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.

From .gov.uk
I sent a letter of attendance from her school. Easy Peary.

Dinner lady employed by an outside catering company or the school? Could be local authority employee/civil servant technically if school.

I've been getting the paperwork together for my Irish citizenship application, and the range of people who can countersign your documents is even narrower, and they either need to have known you (or have known someone who has known you) for ten years. GPs won't countersign in our area, I see a different dentist every time I go, the 'professional' people I have known for that long and could easily ask (magistrate, senior civil servant) aren't listed occupations, no kids so no headteacher etc, not religious so no priest etc. And you can't pay someone to notarise it, either. It's annoying as heck.

If you're in an area like mine where GPs won't countersign and you don't have, basically, middle-class friends as per the list of approved countersignatories for a UK passport, I can see it being an issue. It's happened to people before https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16289833.passport-hitch-hits-blackburn-dementia-mums-final-holiday/

Who signed her first passport OP?

Really? My boss signed for mine, he is a lawyer, but American. No one queried it.

I think that asking schools is a bit much tbh - they have enough to do without parents chasing signatures. Same with GP. Surely you must have know someone for more than two years? Previous work colleagues? Friend of your DP? Childhood friends?

Not RTFT so I didn’t see the age of the child. DD is 16+ so her passport renewal was from Child to Adult Passport. Maybe not so difficult.

I found the process very straightforward
EXCEPT
they only give you the information step by step.
So OP, you may be worrying about nothing. Try starting the online process and see how far you get.

1. Name, DOB, previous passport number
2. Acceptable photo uploaded.
3. Payment.
4. Application number given by passport office.
5. List of documents above (one only)
6. Check your application online using the application number at point 4.

You send that document- original only and the old passport by sign-for delivery. They receive and accept your document. 3 (in our case) days later they send you the new passport.

THIS IS FOR RENEWAL.

I've signed for my pupils loads!!

I've had two calls in the time I've been doing it- 25 years now

I went to a school that was failing so badly that it was closed down three years after I left. In an impoverished area, I know of at least 10 people off the top of my head who are accountants, teachers, doctors, nurses, business owners or managers. I would imagine most year groups at school produce at least a handful of people who can sign passports.

Your SAHM parent friends can sign. It's fine. My SAHM friend who was a teacher signed for DS. They don't have to be actively or currently employed.

Basically, the signatory needs to be someone who can be checked out as being legit. So quite frankly, someone who has paid taxes, has a British passport etc is fine.

I gave up signing when the regulations changed and you had to include your own details, including passport details. I really didn’t want to be giving personal information to parents.

Why would a dinner lady friend not be fine? She would be 'in good standing in her community '

The counter-signatory for a child passport is confirming that they have known the parent fir two years. Not the child. It's why many schools have advised Teachers not to sign, unless they know the parents socially.

Exactly. I once refused to sign for a renewal for a parent I'd met for the first time three months previously. She was very annoyed about it having sent her son in with the paperwork.

My hairdresser signed mine 🤣🤣🤣

I've just renewed my son's passport online and didn't need anyone to sign anything.

I wouldn't fixate on the "profession" bit, none of ours were ever signed by anyone other than an unrelated adult that we knew for some time. Job didn't matter.

you don't give the parent the info,

I've just (yesterday) done DS1 renewal and DS2 first passport, I input friends email address - they email a link to friend who inputs her own info, name DOB and passport number. tick a box and confirms she has known me for 2 years and another confirms that kids pics looks like them. Then I get an email notification to say she has completed it.

Unemployment benefits, I mean.

When did become unable to sign? Some schools stopped it because of CF parents making demands instead of asking. Also you have to have known the child or the parents for two years and this doesn't always apply. I have often signed for friends.

Solicitor and barristers are both listed. UK lawyers will be one or the other as will judges.

Just one unpleasant incident like I had was quite enough. I had to put up with a lot of pleading from the child at the time as well, and it wasn't his fault. However you've made up your mind about it, evidently.

@viques you give the school address and phone number.

Presumably your son is 12 or above. It’s only under 12’s that need to be countersigned.