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?

Make an actual effort to interact with the outside world and get to know people.

Try again in 2 years.

Literally the only solution.

Would love to listen in to your call with the passport office 😂

No one has been in this position before to give you the advice you’re looking for because unless you live on the moon there will be someone who can do it if you just think hard enough

I’ve had my passport renewal signed by a commissioner of oaths at a solicitors office. This was about 15 years ago and cost £130.

I can’t actually remember who signed my last one but it was over Covid so all done all online and no checks done.

I’ll do it OP, just to get this who debacle over with 🤣

As an adult you don’t need your photo countersigned for straightforward renewal.
Only if you’ve lost the passport, name changed or appearance significantly changed

And solicitors are in no different position than anyone else - they have to have known the applicant for at least 2 years. A solicitor who has built up a relationship with a client to the extent that if they were shown a photograph of Jane Bloggs so that they could immediately say "that's Jane Bloggs" isn't going to charge for that.

There are situations where charging a fee happens - for example certifying documents as true copies to send to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which takes time.

OP, you say you have seen other threads of people in your same situation, maybe you can DM those postres and ask if they found a solution.

This thread is absolutely not me. Honestly I have no words. Stop trying to stir things up

Well yes, not sure I can answer either of you really! I don’t know…

Evening, all. We just wanted to pop by to clear up the misapprehension that the OP here is anything to do with the Tunisia thread. Obviously we can never vouch 100 per cent for anyone, but we've looked behind the threads here and can't see anything to suggest any links so it would be a very long (and very pointless) game if that were not the case. We hope that clears things up and we can now get back to answering the OP's question. Thanks.

See mn message above

@Maviaz I am not British and this was a
legal requirement as laid out by my embassy who are the authority on their own rules and requirements.

@IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle I had no prior knowledge of this commissioner or he me. This is a service they advertised expressly to witness passport documents. There was a 2 week waiting list. Many solicitor offices still offer it, as a quick Google will show you.

The desire to be right over factually correct, especially in the face of people’s actual experiences, or in OP’s case screenshots of who can’t countersign, is an extremely annoying MN trait.

Were you applying for a British passport? It sounds very strange that a foreign embassy could impose any requirements on the UK passport agency which is a sovereign agency.

Either way unless @BlueBurys is suddenly going to drip feed that she isn’t a UK passport holder, I’m not sure this experience will be relevant.

This is what google says about the role of a Commissioner for Oaths in passport applications. It agrees with what I and others have posted which is that they can only do so if they have known the applicant for the qualifying period.

No one has been in this situation because everyone would have used common sense and found someone.

It's either that or don't get a passport its simple

Many solicitor offices still offer it, as a quick Google will show you.

I've been a solicitor since 1982. Solicitors cannot countersign passport photos unless they have known the person for at least 2 years. You cannot pay a solicitor who doesn't know you to countersign a passport application

There are services such as certifying documents, adding apostiles to documents, taking statements on oath, notarising documents, submitting documents to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where solicitors are entitled to and do charge fees, but being paid to countersign a passport application for someone you don't know isn't one of them.

It’s certainly extremely unlikely that any solicitor corrupt enough to do so would be stupid enough to publicly advertise this in a way which could be found by a google search.

The SRA would find this like shooting fish in a barrel 😂😂

(solicitor for 10 years less than you - still a very long time though)

Yes there is, just pop down to your local travel agent.

Done.

The travel agent doesn't need to know you. They just need to witness a photo, for goodness sake.

You're looking for excuses I think and making something so very simple, so hard.

So you don't live anywhere near a travel agent?

They do not need to know you! They just need to witness your photo and sign.

A Justice of the Peace, even.

Exactly what I was going to suggest. I've used them heaps. There's always one somewhere nearby and they just make you state an affirmation or swear on the bible ( old school ones). Ask on your local facebook page for one.
I am quietly lolling at travel agent being on the list . It just seems so random. Why not bus driver? It's all silly now as it's online. They haven't got a clue who is signing anything.

I know you don't want suggestions , but one of my DC played in the same team sport as another child for 4 years. Us mums, knew each other but just a bit of chitchat on the sidelines of the game. She moved but we stayed facebook friends though.
I msgd her, and went round to hers and she immediately signed mine and my DC childrens passports. Go back through your FACEBOOK contacts! ( sorry if that's been mentioned before but I was struggling to RTFT.)

That has no relevance to what I posted.

My DH had this problem - for Irish passports the list of who can countersign is v limited and as he lived here he didn’t know anyone at all.
The solution - he went to a notary (paid £50 at the time) to get it done.