Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In wanting to THROTTLE the woman at the passport office

29 replies

PosyPetrovaPauline · 11/06/2010 22:39

Who wants me to provide documentation that I have never been married...

SCREAM....

This is one in a very very long list of gripes I have with them - they are all astoundingly nonsensical but this one maybe tips the balance into bloody stupid

I am close to giving up and resigning myself to a life within the bounds of yorkshire....

OP posts:
Tidey · 11/06/2010 22:41

WTF? How do they propose you prove something that hasn't happened? Provide an absence of marriage certificate?

mumto3boys · 11/06/2010 22:41

eh? How on earth can you prove that? What is making them ask for this?

cory · 11/06/2010 22:44

We had enormous trouble with this when dh married me in Sweden. Because of the way your details follow you from parish to parish (in those days, now from district to district) as you move, it is actually impossible to get married without there being a record- which means you can actually get a certificate that you have never been married (at least not in Sweden). But of course in the UK this is different. It took a long time to convince the Swedish authorities of this.

Original poster
PosyPetrovaPauline · 11/06/2010 22:47

My children have name changed but we have done a 'statutory declaration' for them and all is fine...

correction 3 of my six children have name changed with no issue and the others have all been returned with DIFFERING criteria for me to deal with

Oh I also have to prove there is no 'court order' out from my partner to me to prevent me changing their names

confused?? Or just empathising with my desire to stab bic biros in each of my eyes and fax a photo of that to the woman in Newport?

OP posts:
Vallhala · 11/06/2010 22:49

Say what?!

And how, exactly, pray tell me?

Please, please go back to her and ask her. I'm sure I'm not the only one longing to know.

Perhaps you might like to start by contacting every Vicar, Rabbi, Imam and soforth in the country to ask them to confirm they've never officiated in a marriage where you've been the bride. If you start tonight you should be able to go on holiday abroad by the time you're 137.

flootshoot · 11/06/2010 23:03

Personally I'd be tempted to say 'fine, here is my marriage certificate', and hold up an empty frame.......

Original poster
PosyPetrovaPauline · 11/06/2010 23:06

FARCE ins't it

apparently a letter written by me will suffice on both counts [hmmm]

OP posts:
Karmann · 11/06/2010 23:09

"apparently a letter written by me will suffice on both counts [hmmm]"

I am really laughing now!

Dear Passport Office, I can confirm that I have never been married, Yours sincerely, Posy

xstitch · 11/06/2010 23:09

How do you do that and why? I am both confused and empathising with you. Let us know if they ever tell you how, just in case any of us need to prove a negative.

Original poster
PosyPetrovaPauline · 11/06/2010 23:13

Karrman - yes i agree

I WANT to laugh but equally I am just thinking 'bollocks am i writing some poxy letter ' and thinking i will end up writing to MPs or something as it's all soooo futile

lord help asylum seekers...

OP posts:
JackBauerDeservedAHappyEnding · 11/06/2010 23:25

'Dear Passport Office, I can confirm that I have never been married, Yours sincerely, Posy'

You forgot to add
P.S. Honest!

PigletJohn · 11/06/2010 23:26

Posy "apparently a letter written by me will suffice on both counts"

and you already knew that before you started this thread?

JeezyPeeps · 11/06/2010 23:28

'Dear Passport Office, I can confirm that I have never been married, Yours sincerely, Posy'

P.S. Honest!

P.P.S. And to prove it I include no marriage certificate

Original poster
PosyPetrovaPauline · 11/06/2010 23:41

I said to the woman 'maybe it would be better if my partner wrote to state he had never taken a court order out to prevent me changing the child's name RATHER than me'

she thought this sounded like a good idea and sounded very pleased with me

don't think she sensed the flood of irony crashing down the phone line

OP posts:
Original poster
PosyPetrovaPauline · 11/06/2010 23:42

I could draw a 'chad' with ' wot no wedding'

OP posts:
textpest · 12/06/2010 11:08

Can't you get one of those certificates from the registry office you get if you are planning on marrying abroad - the ones that say you aren't married. My SiL to be had to get one when she got married in Florida.

Lonnie · 12/06/2010 19:05

in Denmark they take your word for it When we married both myself and my (then) dh to be had to sign that we had never been married previously they didnt ask for documentation but it is a criminal offence to put in wrong info.

we got married fine lol

GwennieF · 12/06/2010 19:21

When i got married - my parish priest from home had to send a letter to my current parish priest saying that I had never been married; also the parish priest of every parish I had ever lived in! I also needed a letter from my parents and my DH's parents saying they were happy for us to get married!

This was only 4 years ago!!!

Would they have accepted any of these?

StealthPolarBear · 12/06/2010 19:30

send a photo of your naked

ring finger

Original poster
PosyPetrovaPauline · 12/06/2010 21:06

stealth I might well do that
good illustration of the futility of it

OP posts:
rockinhippy · 12/06/2010 21:31

I'm PMSL @ this thread......makes sure sure when you take the photo of your ring finger, its nice & straight & keep the rest of your hand is in a nice neat fist

Having dealt with the London PP office for my the DDs (then 2) passport..... I can TOTALLY understand your frustration....they were bloody nuts.....kept refusing her photo for the most picky reasons....like the tip of a curl touching her eyebrow.......her smiling too much.....FFs, she was 2...& this was despite it been taken by a PP approved photo shop!!!!...........

ended up my taking 3 lots of 120 mile round trips, for more photos & signatures by solicitor friend....on the day before our Holiday, due to them turning first postal lot down & it been the only appointment they would give us..........cost a fortune.......got the passport with 20 minutes to spare...........I bloody NEEDED the holiday after that lol

Original poster
PosyPetrovaPauline · 12/06/2010 21:35

thanks for the support rockin' !!

I have 6 children and they have picked up these issues for 1 of them.....

they have been dealt with by Liverpool,Durham and Newport ..NO idea why???

beyond annoying and into the realms of heads against slid structures

OP posts:
frakkit · 12/06/2010 21:40

I had to do this before getting married... There is actually an official 'I've never been married' form that I had to sign in order to be able to marry DH (special licence, CofE wedding, then registered at the consulate).

Never heard if it for a passport though!

rockinhippy · 12/06/2010 21:43

Yep, I can totally understand, I ccan laugh about it now, but I swear if you'd of caught me on that day, I was probably purple, with my eyes bulging out on stalks......& it was SOOO hard not to lose my rag whilst there........

I swear to this day it was some sort of game they play........lets wind up the obvious Brits, see if we can turn them racist or give them a coronary

Good luck in getting it sorted, & enjoy your trip

unavailable · 12/06/2010 21:46

I feel your pain Posy.

When I had my last CRB check for a new job they sent it back to me (after several weeks delay) requesting I write confirming I had never been married because I had ticked Ms instead of Miss on the original form.

When I questioned this I was told Ms is a title used by divorced women. That was news to me, but I knew it was an argument I wouldnt win. (Not in time to get clearance for the job anyway!)

Swipe left for the next trending thread