countersigning passports

ginger_nuts

I got a priest to sign mine .he had never seen me beefore in his life and he signed that he knew me 9 years .

MrSmartprice

princess wrote:

....speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, chiropodists, paramedics, qualified librarians, ministers of religion......

As a chiropodist, I am intrigued to know why anyone would expect any of this group to do it for free when a GP charges thirty quid

Personally, I think the whole thing is a charade. I have signed a few in the past, but only for people I know as friends, not clients. But the system is wide open to abuse for anyone determined to pull a fast one. I have only once been contacted by the passport office, many years ago, to confirm I knew the person. I just said I did, and that I had signed, and that was it. But I could have been anybody really. :rolleyes:

Janeyjaz

Can I now say that from October to get a first time passport it will entail going to an office and having a personal interview, this should make things safer for all persons concerned and could I just say, a nursery nrse is just as safe as a teacher or a doctor and can countersign, but you must always put your employers name and address on the form.

zappahey

MrSmartprice wrote:

As a chiropodist, I am intrigued to know why anyone would expect any of this group to do it for free when a GP charges thirty quid

I don't think that the expectation was that Joe Public could expect it free from these professions, merely that if you have a friend in these areas they may be worth approaching.

hellofreebies

my health visitor for my children signed theirs....but you really have to find someone who is happy or have their passport no. at hand to complete the form for you....though the form says if neccesary they are happy to take the signature without their passport no. but your application will be delayed as they will contact them to fill it in. i paid the extra fees for the passports to be returned to me recorded....i was renewing my two dd so paid the fee x2 but was pleasantly suprised when they sent me a cheque for a refund of one of the fees i had paid...so if your renewing or applying for more then one at any one given time then you only have to pay return postage once....hth

if your friendly with your surgery nurse she may be happy to do it free.

scooper

hi thanks for all you help on this
my oh is ok as he can ask his boss,and i can ask my sons nursery for his,but for me and my daughter i think we will ahve to ask the doctor,although i cannot afford to pay £30 to have them sign it
also another question,we have just took the photos for my little girl and she has a big smile on it,would that be ok to send?it does say they accept more on childs passoport under 5 as its harder to take a photo?

alison74

scooper wrote:

hi thanks for all you help on this
my oh is ok as he can ask his boss,and i can ask my sons nursery for his,but for me and my daughter i think we will ahve to ask the doctor,although i cannot afford to pay £30 to have them sign it
also another question,we have just took the photos for my little girl and she has a big smile on it,would that be ok to send?it does say they accept more on childs passoport under 5 as its harder to take a photo?

No, they do not accept smiles which is so stupid. My brother took his 11month son to get his done and of course he was smiling at the 'flashy thing and being held up in a magic room with a curtain' ! They sent the photo off (with a slight smile) and it was sent back.

What a nightmare for them. They ended up taking the picture when he had just woken up and was unable to smile since he didn't know where he was.

Fair enough on an adult passport, but a child ? This was sent to the Glasgow PA, so it may be different where you send yours.

andrewmoorcroft

I know someone who works for the post office. She tells me that there are a list of people that can sign in the instructions leaflet. They seem to accept everyone with a degree even if they are not on the list. also the person who signs the childrens forms are signing to say they know you, NOT the child!!!!! 2 common mistakes are the signature going outside the box and the picture being wrong despite the obvious rules.

sal

I'm a nurse and I've signed quite a few for friends.

sal

Need_More_Money_2

I thought anyone with a 'professional' qualification could sign. That seems to be just a degree, and the way things are going that will be just about anyone soon.