Passport countersignaturies AIBU to think it's a ridiculous system

[cadburyegg]

I'm trying to get a new passport, I lost my old one so need a countersignatory.

I asked my friend who is a GP to do it. I've known her for 20 years so i don't know her professionally. She agreed but the system couldn't recognise her details and she thinks it might be because she got married and her passport is in her maiden name. She tried to put her old name in but that didn't work. So she said to ask her dad, who I do know, who is a retired solicitor. The system couldn't recognise him either - he called them and they suggested trying his old address as he moved a few years ago. But that didn't work either.

I do have a couple of other people I can ask but it sounds like they need to have a current passport, be in a recognised profession obvs, not changed their name in the last 10 years and not moved in that time?? AIBU to think this is utterly ridiculous??

Fingers crossed @cadburyegg

You know what they say: third time lucky!

The recognised professional thing is absolutely absurd: old fashioned, snobbish nonsense.

Why is a GP less likely to be dishonest than someone working in information technology?
Come to mention it why isn’t information technology a recognised profession?
Why is a plumber or a sparky thought to be less trustworthy than a journalist? (Which isn’t even a proper profession).

Ah this thread has just reminded me of the absolute bull ache I had a few years ago getting my passport. At the time I was not in contact with a single professional who I personally knew for however many years it required 🙄

Then the same problem when getting my driving licence

I've signed before too. My job isn't on the list but as the list is only an indication it doesn't matter. Nor does the email address. I've always used my Gmail one not my work one.

The whole system is insane.

We started applying for passports before covid. I don't have one so couldn't apply for DCs using my passport number. So they needed my birth certificate. But I was born after 1983 so not automatically British (or something like that) and wasn't married to their DF so a marriage certificate wasn't available. So they wanted copies of my parents marriage certificate, they are divorced so that added another layer of complication.

I was almost relieved when lock down put an end to our travel plans!

I've since realised that we could just buy a copy of their dad's BC and use that as he was born before 1983.

You will all be delighted to know I asked another friend and it worked straight away ☺️

I did it recently and had no problems at all. It was done online and checked within hours. The witness does.though have to have a valid passport that they can check against