Don't know anyone who can sign passport

[Ahhffs]

I'm really stuck! I knew one person with a qualifying job but they couldn't do it as their passport has expired
i literally don't know any other people
is a carer /care home worker able to sign them? That's literally the only other person I can think of.
what do I do if I can't find anyone? Am I just not able to get a passport?

No it needs to be someone who's known you.

Well if police or politician sign it for someone who isn't who they say they are, they like any other 'professional' can be struck off.

Essentially the list is people who have something to lose (job, professional status) if they get caught falsely verifying a passport application.

A company director/his boss signed by husband’s passport application.

I’ve signed a few and my jobs not on the list, noones ever had a problem.

It’s a bloody stupid system. We had to pay our accountant to do it, then he didn’t bother clicking the link in the email they sent him to verify. So the whole thing was rejected and we had to pay another set of passport fees to start again.

Only if they know you personally and not in a professional capacity

As a teacher, I used to sign passports but had to stop because the LA I worked for vetoed it. I think it was to do with having to give pupils your personal information like address etc

It also doesn't have to be someone who has a "job". The woman who has run the local foodbank/choir/playgroup for the last 20 years would tick the of good standing in the community box. As would a scout/brownie leader, religious leaders.

As for the system being stupid - there have to be checks about who is applying for and being granted the most valuable piece of identification you can get.

GP often will if you pay them

How about a manager of a shop? Or a teacher? A gym owner (if a Limited company)? A neighbour who is a nurse? A parent’s friend who owns a garage but their son now runs it. You must know somebody!

Do you know someone who works for the council and has had the same employer for two years? That's good enough.

The other thing is that the person you ask also has to have a valid UK passport.

A retired person can countersign - retired teacher, retired nurse, retired civil servant... a 'retired civil engineer' countersigned my last passport (a neighbour).

This basically!

Will the person lose a licence/ registration to practice, their job, their company directorship if it turns out they lied?

Would there be a real consequence for them?

My boss did mine

My hairdresser did mine. You can pretty much have anyone who is employed and has no criminal record, and has known you for a long time.

If you’re renewing your passport you don’t need a person to counter sign unless your passport has been lost or stolen.

Doctors can only do it if they know you personally, not just as a patient. It was changed a few years ago.

I signed my neighbour's and work for the nhs and I'm only admin - it was accepted fine .

Retired professional people can also sign for you. I (retired lecturer) have just done so for an aquaintance Ive known several years, albeit casually. You are signing to say it is a true likeness - not that you are their best mate or know anything about their character.

The main criteria is that you must hold current passport and have known the applicant for 2 years. Never be tempted to sign for someone you dont know. I once worked with a young chap who signed for someone he did not know. He got found out and fined. Its not worth the risk.

Surely one of your neighbours has a job!

If you use the physical photo process with the paper form instead of the digital process then you can choose from someone from outside the list of professions. They just have to be ‘a person of good standing in their community’. As long as they’re not a ne’er-do-well basically.

Most people can sign. They just need to have known you personally for two years and have a passport themselves. It doesn’t need to be a “professional”.

When we applied for my DC's first passport the post office manager said he'd be happy to sign for us if we didn't have someone lined up (we did have someone available so didn't accept) - and he definitely didn't know us.

Cousin signed mine, she's a social worker but I had to message a bunch of people asking if anyone knew anyone first.

Could try that.