Don’t have anyone to sign passport

[BlueBurys]

I really want to take my children abroad but don’t have anyone to do their passports. Has anyone been in this situation and what did you do? (Don’t need any suggestions of who can sign it I’m aware and have looked through the list but don’t have anyone that can do it) is there anything else that can be done if you’ve been in this situation?

Witness protection programmes generally discourage people from travelling outside of their area for their own safety. So can't imagine the service would be too happy if the OP got passports and went abroad.

My hairdresser signed mine. Wasn’t an issue.

The answer is:
You can't get passports for your children

Gosh reading your replies no wonder you have no one to sign it.

There isn't an alternative, you need a countersignatory or you can't get a passport. However the helpline might help identify people you do know that you think aren't able to sign but could. The list isn't exhaustive. Hopefully they help you identify someone. The countersignatory for child passports need to know you, not your kids, so it does mean you can use someone from your past before you had the children (or from work)

If not, you'll need to join some clubs, volunteer/work, or start attending a place of worship to get yourself a countersignatory in two years time.

It's not "hate". Posters are just frustrated that you're shooting every suggestion down in flames.

It still has to be signed how do they know you are who you say you are?

Having dealt with a person who was in Witness Protection

• he had police issued ID in his fake name
• he was absolutely barred from overseas travel
• he had a handling officer to deal with any such queries so did not ask random forums
• he still had a tag on when I first met him !

Do you have facebook? If so, could you post on your profile your predicament? An old school friend did this as they couldn't think of anyone at all to sign for their child's passport and I saw it and did it for them no problem. This may be helpful to you, although I know you didn't want suggestions.

Was waiting for this comment 🤣

This is what the Passport Office will tell you to avoid you wasting your time phoning or going in person (from their own website and indicative of the fact that they get asked this all the time!)

www.passports-office.co.uk/blog/dont_know_anyone_countersign

A solicitor will NOT sign this for you if they haven’t known you for the qualifying two years.

Because I’ve gone through all of them myself, if there was anyone at all that I wouldn’t have posted.

I’m sure somebody’s already mentioned this, but any director of a limited company can sign it now

But you've refused to answer any questions on the professions of any of the other parents at your children's school. Or your neighbours. Or explained why you are refusing to try and ask a single one of them. So there's no way you have been through everyone. You're just not asking any of them.

Even if that were the case, it doesn’t alter the fundamental issue that her options remain find someone or don’t get passports. The OP’s own demeanour also hasn’t been conducive to receiving particularly pleasant replies

My neighbour was in this situation. She had a moan to me about it… my response - “you’ve lived over the road from me for years, DH can sign it or Bob at 176 knows you, he has his own business he could sign it, don’t you have your hair done at Quick Cuts on the High Street? Cheryl can sign it”. Turns out she knows lots of people who’ve known her for at least two years! (Remember it’s the parent they need to have known for two years).

Ah man OP I do feel for you, you don’t seem to have many any connections in life. You could join a hobby or a class or the church community are very welcoming.

if you genuinely cannot get anyone to sign it now I would work at meeting some new people, making some friends and then further down the line you could apply for the passports then?

There is no one and ive repeatedly I’m not looking for suggestions of who can do it I KNOW who can. I’m asking if you have no one to do it are there any options.

OP, people here are frustrated because I don't think you DO know who is acceptable. It's much more wide-ranging than the suggested list of occupations. It literally says signatory must EITHER be from a recognised profession or a "person of good standing in the community". So most signatories will fulfil BOTH categories but they are only actually required to fulfil ONE.

I know someone who works as a secretary and another who does a clerical job at the local council and they've both been counter signatory for passports with no issue at all. They are simply people of good standing (regular employment and no history of crime/fraud). My father is a retired pharmacist and did several, before pharmacists were added to the list. The other essential things are knowing you for 2 years and having a valid UK passport.

You must know someone with a job and a passport and no criminal record ... surely?

The offer of doing it for £100 still stands....we are in a col crisis you know (normally i charge £150)! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I really have no idea what OP wants from this thread but they are coming across as really rude!

If you don't have anyone to sign it you can't get passports so your children won't be able to go abroad.
You don't want suggestions so that's it, they can't go abroad.

Then why haven’t you done anything about it in the “years” that you’ve been trying to solve this apparently unsolvable problem? You could have talked to your neighbours, your children’s friends’ parents, enrolled your DC in some activities, started using the same hairdresser, bought stamps from the same post office, joined a hobby group, etc, etc.

Seriously check your neighbours. Ours is the director of a Ltd company so he did my kids. Turns out I have other neighbours that were teachers so they could have done them. My DH signed our next door neighbours because DH also the director of a Ltd company.

Have you shopped in one place regularly for the last couple of years? Maybe a store manager might be able to help.

Came here to say this 🤣

And I’m the rude one 🤣