to ask someone to lie on my passport form?

[VigourMortis]

I'm a bit embarrassed to ask someone I don't know very well to say they've known me for 2 years on my passport form.

I have to get a passport for DS, we need it in 3 weeks so I'm just in time to do the post office check and send.

We've lived here for 4 months so the only people I know are NCT friends who do not have a professional occupation they can put down or other evidence of being 'of good standing in the community' (although they are perfectly placed to certify that DS (4 months) is not a tiny dribbling terrorist).

I can only think of the property management agent for our let, or perhaps my doctor? What do people DO in these situations?

I've done both.....moved here and had to post stuff to friend at the other end of the country, get it signed and get her to fill it in.

Next time my friend who i'd known just over 18months signed for me (she offered - i didn;t just ask but was mentioning having to sort out DS passport). No-one ever checked up and she is very close to our family i can't see what difference the 6 months would have made really to any questions.

Anyone know the actual, true worse case scenario for people being caught 'fiddling' the dates on these??

How tricky can trick quetions be? They surely only have the nformation thats on your passport form (unless big borther has more information than I think) - they don't ask you for the name of your first ciddley toy or anything do they?

And even then they can't expect a signatory to have memorised the info? You're signing to say this is a likeness of that person and you've known them two years, not to claim you know where and when they were born etc. I mean fair enough with friends children I know this but that's because I'm a lovely caring person and have their birthdays noted in my calendar.

Does this not seem bizarre to anyone else that this is a requirement to obtain a passport? It's so easily falsified, surely the only people who worry over it are those of us who are honest. Anyone else would just get someone to lie and be done with it.

I suppose you are BU, but only because I suppose that person could get in trouble if they lied. I do completely sympathise with your situation.

ah nvm I see some people who feel the same now. That's what I get for walking away from the PC mid-response. :D

It's bizarre. I must remind Zippyzapper I am posting from UK and have not traveled in time to Stalinist Russia. The passport office can't trick me by asking me who cut friend's hair 18 months ago ffs.

But doesn't the countersignatory also have to provide their UK passport information??

When I was going through this with my DS and DD, I went to the local cop shop and they were unwilling to do anything for me ...

You can't know a 4 month old for 2 years.

Yes, but you can know the parents who are the signatories for the passport ... ..

Yeah you do have to provide your own passport info. With a baby you sign to say you've known parents for two years I think.

Yes, for young children its the parent that you are verifying not the child.

to be classed as a professional, you need only have a degree (any degree!) from a UK uni - I phoned and checked with the passport office. And yes, they do ask you questions about your referee - how old they are, what they do, etc etc.

Just to let you know, they do spot checks and often phone the person who has vouched for you.
My friend signed for my baby and they phoned and asked her a load of questions about how long she'd known me etc.
Everything was fine as we did everything by the book, but just to mention it as it's one thing to lie on paper, but it's much harder to lie in a spoken conversation.

Your NCT freinds don't have professional occupations? What is the NCT comming to?

I think people who are saying "you must know someone" are being a bit harsh. It can be difficult to find someone who has a profession, and you've known for two years.

contact last gp?

contact current gp? most will do this. at a charge of course.

'It can be difficult to find someone who has a profession, and you've known for two years.'

It really can! Also, many professionals charge £££ for this.

A child's passport fee is already £49. Not including photos and £3 to get their birth certificate back by secure delivery and the cost of that long-form birth certificate.

It's also an out-dated practice with modern forms of identifying people.

I had to get British passports for my British-born children and we are both British nationals and it was way more difficult and bureaucratic than getting them a US one - a country where they were not born and have never set foot. No stupid countersigning. Cheaper, too.

It is incredibly stupid - my CM has a baby 8 weeks younger than my DD3. When we needed passports for our children, I could countersign hers, but she could not countersign mine, despite that fact she looks after my 3 children 4 days a week and knows them better than anyone other than me and DH! I can't see that I am more trustworthy or of better standing than her.

I don't have any good ideas for you, VM, sorry.

YABU

You will have to post the form to someone who has known you for 2+ years by special delivery, with a return envelope. Mark on it VERY clearly with tabs what they need to fill in and make it clear they cannot go over the lines when they sign!

I'm afraid I don't have any advice, I had mine countersigned by my ex-boyfriend's mother who's a teacher. I'm not a british citizen, but DH is. She didn't know DH for 2 years, but she knew me, although I suppose she effectively lied. Won't be getting them a British Passport again, too much bureaucracy.

And it smacks of Victorian Times "someone with a profession", like Doctors and Teachers are more trustworthy and valuable members of society than everybody else. I suppose once upon a time they were the only people in the village that could actually READ, but nowadays it's simply ridiculous.

I agree it's a silly and outdated system, but there is in fact a huge list of eligible professions: scroll down to near the bottom of the page

It even includes "licensee of public house" so you could ask the landlord of your old local

oh, this list is very helpful. Person with honours includes most our friends, only if we researched better :-)

"had researched"ooops

I thought that there were two different countersgnatures:

• one from an 'acceptable profession' to confirm that the photo is actually of you. They don't have to have known you for two years to do this.
• one from someone who has known you, but does not have to be in an acceptable profession

Don't hold back from asking for advice from the passport people, but bear in mind that they're brilliant at getting it wrong. I had to ask the same question fourtimes before getting what I knew was the correct answer. Also, try clicking this link: www.ips.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/ips_live/hs.xsl/1458.htm?advanced=&searchoperator=&searchmodifier=&verb= &searchdatefrom=&searchdateto=&stage=&searcheventsubject=&searchcategory=&searchquery=&searc hscope=&searchgroup=&varChunk= Definitely don't ask someone to lie for you.