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?

Health visitor HTH

People are being unkind. I can think of a scenario or two necessitating a sudden relocation and a breaking of all previous relationships such that there’s genuinely no one who has known a parent or their children for two years. Use your imagination. To the poster, yes, ask passport office if any suggestions or, if you ‘re in the situation I think you may be in, those who assisted with the relocation may be able to help.

What is the point of this thread in that case?!

They can and some will say no. My kids school refuses to countersign passports anymore

GP will do it, but they charge £30.

They aren't allowed to anymore, the guidance has changed. Unless a Dr knows you personally, they aren't allowed to do it.

Can you give one such example (which includes the situation where the children have attended the same school for more than 2 years as is the case with this OP). As maybe I do have a limited imagination because I can’t think of any situation which includes that very salient fact!

Do you use a public library at all regularly? When I worked in one a colleague signed the forms more than once. Apparently perfectly acceptable.

No you can't. A solicitor still has to know you personally for 2 years.

Mine don’t anymore. Apparently they stopped that years ago

The passport office does not have the resources to check countersigns. Have signed passport photos of my neighbour’s children as I worked at a bank call centre. What exactly is a bank official?

providing your surname doesn’t match the countersign’s name or maiden name, you’ll be fine

I really don’t believe for one minute that there’s no one who can sign your kids passports.
Thinking about my kids class, the parents of my children’s friends, we have a doctor, a judge, someone who works for the courts, civil servant, police officer, PCSO, a lot of teachers, a farrier, a physiotherapist, a swimming teacher, paramedic, and that’s just a few of them.

So I really don’t believe for one moment that you have no one you can ask.

Well, if you don't need suggestions, why did you create a thread??? You can't take your kids abroad without passports.

Unless your colleague had known the people asking for at least 2 years that was not wise.

Christ on a greyhound! I'm so sorry OP! To answer your ACTUAL question, I have not been in this situation, however, I used to work at a secondary school and had lots of requests from parents who had nobody else to sign. Unless the kid had been with us for over 2 years and had a consistent teacher who knew them well enough to identify them, we couldn't do it. Most had no social worker, knew nobody on the approved list etc. The local primary refused all requests also, so they couldn't go back there. GP can't do it. Not everyone has a circle of people around them ready to sign there passport. The replies from some people on this thread are awful. OP asked specifically for anyone who had been in this situation, not for judge, jury, and executioner. That fall from your high horses will be a bitch, you'd all better tuck and roll!

There can’t be absolutely no one who can do it, that’s absurd!
--Unless, of course, you are the sole inhabitants of an extremely
isolated island--

What is stopping you from re-establishing contact, assuming they are still alive? Most people, given the choice, are willing to help, unless they have good reason not to.

Also how does the passport office know you know that person for two years?? Countersigned ex half sister and only knew her for 15 months

She has a ridiculous number of threads asking for advice on just about everything and hits back at every suggestion. There is ALWAYS a reason why this won’t work, or that can’t be done, so I’ll be just fine, thanks.

@Jibberty Oh for fucks sake. I had a feeling. Waste of time like usual.

Some people have been absolute arses, you are right. And no, schools often wont do it as you need to know the parent, not the child. I sign my friends and their children’s passports as a teacher, but never for my students. That has been the case for about 20 years since the change was made from knowing the child to knowing the parent. I did lots before then.

But op, there is also genuine concern that you have nobody to ask at all. It does suggest a certain type of isolated lifestyle. Why don't you know the parents of your children’s friends? Do they not go for playdates or to parties? Do your children not attend extra curricular clubs?

I'll do it rgn

😂

Oh come on, everyone knows someone! Thinking round my neighbours, there are self-employed ones, teacher, school principal, senior bank official, fireman. TA, nurses, a council official - that's just a few! Friends are professionals, estate agent, one's dh is ex-police... any god's amount of people that could do it!

Anyone else who has been in this position sorted it. No passport otherwise!

All this…. And financial advisors