No one to sign DD’s passport renewal!!

[Pinkloveheartpjs]

Trying to renew DD’s passport and we have no one to sign. I could ask my manager but she hasn’t known me for 2 years and I wouldn’t want to put her in that position to lie for us.

I have 2 friends both SAHM, DH doesn’t have anyone he can ask the person he did ask doesn’t have a passport.

What on earth do we do?

I have so many people I could ask at work as I’m a HR professional but I haven’t know them two years.

They have to know the child for two years, not the parent

Secondary teachers teach hundreds of children. Being asked constantly to do their passports AND their family members is a pain. It DOES have "an effect" because the requests are never-ending. Often, we haven't known the kid for 2 years and really don't know their parents and they get VERY arsey when we point this out and say we cannot do it.

Nothing "high and mighty" about it, mate.

For a child under 16, it's ok for the countersigner to have known the parent for 2 years.

OP - think where you were and what you were doing 2 years ago.
Neighbours (even just to see you around), colleagues from previous job, colleagues from DH's job, parents of nursery friends (or from groups DD went to as a preschooler), friends of your extended family ....

A countersignatory needs to have known the PARENT for two years, not the child:

Your countersignatory must:

• have known you (or the adult who signed the form if the passport is for a child under 16) for at least 2 years

There's no way you are being asked to sign for each of the hundreds of children though, are you? You're grossly overstating the issue.

Even teaching 300 children a year, only a small % of them will have passport renewals each year. Being really generous, 20%. Of those, you won't be the teacher asked for the majority of them - they'll all have different favourite teachers. Even imagining they all ask you, that's still only 60 signature requests. Definitely not 'never ending' mate.

They have to know the child for two years, not the parent

This is wrong @Minymile
With a child under 16 you are countersigning to say you have known the parent (who filled in the child's form) for 2 years.
Thats how I have been able to sign friend's babies passports.

Thats why people are suggesting ex- managers or neighbours of OP

I stand corrected.
Apologies OP 🫤

Yes the parent for 2 years - but not necessarily the previous two years. Which is why orevoi work colleagues or friends of your parents who have known you from childhood are fine. Even if you haven’t seen them for a year.

Me too 🙃

PLUS their parents. Have you had this experience? If not, you've no skin in the game, have you?

Did you miss the bit where I said the parents get arsey when you say you can't do it because you haven't known them for two years? When I say "arsey", I mean "really unpleasant, argumentative and aggressive".

How would you fancy that?

Childminder or nursery manager from her old nursery

Corner shop owner

Ex health visitor

Friend of yours' husband

Friend of your parent

The list of "professions" is not exclusive. You can use basically anyone as long as they aren't a criminal or on benefits. (Not that there's anything wrong with claiming benefits!)

Also they can do it online now so no need to be someone physically close by.

You aren't the go to for students' parents passport signatures. It's simply not true that all your students ask you, on a never ending basis, to sign their parents' passport renewals. Not only because almost all adult passport applications don't require countersignature, but also because most adults will have someone else to ask.

Also, I don't believe they 'get arsey' with you on this never ending basis. Not least because no teachers have that kind of communication with parents - there's no face-to-face or phone communication. It's homework planners, email or the annual parents evening.

High and mighty.

Teachers can't sign for unknown family members of children they teach.

And realistically how many of those hundreds of children they teach are going to need them to sign their form. Forms which only need renewing every 5 years with many families not resorting to their child's school teacher doing it.

If the form is done online (I'm assuming at least 90% are now as it's cheaper and far easier) the only details the counter-signatory needs to give to the person applying is a name and email. The info they fill in online isn't given to the applicant (I know this as I've recently had someone countersign an application, and have countersigned many myself). I think the issue with teachers is that they have to have known the parent for 2 years and it's all a bit ambiguous, especially in secondary where they might only see the parent once a year at parents evening for 5 minutes.

Anyone with a business or self employed is fine. I seem to be the go to at school in our classes for this. I don't mind doing it.literally takes 2 minutes. If any of those friends are scaffolding, I think you said, if they are owning their business, they can do it

I think it feels hard to be in this position because it's kind of embarrassing to admit to not having a big enough social network to facilitate this.

I think the passport agency is probably not strict about the profession of the person, provided you are obviously a UK national. I reckon in reality anyone with a job and a passport will do.

Can you not ask one of the school mums? They don’t actually ask for evidence that they’ve known you for more than two years.

How long she been at her school? Our headteacher will do them for a donation to school if the childs in Year 2 and above that has been at the school since beginning of Year 1 as a minimum or has an older sibling in Years 2 and above if younger and the sibling has been there since start of Year 1.

Yes been at the schools nursery and now reception so over 2 years. I’m planning on asking the headteacher but she isn’t very friendly so I can imagine it will be a no.

the school mum that we are close with is a dinner lady so I don’t think that would be accepted?

If she has her own passport and is "in good standing", i.e. no criminal record etc then she'll be fine.

If HT says no you could pop into the nursery and ask her key worker.

Is this a NEW passport or a RENEWAL?

There are lots of restrictions for issuing a new one (countersignatories etc)
and rightly so.
For renewal it’s just a confirmation of existing passport.
I did it last month for DD and these are the documents you can send. See below.

I don’t think that’s appropriate at all.

Where have you got the “not on benefits” from?