To wonder how I'll get my DC's passport legally?!

[justwanttolookgood]

I don't know anyone who can counter sign!

And on top of that, I don't know anyone professionally who has known me for over 6/12 months really. GP included. The person needs to have known the parent for over 2 years.

What am I going to do?

Professional doesn't matter, they just need to be a person of good standing in their community ie not a raging criminal.

I don't understand what you've paid £60 for that it's stuck in your name, TBH - I just renewed DS's and did it online, printed out the countersignatory bit and sent it off. You can get the forms free from the post office as well. If you haven't got the countersignature done then the application can't have been submitted yet. Have you been caught by one of those scam sites?

sadhh No but you can't not be on good terms/at least a little bit chatty, can you? Who would sign something like that unless you actually want to? If I was signing it, I would want to know more than they just exist. As do many professionals who've already commented on the thread

My Drs won't do it. I usually shop online but if not, it's my local Asda

Never met a civil servant, I don't think

My mum asked our old priest if he'd do it and he said no, she'll have to attend Mass properly first

There is a lower end of society however insulting people think it is. Obviously OP is not in this sector she is just a SAHM but there are people who are living at the very low end who maybe never go to the dentist etc. Should they be denied a passport because they don’t know people in what is mainly middle class professions

Civil Servant doesn't mean just someone working for central Government. Anyone who works in the local job centre or in a Council office will be a civil servant.

I had this problem a few years ago. I’m a foreign national so only doctor, lawyer etc can sign mine. I paid a local solicitor to sign mine, you can to as long as you have other forms of ID for your dc

When Indeed, I think it's easy to forget that.

I have plenty of family, albeit more distant now, that have never gone anywhere really.

They have a big local Tesco and that's it. I remember my cousin telling me she had to fork out £60 for a teacher to do it, a teacher that knew her from school.

Some people really don't know anyone professional. And most people don't go to church anymore

Civil Servant doesn't mean just someone working for central Government. Anyone who works in the local job centre or in a Council office will be a civil servant

I know but I don't know anyone like that

The Medical Receptionist I know might be able to if I bargain her with something horse related grin didn't think that was a 'professional' though? (Same job title as me)

How long ago did you work as a medical receptionist, and how long for? Could someone at your old workplace sign?

I think we are forgetting it is the DC that needs the passport so the person needs to know both parent and child. So more of a problem than if it was just OP.

What about your parents’ friends or neighbours? Even your hairdresser if they run their own business?

A Postman is a civil servant or any local councillor , somewhere you have a membership , friends of family that are professionals , trades , etc

You say " horsey" so ask a blacksmith , instructor , vet , vet nurse , vet receptionist , owner of tack shop, owner of stables , local farmer , all of these can sign

If you used to work as a medical receptionist surely there's someone from your old work who would know you?

An old teacher? Do you really know no one?

At the end of the day, you are either going to have to suck it up and ask someone you don't aren't great friends with, or get it in your Dhs name or your DS can't have a passport. We can't magic someone up for you.

I work in the NHS and I've countersigned for a few people. A friend who is also a childminder did my children's passports.

It's not a case of not being great friends with these people, it's a case of never seeing them or even asking how they are, and then rocking up and asking they sign a passport when I don't even know them really?

Again, it's tricky because the 2 years thing comes into play.

How do people do it if they've genuinely never met a professional properly and don't know anyone?

We are a farm and both dh and I can sign passport applications I have done it for people I have known for less than 2 years (obviously not random strangers but people we had known for over a year to help them out, it might not be to the letter of the law but if you have known any of the local farms or horsey business owners for a similar time they would more than likely do the same)

My friend is a carer and signed my husbands.

Midwife?

My mums neighbour (ex teacher) signed for my ds, any of your parents friends retired from professions?

You say " horsey" so ask a blacksmith , instructor , vet , vet nurse , vet receptionist , owner of tack shop, owner of stables , local farmer , all of these can sign

It's the previous colleague who is horsey - that doesn't mean the OP is

I feel for you OP. It's a difficult one when you don't know people who fit the bil.

Surely one of the sahm must have a husband you have met in passing , you don't have to be best buddies , they just have to know you exist

Didn't read the whole post sorry so this may have been covered but I thought you could pay someone in the post office to do it. I think it's cheap as well like less than a tenner. Check that out

You say your dad is a business owner. What about one of his friends/colleagues?

I had something like this when I needed a new passport for dd.
We moved a few month before that and I just couldn't find anyone to sign the application for me. Everybody I asked said "but I haven't known you or your daughter for two years" The thing is it was an application for a German passport and Germany doesn't care how long the person countersigning has known the applicant. I even printed the guidelines to show to people but they still refused. In the end a summer student who did some lab experience work with me and was (still is, I'm sure) a devout Catholic asked the priest at his church and he agreed to do it (and fed dd and me tea and biscuits while examing the papers). It was mad, for a while I thought I'll never get her a passport.

I suggested not traveling for a while because you don’t seem to know anyone who can help, which is highly unusual. And since every suggestion has been batted away.