Duplicate child passport

VfM4meplse

A friend caught her estranged partner taking a photograph of her baby's passport (picture / number page) on his smartphone.

I think this is very odd behaviour, and told her so. There is some animosity between them and certainly no trust, so we're wondering what the purpose of this would be. The ex of course refused to explain, or delete the pic when challenged. The possibility of abduction is now at the forefront of my friend's mind, and given their history, I can't say I blame her for being suspicious.

My question is, does the passport office routinely re-issue (duplicate) passports to parents without the consent of both parents? They were not married, but his name is on the birth certificate, so he will have a copy of this. If so, is it possible to veto any requests for a duplicate passport?

Am guessing if that's not the case, there's an industry in counterfeit passports. Tbh I don't know what to think but would like to put my friend's mind at rest if possible. Or acquaint her with the risk of its not.

TIA

peachyprice

Only the parent who filled in and signed the original form can get a replacement child passport unless they give the other parent written permission. Can she remember who made the original application?

Mojisola

VfM4meplse wrote: »

A friend caught her estranged partner taking a photograph of her baby's passport (picture / number page) on his smartphone.

The possibility of abduction is now at the forefront of my friend's mind, and given their history, I can't say I blame her for being suspicious.

She should talk to a solicitor about a Prohibited Steps Order.

VfM4meplse

Bumping this as more suspicious behaviour on the part of the partner is apparent.

Is it worth pre-empting any attempts at abduction by informing the police? Or would they have to take action based on a (justified) fear. The situation is volatile and said friend is worried what he might do next. She's also v scared of him, so has not yet dared to seek legal advice.

I'd have no hesitation in giving him a kick in the b*llocks and tell him to clear off, but she's not me. Which is why she's acting like a cat on a hot tin roof.

heuchera

I think in certain circumstances the police would be very interested if he were thinking of taking the child off to another country like Turkey/Syria, etc

VfM4meplse

heuchera wrote: »

I think in certain circumstances the police would be very interested if he were thinking of taking the child off to another country like Turkey/Syria, etc

Highly unlikely.

The list of suspect countries are covered by The Hague Convention; however finding a missing child could be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Voyager2002

Firstly, taking a photograph of a passport might be a sensible precaution against an abduction attempt by the other parent. If things were to go wrong then it would help enormously if passport details were available.

Having said that, if your friend fears that abduction is possible she should contact the organisation Reunite, which can give basic advice and has a list of solicitors specialising in this area of the law.

As advised above, if she is seriously concerned she should talk to a solicitor about obtaining a Prohibited Steps Order. And while it is now to early to talk to the police, if anything untoward seems to be happening she should contact them without delay and ask them to issue an "all ports warning" which would make it difficult to take the child out of the UK.

VfM4meplse

Thanks for the additional advice. I've spent the whole evening pondering on how to help her. (Accessing practical support is now not the issue, it's her head-in-the-sand approach that is).

I feel awful standing by and doing nothing, am dreading what might happen in the future. Her family is supportive but again there is no convincing her to take action. The ex is incredibly devious and capable of anything

peachyprice

Have you asked her yet who applied for the passport?

Does he have any way of getting the passport off of her? If there is a remote possibility that he could I think I would be inclined to destroy it. It might be inconvenient if she wants to take the child on holiday, but a small price to pay for her ex not being able to easily remove the child from the UK.

duchy

I'm trying to imagine any scenario where an estranged partner has the access to rummage through my private papers to be able to find a child's passport .

All you can do is point out the possible reasons why the father would want/need a copy of the passport and let the mother make her own decisions .

(I don't believe the "If the child was lost of missing the father would have a photo to give to the authorities" scenario. Most parents have many better and more recent photos of their children than a passport photo)

whitewing

OP,

Due to concerns for the child, you can report the incident yourself to either the NSPCC for advice or Social Services (who may not do anything at this stage but it would be on record).

Or you could raise your concerns with the health visitor.

I know it would be awful to do it without your friend's knowledge potentially, but it may also add weight to the potential seriousness of the situation.