Refusing to sign passport

[Scoobie2911]

AIBU?
Bit of background: I met my best friend 8 years ago when we both started a new job together. My friend is from South Africa, her hubbie was born in UK but his family moved out to SA when he was a child. My friend and hubbie moved to UK about 10 years ago. We no longer work together and live in different towns but speak every day via Whatsapp. We are so alike and get on so well, we think the same way, have similar life experiences and we tell each other just about everything, she is the sister I never had.
She recently gained her UK citizenship, I supported her in this, gave her a character reference as I have for jobs etc. Now she is applying for a UK passport and sent her application to me to be a counter signatory BUT I had to refuse as I am not on the approved occupation list. My friend basically said we can just say I am one of the approved professionals as they don't check anyway but I said this would be fraud and I simply cannot do this. She has asked me to please post everything back to her and hasn't spoken to me since. Am I being unreasonable in refusing to commit fraud and signing her passport application?

@Bibbitybobbity70 if your ds had a child passport and is renewing to an adult one then they don't need a countersignature unless their appearance has changed drastically

Read the op again

Tbh I think you'd be absolutely fine under the "person of good standing" clause and that it's not worth losing a close friendship over. But I am a teacher and whilst I've only been checked up on once (when I must have signed scores of passports over the years) they do check. I was phoned on the school office number.

Sounds like you will be fine to sign and give your profession of NHS Administrator.

I’ve been checked 3 times - out of a lot. But if you’re not comfortable she should accept that.

YANBU OP

For some of the definitely okay professions, its common for them to sign for a modest fee. All they're really doing is verifying your photo is a true likeness. A good friend would accept what you've said, even if they disagreed, and pay for what they need.

I'm concerned at people feeling its okay for people to, effectively, coerce or intimidate us into doing something against our wishes 🤔 If someone will do that to us on one occasion, what other scenarios will they feel its okay?

Even if you change your mind and decide to sign, based on the advice in this thread, your friendship seems to have been damaged. I would find it difficult to deal with a friend who has reacted to my reasonable behaviour the way yours has done.

Nothing wrong with asking OP to sign. As someone employed by the NHS with no criminal record, her signature would have been accepted.

I signed for my friend’s dd for her Irish passport application. I’ve known her since a baby and I’m admin for a private school.
I’d just put your true job title down, they can always say no, not accepted.
Btw, I did get a call from the Irish passport office. I’d forgotten I signed it for her as it took a while for them to confirm.

NHS admin isn’t a profession. Profession is a regulated role with a protected title , professional responsibilities and sanctions if one deviates from the professional role or professional responsibilities

I thought you just had to be a citizen of the country to sign? 🤷🏻‍♀️

NHS admin isn’t a profession.

But is someone who is of good standing in her community. It's a responsible job, and easy to prove that op is who she says she is and lives and works where she says she does.

Tell her that you'll sign as a person of good standing within the community, but you won't lie and then fill in the forms completely truthfully about who you are and what you do - then it's up to the passport office - they'll either accept it, or they won't. If they don't, the the person who wants the passport will have to find someone else. As long as you tell the truth, you won't get into trouble

What does “person of good standing in their community” mean? Genuinely I have no idea.

Journalist is a bit odd to have on there, as there’s no definition of what that means - anyone who writes or has written for a living can call themselves a journalist- it’s a really meaningless term.

She's unreasonable asking you to lie but you're being unreasonable not to sign it accurately and see if you're accepted. Which you probably would be.

I've successfully signed 4 applications. I'm in an admin role.

nhs admin it’s not a profession. Does it necessarily confer good standing?
What is it good standing in community? No one has definitively defined what constitutes good standing or How it’s measured. What it is,and isn’t. Plenty guesses what it might be but no definitives posted

I asked because I don’t know the official government definition. I’m interested what it is

my understanding of good standing is of good reputation, no actions behaviour that are questionable and a role that conveys community trust and or respect.

You absolutely could have signed it as a nhs worker if they didn't find it acceptable they'll decline it

There is more to being eligible to sign a passport than simply "being of good standing in the community". My husband recently applied for his passport (after endless nagging from me). The first 2 people he put down were rejected by passport office on the basis that their occupations (or rather former occupations as both now retired) were not on the approved list. He had to find someone whose occupation was.......

@dedementedpixie if you read the guidance notes on 'good standing in the community' it actually refers back to a qualified occupation.

You don't have to have an occupation on this list. I would tell her I'd sign it, but put your true occupation down. Then it's up to the passport office to decide whether that is acceptable or not.

My primary school age child needed a Passport renewal. I signed (forged) myself using the name of the school headmistress. That was thirty years ago.

You can sign it, you have a job and you know her well, all you do is write down your details. A friend of mine signed for my partner and she is a part time cleaner. For some people its a struggle finding someone to sign, I remember a teacher signing mine when she didn't know me that long.

Whoa what a great friend; was she happy to put a saw in a cake when she visits you in prison ? God alive you can’t sign for a passport without being on the qualified list your absolutely right it is fraud & you absolutely would be in deep shit; send her a what’s app message saying you didn’t want to offend her but you can’t deliberately commit fraud it would have a devastating impact on the your life now & for your future should you be investigated & taken to court; spell out everything you could potentially lose, job, home, respect of family & friends, it would impact on any future jobs you applied for the list is endless. And if she doesn’t understand then she’s not a true friend who loves & respects you & your integrity.

They do check, or at least used to. I had a phone call after signing neighbour’s passport application for her baby.