difficult to renew the DC'S passports last year. Mine was slightly different because I'd lost it and was so stressed in general that it took about 7 attempts to get the paperwork right. But that was me rather than the system.

HeyYou You only need the marriage certificate if they've been married and changed their name because of that.

Aha now I get it! restless

I was born in a different country (ie not UK) and my birth cert shows my mother's birth name as well as her married name, didn't realise UK was different

Honestly it's a bloody minefield! Passport applications are the bane of my life!

It's not difficult to renew a passport but applying for a first passport for an over 16 is a pita. You have to go for an interview.

Your husband needs to send his mum and dad's birth and marriage certificates? And you need to send your mum's birth certificate? Blimey it's the first I've heard of having to do anything like this OP! My DP applied for a passport about 18 months ago and he certainly didn't have to do any of those things. Are you sure it's legitimate?

It's because he was born after January 1983 so has no automatic right to British citizenship. It is legitimate if you read the links

Oh sorry DP just corrected me. He was RENEWING his passport,not applying for one for the first time. Not sure if that would have made any difference?

And did your dp have a child's passport prior to getting an adult one too?

Yes it makes a big difference

What the hell happened in December 1982!?

No idea what happened in 1982.

Our teenage sons both applied for their first ever passport they were both called for an interview. It lasted 20/30 mins and they were questioned about family......Where grandparents were born etc., who had countersigned their application and details about that person. The younger lad was also asked about the cricket team he plays for.

I think it is complicated by necessity. This is a document which will allow you access to most countries around the world. We owe it to those countries to have a robust application that enables them to be confident that the passport holder is who they claim to be.

I agree it's complicated, but it's certainly not difficult. They tell you what you need to provide, then you need to provide it!

Massive changes to citizenship rules happened. Prior to that, you could inherit British citizenship only through your father (or by being born in the UK). You could get a permanent right of abode via British grandparents or a British mother (which could of course be changed into citizenship once you lived long enough in the UK). From 1983 you could inherit citizenship through both your parents - but if born outside the UK that type of citizenship does not pass down indefinitely hence all the questions about grandparents.

I'm not up on all the details but was able to be registered as a British citizen only after the rule changes - if born outside to the UK to a British mother there was a period of time where you could be registered as long as you were still under 18. My husband was in the same situation but they didn't find out about it at the time (he took up citizenship after we moved to the UK). Had we never moved to the UK our children would not have been entitled to British citizenship. Had we moved here for a while and then had another child overseas, my husband being naturalised in the UK would have allowed that child to obtain British citizenship.

When applying for a first passport for a child what documents are actually required? I've asked the passport office this but they refuse to answer my questions as my baby is not yet born. My husband and I are both British (I'm born 1985, him 1981) and have British passports. As our baby is born in a British overseas territory (but not in the UK) it will be a British citizen. Would I need to provide any information about our grandparents? Any help would be really appreciated.

If you were born after 1983 they have ridiculous rules!!! Took me ages had to send my mother birth and marriage certificate to confirm i was british! Despite me having my own british birth certificate then having to go for an interview to prove my identity.

If you were born after 1983 they have ridiculous rules!!! Took me ages had to send my mother birth and marriage certificate to confirm i was british! Despite me having my own british birth certificate then having to go for an interview to prove my identity.

Blimey, what happens if your teenager can't answer the questions?. Do they get refused a passport? My dd can't cope with being asked "are you ok there" when browsing in a shop. She panics and doesn't know what to say and just won't talk. Took her to the opticians today and optician is asking her to confirm stuff like phone number and she just stands there mute.

We were warned by others so coached ours re GP full names and births.

We weren't expecting questions on the person we asked to countersign the application. He had received an OBE in the NY list so we though an old friend of DH would do. Interview asked DS what the guy had done to deserve an OBE............I think he's got a job high up in the council was the best DS could manage.

If you were born after 1981/2 I think when the rules changed...being born in the UK doesn't give you automatic rights to a UK Passport.

My sort of SIL who was born before 1881 so has automatic rights to UK Citizenship, still had to go for an interview...she was asked the route from her house to x (in town)

Breckon I imagine you are int he same boat as us...mine expired 4 years ago, DS's 3 years ago and he was 2 when it was issued and OH's 17 years ago...So we are all very different from the photos so will probably have to have new signaturies...but as you actually have held a UK Passprt the eligibilty has been dealt with

LMAO @ at SIL born before 1881

It's more complicated when it's a first passport for an adult (because that is relatively rare - its partly to do with risk of ID fraud so you can't do the Day of the Jackal thing). Children's first passports are also more complex than usual if the parents don't have valid passports. I remember this painfully from last October when we decided on a last minute half term holiday and then realised both our passports had expired and our youngest had never had one. They arrived in 6 days thank God and we booked the holiday straight away. We flew 4 days later!

Children's first passports are also more complex than usual if the parents don't have valid passports.

I nearly had that situation last year but I renewed mine using the online system and then applied for DDs once mine was back, only took 4 days. DDs was less than a week too. I didn't need the extra info for dd as I was born pre 1983.

New adult passports really are not that rare. They are now essential for overseas travel. They weren't necessary in the past. You could buy a cheap/simple 'passport' from the post office. Not sure when they stopped issuing these.
People who don't holiday abroad don't need a passport and many can't afford holidays. Lots of people don't have a passport until they need one as adults.